We talked to MA Fashion Marketing and Sustainability student Emma Chelminski about how she explored the gamification of fashion sustainability marketing in her dissertation and what it will take to encourage more sustainable consumption habits.
Emma spent her childhood between Egypt and India, where she witnessed the harsh side effects of the fashion industry firsthand. “It was the first time I really started thinking about why there is such a huge issue in the fashion industry. Why are we producing so much, and where is it all going?” Emma recalls. After choosing psychology for her bachelor’s degree, she became particularly interested in how people can create change as a community.
When it was time to choose her master’s program, Emma was determined to do something meaningful, and the MA Strategic Fashion Marketing and Sustainability course seemed perfect. “I thought, why not explore the fashion industry which employs millions of people and very often has really negative side effects?” she explains, reflecting on her motivation to become part of the solution. The course helped her learn about sustainability and combine her interests in fashion, communications, and ethics.
Funnily enough, the hardest part of writing her dissertation was choosing the topic—something she stumbled upon by accident. While browsing academic journals, Emma came across a brief comment by one of the authors: “Gamification is an interesting sphere to look at.” This simple statement shifted her entire focus. “I decided to investigate whether gamification could be applied to sustainability marketing in the fashion industry,” she says. “I had seen gamification in fashion, but it’s usually been more about brand promotion than sustainability.”
The more Emma dug into the topic, the more she realised there was a gap in the market. Besides, sustainability marketing itself presents many issues. “Sustainability has almost become a trend, with every brand trying to capitalise on it,” she observes. “In this oversaturated landscape, consumers are left confused about which brands are genuine and which are merely greenwashing for profit.”
The lack of consumer education in fashion has also contributed to the matter. “There’s so much good we could accomplish with sustainability marketing, and that’s why I focused my dissertation on using gamification as an educational tool to help bridge that literacy gap,” Emma explains, emphasising that sustainability should be accessible to everyone. “Everyone shops; everyone buys clothes. It’s relevant for everyone, not just for those studying it,” she asserts.
When exploring gamification, Emma discovered that consumers are interested in learning but prefer a format that’s easy to digest. “Gamification is great because it’s new, interesting and fun, but at the same time it’s possible to sneak education into it."
Educational gamification offers a low barrier to entry for customers who might feel hesitant about new technologies. “AR and VR applications can sometimes feel intimidating to consumers who aren’t sure if they’ll have enough time to learn,” Emma says, suggesting that gamification may provide a smoother way to educate consumers. While apps that offer fashion history education already exist, none currently focus specifically on sustainability.
The key finding of the research was that, while consumers may be skeptical about new technology integrations, they do care about becoming more sustainable. “Consumers are looking for brands that not only sell but also connect with their customers, and education is one way to achieve that,” Emma explains. She believes brands should invest more in creative, interactive educational marketing, as this will strengthen customer-brand relationships in the long term. Moreover, marketing professionals with expertise in gamification will likely be in high demand in the near future.
Although her dissertation is now complete, Emma is busy preparing a workshop for the upcoming FBS Postgraduate Showcase. “I’m gamifying a sustainability report to test whether there’s a tangible outcome from this dissertation,” she explains. Looking ahead, Emma is interested in further exploring the mix of creative marketing and gamification. “I believe that’s the direction sustainability is moving toward, and I’d love to work in this sector as well.”