‘Spacchettiamo!’. Il fenomeno dei video haul nella relazione tra adolescenti e fashion brand

Haul videos are a unique vlogging format that is based on showing and reviewing a so called ‘haul’, which consists the outcome of shopping sessions. Haul vloggers are micro- and ordinary celebrities that have a large fan base, especially among female teens. The relevance of haul videos in terms of marketing is quite clear. They are spaces for a kind of product placement and brand endorsement, where the haulers/vloggers provide brands with visibility while presenting information and reviews to their viewers about that product. Such videos are considered very useful for haulers’/vloggers’ followers in defining their consumption strategy. The perspectives of audience and fashion studies of such videos are also significant, although they are less at the forefront of relevant discussions. This study aims to examine the relationship between haulers and their followers by analysing fan comments to the videos. More specifically the article demonstrates how and why vloggers are recognized by fans as ordinary (micro-)celebrities; how vloggers’ performances can be perceived as authentic; and how fans build a sense of (distant) intimacy, in addressing fashion content and brands that are identifiable by members of the same generation.