Reassembling the city through Instagram

 

 

Consumer responses to influencer

marketing on Instagram.

Anna Segova

A thesis submitted for the Degree of Master of Arts (Research).

University of Technology Sydney.

School of Communication.

2020

Certificate of original authorship

I, Anna Segova, declare that this thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the

requirements for the award of Master of Arts (Research) in Humanities and

Social Sciences in the School of Communication at the University of Technology

Sydney.

in the thesis.

institution.

Program.

This thesis is wholly my own work, unless otherwise reference or acknowledged.

In addition, I certify that all information sources and literature used are indicated

This document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic

This research is supported by an Australian Government Research Training

Signature:

Production Note:
Signature removed prior to publication.

Date: 3 January 2020

i

Acknowledgement

Throughout the writing of this thesis, I have received a great deal of support and

assistance.

I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. James Meese, whose expertise was

invaluable in formulating the research topic. I’m especially grateful for the

support and counsel I have received from my supervisors Dr. James Meese and

Dr. Susie Khamis.

I would also like to thank everyone who has taken the time to participate in this

research, without whom this analysis would not have been possible.

I would also like to acknowledge the editing advice I have received from Terry

Fitzgerald and Suzanne Eggins, who helped me prepare this thesis for

submission.

ii

Preface

This dissertation explores the topic Consumer responses to influencer marketing

on Instagram. The basis of this thesis is a survey and series of interviews on

consumer attitudes to influencers and sponsored content on Instagram,

conducted on a sample group of undergraduate university students. It has been

written to fulfil the graduation requirements of the Communications Program at

the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). I was engaged in researching and

writing this dissertation from January 2018 to January 2020.

My research question was formulated with my supervisor, James Meese. The

research was challenging, but conducting an extensive investigation has allowed

me to answer the research questions that were identified.

I would like to thank my supervisors, James Meese and Susie Khamis, for their

guidance and support throughout this process. I would also like to express my

gratitude to all of the respondents who gave their time to participate in this

project. Without their participation, I would not have been able to conduct this

analysis.

I hope you enjoy your reading.

Anna Segova

Sydney, January, 2019

iii

Table of contents

Chapter 1. Instagram influencers and the industry

What is an influencer?

Growth of the influencer industry

Sponsored content on Instagram

Academic research

Thesis structure

Chapter 2. Literature review

Micro-celebrity

Influencers and influence marketing

Celebrities, endorsements and influencers

Marketing and branding

Conclusion

Chapter 3. Research Methodology and Methods

Research Question

Research design and approach

The survey and quantitative methodology
Qualitative methodology

Chapter 4. Research findings: Influencers and trust

Limitations

Influencers

Trust

Personality and uniqueness

Influencers’ responsibilities
Macro vs micro influencers

Sponsored posts

Advertising awareness

Consumer behaviour

Purchase behaviour

Seeing the products in use
Repetitive advertising
Attitudes to sponsorships

Advertising method comparison

Chapter 6. Discussion

Changing influence

Media literacy

The future of influence

Chapter 5. Research Findings: Advertising and consumer behaviour

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Chapter 7. Conclusion

Contribution of this study

The future of influence

Appendices

Appendix A. Survey pre-qualifying questions

Appendix B. Survey questions

Appendix C. Survey contact consent and information

Appendix D. Interview Questions

Appendix E. Interview visual stimuli – advertising methods ranking

Appendix F. Ethics clearance

Bibliography

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Abstract

In light of the emergence and mainstreaming of the influencer industry, it has

become increasingly important to understand how consumers respond to

influencer marketing techniques. Academic research has previously focused on

how influencers interact with their audiences, and little to no work has spoken

directly to consumers about their views on influencers and sponsored content on

Instagram. Focusing on what this trend means to those who actively engage with

influencers, this thesis examines how Australian consumers respond to

influencers and influencer marketing on Instagram through mixed-methods

research. The thesis reveals that consumers prefer sponsored content over

traditional online and offline advertising techniques. One of the main reasons for

this preference is the personal relationship that consumers are able to establish

with influencers. This research demonstrates high levels of media literacy among

consumers and their confidence in recognising sponsored content, even when ad

intent is undisclosed. Additionally, this thesis shows that a promotional tone of

voice undermines message credibility more than ad disclosure. This paper

extends our knowledge of contemporary online marketing by providing a

comprehensive account of how consumers react to influencer marketing on

Instagram and in turn provides new insights into the consumer–influencer

relationship.

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Chapter 1. Instagram influencers and the industry

‘sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me … ugh this is

so sad.’ Kylie Jenner posted this tweet to her 24.5 million followers on the

afternoon of the 23 February 2018 (Crockett 2018). The following day when the

market opened, Snap Inc. stock tumbled by 7.2 per cent and lost $1.3 billion in

market value overnight (Crockett 2018). While Kylie’s tweet cannot be held

solely responsible for the drop in stock price, this example is evidence of the

importance of influence when it comes to brand positioning.

Marketers increasingly use social media to influence consumer behaviour, create

trends and capture the attention of audiences. In many cases, companies draw

on the fame of existing celebrities. For example, Kylie Jenner reportedly earns $1

million for each sponsored Instagram post (Mejia 2018). Jenner wields influence

over a global audience, but this is only partially facilitated through the

technological advances of social media. She has also developed an international

celebrity through the activities of her broader Kardashian/Jenner family, most

notably thanks to the television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

However, in most other cases in which people engage in what is commonly

known as ‘influencing’, individuals are simply promoting brands to an audience

they have built on social media. Their personal brands may differ from those of

traditional celebrities, but they also gather audiences of millions through their

social media pages.

Influencer marketing is a popular topic in both academic and industry literature

and there has been some study of the emergence of influencers (see Marwick

2013; Senft 2008; Abidin 2015a). However, limited research has been conducted

on how consumers respond to social media influencers. In response to this, this

thesis explores why and how Australian consumers follow and interact with

Instagram influencers and analyses their perceptions of influencer advertising. It

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