Purpose – The purpose of this research is to create an understanding of how influencer marketing could be used to increase the purchase intention in an area of a high involvement product in a niche market. Since this study is collected together with a Swedish golf company, the golf industry was evaluated. In order to fulfill the purpose, the social media influencer value (SMIV) model was adopted in this study. Method – A quantitative experiment was conducted through the use of experimental vignette methodology (EVM) together with a qualitative validity check-in form of an interview with a key person from the industry. The main data was collected through a combination of exposure to the independent variable (through a stimulus) and a set of following questions (a questionnaire). The questionnaire was sent out to the company’s consumer through email and to analyze the collected data an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used. Findings – In the collected data, evidence indicating that golf is a high involvement activity where the participants put down a lot of time and effort in the sport was found. In the SMIV model three significant paths was found between expertise and purchase intention, similarity and purchase intention, and usefulness and purchase intention. All three independent variables had a positive impact on purchase intention which tells us that when expertise, similarity, or usefulness increases, consumers purchase intension increases as well. Theoretical and practical implications – The results in this study contributes to current literature in the area of influencer marketing by confirming some relationships but also by extending the literature. The study also contributes to important insights for marketing practitioners since the results present important variables to consider when using influencer marketing to create purchase intention. It also creates meaningful insights for the influential person itself and open up for further research in the area of the effect of influencer marketing in a high involvement product.

Gender stereotypes are frequently used in advertising. Although, we do not longer consume advertising simply by watching TV, most research on the area is made on traditional media. Today, a major part of advertising is consumed through social media and exposed through influencer marketing. Thus, it is not a large advertising agency that decides how the influencer should highlight the product. This study investigates the presence and production of gender stereotypes in influencer marketing. Further it intends to create a greater understanding of how sponsored posts differ between male and female influencers on Instagram. The material consists of 16 images posted by influencers in collaborations with the organization Visit Dubai. The research method being used is a semiotic image analysis. The theoretical framework consists of gender and stereotype studies in relation to advertising, such as man- spreading and women shrinking. The study also uses theories on self-representation. The researched showed a lack of typical stereotypes in influencer marketing. Further, the results showed that female influencers did use positioning and looks that could be linked to the theories. Self-representation could be one key factor on why influencers use stereotypes in influencer marketing. Advertising serves to create meaning for the culture and serves as a display on which cultural performances are illustrated. This means that an understanding of stereotypes in relation to the new marketing methods can be seen as an important tool for understanding our culture.

This thesis is devoted to blogs and their commercialization, a phenomenon of the on-line world for last few years. The aim of this work is to explore several Czech lifestyle blogs and to find out how much commercial content there is, also how the audience reacts to this content as well as how the bloggers themselves approach commercial content. In the beginning the development of blogs is described, both in the Czech and global environment. The characteristic features of blogs from different perspectives on the issues are also described. The development of blogs is then set in the context of events that made it possible at all. Furthermore, attention is paid also to the process of commercialization of content on the blogs and the possibilities monetizing the blogs' content. Emphasis is placed primarily on a detailed description of influencer marketing and its current situation, but it also discusses affiliate marketing and the use of public relations tools on blogs. The research part provides an insight into the issue of Czech blogs and the current blogosphere. First the chosen blogs are described and set in the context of the Czech blogosphere, then, based on a detailed content analysis, the level of commercial content on the selected blogs is described as well as how the audience reacts to it....

Problemformulering och syfte: En forskare tror att virtuella influencers har en ljus framtid, vilket kan innebära att mänskliga influencers roll påverkas. Dessutom säger forskning att det finns en problematik i fenomenets trovärdighet, faktumet att overkliga aktörer inte uppfattas trovärdiga ser vi kan utgöra ett problem för användandet av virtuella influencers. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka hur virtuella influencers agerar på Instagram, hur specialister inom influencer marketing ser på detta fenomen och hur kunskap, nätverk och parasociala relationer påverkar trovärdigheten hos en influencer. Metod och material: I den här studien har två metoder använts. En kvantitativ innehållsanalys har genomförts på två virtuella influencers Instagramkonton; lilmiquela och bermudaisbae. Resultatet från innehållsanalysen har använts för att vidare undersöka studiens frågeställningar genom fyra intervjuer. Huvudresultat: Studiens resultat visar att (1) virtuella influencers beter sig som verkliga människor på Instagram, (2) trovärdigheten kan vara en utmaning hos virtuella influencers, beroende på hur ärlig kommunikationen är runt de overkliga och verkliga faktorerna och (3) specialister inom branschen har en nyfiken inställning till virtuella influencers och kan tänka sig att arbeta tillsammans med virtuella influencers.

En ökad användning av sociala medier och e-handel har inneburit en ny spelplan för Sveriges företagare. Digitaliseringens framväxt har inte bara skapat nya marknadsföringsstrategier, utan också förändrat konsumenters köpbeteende. Med denna utveckling som bakgrund har allt fler företag valt att inkludera så kallade influencers i sin marknadsföring, vilket resulterat i att marknadsföringsstrategin influencer marketing vuxit sig allt starkare. Inom forskningsfältet sägs företag som använder sig av influencers kunna skapa en slagkraftig marknadsföring som både är effektiv och monetärt lönsam, eftersom den riktar in sig på rätt målgrupp direkt. Samtidigt sägs konsumenter uppfatta influencers som mer trovärdiga än traditionell reklam, vilket i sin tur gör influencer marketing än mer betydelsefull. Tidigare studier har belyst influencer marketing som helhet på sociala medier och hur strategin i sin tur påverkar konsumenters köpintentioner. Få studier har däremot studerat vilken påverkan influencer marketing har på konsumenters attityder och varumärkeslojalitet samt vilka effekter det har på en specifik målgrupp eller vid en bestämd social medieplattform. Denna studie syftar därav till att fylla det forskningsgap som identifierats genom att skapa en djupare förståelse för hur användandet av influencer marketing på Instagram påverkar unga konsumenters varumärkeslojalitet. Studien har en kvalitativ forskningsansats där etiska riktlinjer kontinuerligt tagits i beaktning under studiens genomförande. Det teoretiska ramverket introducerar teorier om influencers och dess framväxt, marknadsföringsstrategin influencer marketing samt varumärkeslojalitet. Data samlades in via tio semi-strukturerade intervjuer, vilka genomförts med kvinnor och män i åldrarna 19-26 med en huvudsaklig sysselsättning som student eller arbetande. Samtliga intervjuer utgick från konsumenternas upplevelser av influencer marketing på Instagram, vilka senare analyserades med en tematisk metod för att slutligen besvara studiens problemformulering: Hur påverkas unga konsumenters varumärkeslojalitet av företags användande av influencer marketing på Instagram? Resultaten av studien indikerar att influencer marketing på Instagram påverkar unga konsumenters varumärkeslojalitet både indirekt och direkt, samt i positiv som negativ bemärkelse. Detta visualiseras med hjälp av en modell som belyser vilka faktorer som påverkar unga konsumenters lojalitetsbeteende. Den största upptäckten är att konsumenters relation till influencers ses som en central faktor både till hur marknadsföringen uppfattas, samt vilka attityder och köpbeteenden som uppstår. Detta, i kombination med matchningen mellan influencer och varumärke (alternativt produkt/tjänst), hur samarbetet är utformat samt vilken nivå av tillfredsställelse fenomenet skapar, resulterar i sin tur till olika grader av lojalitetsbeteende och varumärkeslojalitet.

Background: Celebrity endorsements is a marketing strategy that has been long used bymarketers to strengthen brands' reputations. Nowadays, due to the fast growth of socialmedia, number of people using social media increase day-by-day. Hence, the use of digitalplatforms as marketing channel has increasing. Plus, a changing shift from traditionalcelebrity endorsement to influencer marketing has also been observed whereby well-knownsocial media users are employed by brands to promote their products. Those people areknown as social media influencers (SMIs) and are deemed as non-traditional celebrities.According to advertising and marketing literature, celebrity endorsement is an effectiveapproach to improve attitudes towards brands and raise buying intentions. However, thereare limited research on the impacts of different types of celebrities on social media uponcustomers, especially in the perfume industry. Therefore, this study was created to fill this gap. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of Instagram influencers onVietnamese customer’s attitude and intentions in purchasing perfume. This paper adoptedthe Ohanian model of source credibility since the authors aim to examine associationbetween SMIs’ perceived attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise and customerattitude. The relationship between customer attitude and purchasing intention of perfumewas then also investigated. Method: The survey method was used as the research method. Online questionnaire wasemployed to gather primary data from the respondents in Vietnam. A total of 147 sampleVietnamese Instagram users participated in the survey and collected data was analysed usingthe SPSS 28.0 version. Conclusion: The research results showed that all three dimension of source credibilitymodel, attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise, had significant influences on customerattitude. Findings also demonstrated a positive relationship between customer attitudetowards SMIs and their buying intention of perfumes. This study made several contributionsto both theory and practice, which were also highlighted in this paper.

Over the years Instagram has grown successfully to an online platform whereindividuals and companies are constantly present. It has become a marketplace wherecompanies frequently can reach out to their customers with marketing. As a result, thishas created an impact on consumers' impulse buying behavior. Due to thesecircumstances, the purpose of this study was to examine whether the usage ofInstagram, time-limited discount codes, and the attitude toward influencers contributeto Swedish consumers’ impulse buying behavior. To examine this, three hypotheseswere developed from previous research on impulse buying, influencer marketing, pricepromotions, and the usage of Instagram. Primary data were collected through aquestionnaire with 306 respondents and further analyzed through the statisticalsoftware SPSS to be able to test the stated hypotheses.  The study questions to what extent time-limited discount codes on Instagram providedby influencers affect Swedish consumers’ impulse buying behavior. The results of thehypothesis testing confirm that there is a correlation between the factors, whichimplies that they have an affection for Swedish consumers. However, the test showedthat the usage of Instagram is the factor with the highest correlation with impulsebuying. Additionally, when analyzing the answers in the questionnaire it showed thatdue to various circumstances such as lifestyle and income the extent of affectiondiffers. The result is supposed to facilitate companies with their marketing to get anunderstanding of consumers’ impulsive buying behavior on Instagram for futureresearch.

TitelMarknadsföringsaktiviteter på Instagram - En kvantitativ studie om hur varumärkesattityd påverkas av företags samarbeten med influencers på sociala medier. NivåC-uppsats i ämnet Företagsekonomi. FörfattareFelicia Johnsén & Wintana Habte Gimariam HandledareJonas Molin & Lars-Johan Åge. Datum2021 – juni SyfteStudiens syfte är att undersöka hur varumärkesattityd påverkas av den upplevda attraktiviteten hos influencers när de utför samarbeten med företag. MetodDenna studie tillämpar en kvantitativ metod med en tvärsnittsstudie. Studiens datainsamling har utförts med en online enkätundersökning. Den baserades på 79 godtagbara svar från Instagram användare som följer en eller flera influencers. Enkätsvaren har analyserats genom IBM SPSS Statistics och Excel. Därefter har en deskriptiv analys samt en korrelationsanalys gjorts för att tolka studiens resultat. Resultat & SlutsatsResultatet av denna studie visar att attraktiva egenskaper påverkar varumärkesattityd mer än fysisk attraktivitet. Studiens resultat visar även innebörden av att välja en passande influencer till varumärket för ett företags framgång. Förslag till vidare forskningDenna studie föreslår bland annat att genomföra två kvalitativa studier där ena lyfter frågan om fysisk attraktivitet har blivit tabu att tala om och den andra kan utföra samma studie som denna, men med intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod. Andra förslag till vidare forskning är att undersöka olika generationer och begränsa urvalet efter könsfördelning, exempelvis endast kvinnor. Uppsatsens bidragStudiens bidrag är att attraktiva egenskaper hos influencers påverkar konsumenter mer än deras fysiska attraktivitet. Det är även viktigt för företag att välja en passandeinfluencer till sitt varumärke för att främja positiva attityder gentemot varumärket. NyckelordInfluencer, Influencer marketing, Instagram, Product Match-up. Source Attractiveness, Source Credibility, Varumärkesattityd. / TitleMarketing activities on Instagram - A quantitative study of how brand attitude is affected by companies colloborations with influencers on social media. LevelFinal assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration. AuthorsFelicia Johnsén & Wintana Habte Gimariam. SupervisorsJonas Molin & Lars-Johan Åge. Date2021 – june AimThe purpose of the study is to investigate how brand attitude is affected by the perceived attractiveness of influencers when they do collaborations with brands. MethodThis study applies a quantitative method with a cross-sectional study. The study's data collection was conducted with an online survey. It was based on 79 acceptable responses from Instagram users who follow one or more influencers. The survey results have been analyzed through IBM SPSS Statistics and Excel. Subsequently, a descriptive analysis and a correlation analysis were performed to interpret the study results. Result & ConclusionThe results of this study show that attractive properties affect brand attitude more than physical attractiveness. The results of the study also show that the meaning of choosing the right influencer for the right brand is important for a company's success. Suggestions for future researchThis study proposes, among other things, to conduct two qualitative studies where one raises the issue of physical attractiveness has become taboo to talk about and the other can perform the same study as this, but with interviews as a data collection method. Other proposals for further research are to examine different generations and limit the selection by gender distribution, for example only women. Contribution of the thesisThe study's contribution is that attractive characteristics of influencers affect consumers more than their physical attractiveness. It is also important for companies to choose a suitable influencer for their brand in order to promote positive attitudes towards the brand. Key wordsBrand attitude, Influencer, Influencer Marketing, Instagram, Product Match-up, Source Attractiveness, Source Credibility.

The social media app TikTok has recently grown enormously worldwide, especially among young people. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate seven high school students' knowledge regarding advertising literacy between the ages of 17-18, and how it affects their approach to advertising on TikTok. The study uses theories such as the reception theory and previous research studies that are within the subject. These studies consist of stealth marketing, influencer marketing and media literacy.  The study used a qualitative method by conducting semi-structured interviews that were based on showing the respondents two TikTok videos before and after the interview as well as an interview guide that contained the areas and themes the interview would revolve around. These interviews would be the foundation of answering the studies three primary questions: How do the respondents answer towards stealth marketing on TikTok? What strategies do the respondents use to identify influencer marketing on TikTok? And how does the respondents' way of viewing a TikTok video change after an interview that highlights marketing?  The results of the study indicate that the respondents’ approach to stealth marketing on TikTok is influenced by their motivation to take part of the content as well as identifying a certain uncertainty regarding their stance towards stealth marketing. The overall strategies the respondents use to identify influencer marketing on TikTok are through tags and hashtags in the description, when company logos and trademarks appear, noticing the influencer's tone of voice, and if the influencer's content is different from what they normally do. And last but not least, the respondents became generally more critical towards the two TikTok videos after the interview had taken place.  The conclusion of this study is to encourage Swedish schools to become better at teaching students about source criticism and stealth marketing on social media platforms since this study has shown a pattern of uncertainty among the respondents regarding their criticism skills on social media platforms.

ABSTRACT Level: Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution:  School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University  Authors: Alma Hamulic & Lovisa Nilsson Eskesen                                              Title: How do influencer marketing agencies work with sustainability as intermediaries? Keywords: Influencer Marketing, Sustainability, Sustainable Marketing, Future of Influencer Marketing, Intermediaries Research question: “How do influencer marketing agencies work and promote sustainability to their influencers?”  Purpose: The authors aim to investigate how the agencies work with the influencers in terms of sustainability, whether the influencer marketing agency has a given strategy for the influencer to communicate sustainably or not. Method: The interpretivist research paradigm was chosen as the most suitable one in this                                           qualitative study. The interpretivist research philosophy tends to lead to an                                           Inductive approach and the research method is exploratory.  For this research, a                                           multiple case study has been chosen, carried by four semi-structured interviews                                           chosen by the purposive sampling method.  Conclusion: The results show thee main findings where none of the participating agencies for this research has a given strategy for promoting sustainability to their influencers even though they agree that it is of great importance to include in their work. Another finding is to be selective with the companies the agencies choose to work with and the fact that they can affect what is being communicated in terms of sustainability. A sustainability action plan has been created that illustrates how a new strategy can be brought in to create a sustainability strategy for intermediaries.