The rapid growth of visual microblogging platforms, such as Instagram, has created new opportunities for brands to communicate with stakeholders. As these platforms evolve, brands have had to adapt in order to use the available social media platforms to gain visibility in the millennial audience. Recently brands have turned to online 'celebrities' known as a social media influencer (SMI) to distribute information and influence consumers' product perceptions. This specifically has become a common tactic in communication and marketing efforts with the fashion and beauty industry. Ample research is available on the effects of celebrity endorsements but currently there is a gap in research pertaining to the consumer's perspective towards SMIs and SMIs effects on consumers. The online experiment completed in this thesis addressed how promotion of a product by a SMI affects perceptions of consumers on Instagram by measuring social comparison and self-congruity. This is accomplished by comparing participant's product perception to promotional posts on Instagram by a SMI, brand, and unbranded retail source. A three-condition experiment (SMI, Brand, Control) compared effects of product perception, social comparison, and self-congruity. A questionnaire consisting of 48 questions pertaining to SMI, self-congruity, social comparison, and product perception was completed by 151 participants. Significant relationships were found between the source of the promotional post (SMI, Brand, Control) and product perception. There was also a correlation between self-congruity and social comparison towards the SMI as well as product perception. Results suggest that the post source influences product perception. Results also indicate consumers' perception of the SMI effects product perception. These results provide practical implications for communication practioners who utilize social media. The rapid growth of visual microblogging platforms such as Instagram, is creating new opportunities for organizations to communicate with stakeholders. Brands have used social media platforms in order to gain visibility in the college age audience. Currently there is a gap in research pertaining to SMI and their effects on consumers. This online experiment will address how promotion of a product by an SMI affects perceptions of consumers on Instagram through social comparison and self-congruity theory by comparing responses to a product promoted by an SMI to the same product promoted by the promoted by the brand and to an unbranded retail source. A questionnaire consisting 34 of questions pertaining to SMI, self-congruity, and social comparison will be asked to 180-240 participants. The participants will be randomly assigned one of nine Instagram posts to accomplish stimulus sampling across the three conditions: three from SMI, three from brands, and three from an unbranded retail source / Master of Arts / As visual social media platforms, such as Instagram, continue to rapidly grow in popularity, brands have been obligated to quickly learn how to utilize these platforms in order to reach their target audiences. Brands typically use social media platforms in order to gain visibility in the college aged audience, but new platforms require new strategies. A new popular tactic is utilizing an online “celebrity” known as a social media influencer (SMI) in order to distribute information and influence consumers’ perceptions. Using SMIs in communication and marketing campaigns has grown in popularity in industries such as beauty/fashion, home/family, health/fitness, travel/lifestyle, food/beverage, business/tech and entertainment. In beauty and fashion, the use of SMIs to reach the millennial audience has become a part of regular practice for companies such as H&M, Madewell, Gucci and others. There is ample research on the effects of celebrity endorsements but currently there is a gap in research pertaining to SMIs and their effects on consumers. This online experiment completed in this thesis addressed how promotion of a product by a SMI affects perceptions of consumers by measuring their social comparison and self-congruity. This is accomplished by comparing participant’s product perception to posts by SMI, brands, and unbranded retail sources that promoted a product on Instagram. A three-condition experiment (SMI, Brand, Control) compared effects of product perception, social comparison, and self-congruity. A questionnaire consisting of 48 questions pertaining to SMI, self-congruity, social comparison and, product perception was completed by 151 participants. Significant relationships were found between the source of the post and product perception. Correlations were found between self-congruity and social comparison towards the SMI, as well as product perception. Results suggest that where the source of the post influences product perception. Results also indicate that consumer’s perception of the SMI effects product perception. These results provide practical implications for communication and marketing professionals who are determining whether to use SMI and those who already use SMI.

TESIS PARA OPTAR AL GRADO DE MAGÍSTER EN MARKETING / El endorsement ha sido una técnica utilizada con frecuencia en las comunicaciones de marketing. Esta táctica consiste en el uso de una persona o personaje como soporte de comunicación para una marca o producto, en el cual el endorser puede desarrollar diferentes actividades de soporte del producto como portavoz, modelo, embajador o la cara de la marca (Canning y West 2006). El objetivo principal del uso de endorsers es agregar valor a la marca a través de aumentar la visibilidad de la misma y transferir los atributos de esta figura a la marca. Tradicionalmente, se han definido tres tipos de roles de endorsement: usuario, experto y celebridad (Freiden, 1984; Speck et al., 1988). Sin embargo, en el contexto de los avances de las tecnologías de la comunicación, han surgido nuevos formatos de endorsement, siendo estos los Social Media Influencers (SMI), representan una especie de "celebridades online", con la capacidad de ejercer un poder significativo sobre las percepciones del público (Booth y Matic, 2010). En otras palabras, los SMI son personas que influyen en los consumidores para moldear sus actitudes a través de blogs, tweets y el uso de otros sitios de redes sociales como YouTube, Instagram o Facebook (Freberg et al., 2010). Los autores han diferenciado la existencia de diferentes tipos de SMI, uno está compuesto por aquellos llamados micro celebridades que nacieron y desarrollaron su carrera en las redes sociales (Gormley 2016) y el otro grupo se refiere a celebridades 'tradicionales' del mundo offline (como películas, música, deportes, etc.) que desarrollan parte de sus actividades en redes sociales. En este escenario, esta investigación buscará examinar dos objetivos principales: el primero será evaluar el efecto de dos tipos de SMI (micro y celebridades tradicionales) sobre la actitud hacia una marca y la intención de compra que tienen los consumidores; y el segundo será examinar la función moderadora de las características del producto en los efectos de los diferentes SMI. En este sentido, se evalúan dos características, el tipo de producto (búsqueda versus bienes de experiencia) y la familiaridad de la marca.

Influencer marketing has made its way to the forefront of online marketing due to the rapid expansion and usage of social media platforms. Despite the increased adoption of influencer marketing, the effect of sponsorship disclosure on source credibility remains under-researched in academia. This study aimed to address this research gap in two parts. Firstly, by evaluating the characteristics and significance of social media influencers. Secondly, by investigating the effect of sponsorship disclosure on consumers perception of source credibility and the likelihood to recommend organic hair care products. The selected social media platform for this study was Instagram, due to its growing popularity and increased usage by influencers. The hair care retail business as a proven multi-billion dollar industry, set itself as a valuable industry for the purposes of this study. The research methodology involved the collection of primary data from existing literature on influencer marketing strategies and social media influencers. Ohanian's Source Credibility model was found to be of relevance to the research objectives, therefore, it was used a theoretical framework for the study. Secondary data was collected by exploring the relationships between sponsorship disclosure, source credibility and electronic word-of-mouth marketing. Quantitative data was collected through a structured questionnaire which was issued online to University of Cape Town students. To ensure that the research contributed to existing academic literature, the target population chosen for the study was the Generation Z. The data collected was analysed using inferential statistical methods in order to test the hypotheses. A structural equation model was used to analyse the relationship between variables and the results indicated that all hypotheses were found to be supported, depicting that sponsorship disclosure has an impact on perceived source credibility. Additionally, the results indicated that respondents were more likely to participate in word-of-mouth recommendations for products endorsed by influencers that they regarded to be credible. The overall research findings provide valuable insights on consumer perception towards the credibility of social media influencers. This information can be used in marketing practice to aid marketers to develop appropriate strategies for sponsored influencer marketing campaigns. Furthermore, this study contributes to academia by adding empirical data to the existing body of literature on influencer marketing.

Följare av social media influencers har visat sig kunna påverkas starkt av den information influencers sänder ut och förmedlar på sina kanaler. Hittills har dock inga studier uppmärksammat influencers flygvanor och hur de kan påverka och avspegla sig på följares flygvanor. Den här studien avsåg därför att undersöka om flygvanorna hos följare av influencers kan påverkas av den livsstil som influencers förmedlar. För att svara på syftet ställdes följande tre frågeställningar: Upplever följare av social media influencers att deras flygvanor påverkas av den livsstil som influencers förmedlar i sina inlägg? Upplever följare att de inspireras av influencers resor och reserelaterade inlägg? Använder följare sig medvetet av influencers som en källa till reseinspiration? Utifrån dessa frågeställningar utformades sedan en enkät som lades ut i nio olika grupper på Facebook. Resultatet av enkätstudien visade att närmare 40 % av följarna i viss eller hög grad blir inspirerade av influencers livsstil och resor. En stor del upplever även att inspiration från influencers i någon grad inverkar vid valet av resmål medan en mindre andel medvetet söker reseinspiration hos influencers. Det framgick även att majoriteten av följarna känner att influencers livsstil och flygvanor i varierande grad påverkar dem till att flyga mer. Sammantaget visar studien att följare upplever att influencers livsstil och flygvanor i viss utsträckning påverkar deras egna flygvanor. / Followers of social media influencers has been shown be strongly affected by the information that influencers pass out and mediate through their channels. To this date though, no studies have examined the flying habits of influencers and how they can affect and reflect on the flying habits of their followers. This study therefore intended to examine whether the flying habits of followers of influencers can be affected by the lifestyle that influencers mediate. To answer to the aim of the study the following three issues were raised: Do followers of social media influencers feel that their flying habits are affected by the lifestyle that influencers mediate through their posts? Do followers feel that they get inspired by influencers’ travels and travel related posts? Do followers deliberately use influencers as a source for travel inspiration? Based on these issues a survey was created and later posted in nine different groups on Facebook. The result of the survey showed that close to 40% of the followers to some or to a high degree feel inspired by the lifestyle and travels of influencers. A large number of followers also experience that inspiration from influencers to some degree impact on their choice of destination, while a smaller number deliberately turn to influencers in search for travel inspiration. It also emerged that the majority of the followers feel that the flying habits and lifestyle of influencers in varying degree induce them to fly more. To summarize, the study shows that followers feel that the lifestyle and flying habits of influencers to some degree affect their own flying habits.

The concept of a celebrity has shifted with the rise of social media influencers, individuals with massive influence on young audiences across different social media platforms. Despite extensive research on risk-taking behavior amongst adolescents as well as the impact of celebrities on adolescent behavior, there has been no research on the specific role influencers have on adolescent behaviors and attitudes. The purpose of this proposed study is to investigate different types of YouTubers and if they have an influence on adolescent risk perception. Using an experimental longitudinal design, participants aged 15 to 18 will be randomly assigned into an experimental condition (where they will be required to watch YouTube videos by influencers that promote negative and reckless behavior) or a control condition (where they will be required to watch neutral YouTube videos of technology reviews). They will watch the videos for eight weeks, and then fill out a risk perception questionnaire. It is predicted that those in the experimental condition will have a significantly reduced risk perception. It is also predicted that males will have a significantly reduced risk perception than females. Lastly, it is predicted that frequent exposure to external violent media, aside from YouTube, will lead to a reduced risk perception. The research findings will have important implications on how to prevent adolescents from making risky decisions that put themselves and others in harm, as well inform parents and social media companies such as YouTube on what content is appropriate for adolescents.

Background The emergence of the Internet, and in particular social network sites, has led to the appearance of new powerful actors, i.e. Social Media Influencers, with the power to persuade their audience. This introduced a middleman in the company-consumer relationship and a new stakeholder to build relationships with. Small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) marketing activities differ from traditional practices. SMEs need to be more creative when engaging in Influencer Marketing given their resource constraints. The presence of a relationship can help SMEs to increase and improve their brand image, support the launch of new products and most essentially avoid large investments of Influencer Marketing. Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the methods Swedish SMEs use in their relationship building activities with influencers, as well as the underlying dimensions related to those methods. Method An inductive research approach is utilized, with the aim to extend the current knowledge available about relationship building with influencers. The use of a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews allowed the exploration of how SMEs build relationships with influencers from a management perspective. Conclusion This thesis indicates that Swedish SMEs’ relationship building activities are influenced by certain underlying dimensions. These are adherence to brand values, timeline of the collaboration, nature of the product, paid and earned forms of collaborations and the types of relationships SMEs establish: formal and informal. The means used by SMEs when building relationship with influencers were identified as communication, events, feedback and gifts. Further, resource constraints did not appear to influence how SMEs build relationships with influencers but instead the type and number of influencers they work with.

Social media is connecting individuals all over the world, where the power of interaction and information sharing has shifted from companies to consumers. Since companies now have a harder time reaching out to consumers, social media influencers have been used as a solution to influence the purchase decisions of consumers and thereby drive purchases. However, while social media influencers are said to have an impact on the purchase decisions of consumers, less is actually known about the influence on all stages of the purchase decision process. As the purchase decision is not solely based on its own but rather follows from a series of steps, also called the purchase decision process, more research based on this area is of importance. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to explore how consumers perceive the influence of social media influencers during the different stages of the purchase decision process. In order to gather consumers’ perceptions about the influence of social media influencers, a qualitative study has been conducted where thoughts and experiences of participants have been studied. The findings of this study show that social media influencers ability to provide content, expertise, attractiveness, social identity and trust shows evidence of how the influence of social media influencers play an important role in each and every stage of the purchase decision process of consumers. The implications of this thesis is that the study could be of use to companies who seek to engage in influencer marketing and want to better understand how social media influencers affect consumers. The original value of the study is that it acknowledges how the influence of social media influencers affects all stages of the purchase decision process, as no previous study has explored this context.

Social Media Influencers (SMIs) and their sponsored posts on the Social Media represent a growing part of tomorrow’s digital marketing landscape. Marketers hire them to recommend their products to their large audiences through friendly and engaging social media posts. To please marketers, increasing and maintaining their audience size is of the utmost importance. Consequently, number of followers, likes, and comments have become the metrics of SMIs success. However, recent contradictory publications of business magazines and academic research raised the question of SMIs’ online popularity, credibility, and their efficiency as brand endorsers. Hence, an online-based survey experiment based examined the audience’s attitude of SMI credibility across three different level of online popularity using Ohanian’s (1990) source credibility model. Further, the relationship between SMI credibility and brand attitude, and the mediating effect of attitude toward sponsored post were investigated using a research model adapted from Attitude toward advertising models. The findings revealed that the more an SMI is popular, the more he is perceived as a credible brand advocate, and SMI credibility was found to positively and directly influences brand attitude. Semi-structured interviews strengthened the discussion of the quantitative results. Theoretical and managerial contributions of the study are presented and suggestions for future research ensue.

Research Questions: How does influencer marketing affect online purchase intent?  How do social media influencers’ trustworthiness, expertise and attractiveness affect online purchase intent?   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between online purchase intent and social media influencers, as well as how their attributes affect this relationship.  Method: This empirical study consists of a quantitative online survey with 476 respondents. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that social media influencers have a positive impact on online purchase intent. Furthermore, the collected data could confirm that trustworthiness has a clear impact on online purchase intent, while expertise and attractiveness showed no significant impact.

Research questions:  How do social media influencers affect fashion purchase intent? How is slow fashion behavior affected by social media influencers?                                 Purpose:                  The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible effects that social media influencers have on slow fashion behavior, in addition to explore the effects of social media influencers on fashion purchase intent. Method:                   This research was conducted through a quantitative study and the data was collected using an online survey. The survey was constructed and distributed in collaboration with a research group at Mälardalen University.  Conclusion:             This study confirms that influencers have the possibility to influence consumers’ behavior and provides initial insight into how their communities can affect consumers. The study concludes that influencers can persuade consumers to purchase fashion products online. However, there is ambiguity into how much influencers affect consumers. The study showed that the relationship between influencers and their communities is not clear, and especially how the two concepts interact in the way they influence consumers to behave more sustainably. Despite the complex relationship, both have the capability to positively and negatively affect consumers’ slow fashion behavior. While consumers may not employ all behaviors favorable in the slow fashion movement, any positive behavior will make a difference.