Value creation through social media : how influencer marketing can affect brand attitude, perceived brand image, and overall brand equity of luxury brands
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Tara Bettle (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Tu Watchravesringkan
Abstract: In the rapidly changing landscape of the retail industry, companies are forced to frequently adapt to the newest digital technologies to stay relevant. The dramatic growth of social media marketing has resulted in brands resorting to influencer marketing strategies, targeting millions of American users on social platforms every single day. With a higher level of trust and relatability compared to traditional celebrities, these influencers offer brands a convenient platform to reach consumers and enhance their brand equity. However, social media platforms have become over-saturated with sponsored influencer endorsements of brands, leaving consumers yearning for honest reviews. The question arises whether content sponsorship plays a role in consumer evaluations and the resulting brand equity. This study experimentally investigates the influence of the existence of content sponsorship of a post on brand attitude, brand image, and overall brand equity, moderated by different types of perceived fit (i.e., brand-influencer fit, brand-consumer fit, and influencer-consumer fit). To examine the research questions, a one-way between-subjects experimental design was employed using an online survey with two conditions (i.e., a sponsored content group and an organic content group), resulting in 135 valid responses from a college student sample. The results did not indicate any significant differences between the organic condition and the sponsored condition. However, our analysis showed that perceived influencer-consumer fit has a moderating effect on the relationship between type of post and brand attitude. Thus, we conclude that congruency between consumers and influencers is an important factor in brand equity efforts of luxury brands. Further, this study supported previous research in the effect of brand attitude on both brand image and overall brand equity. Brand attitude was found to have a significant impact on brand image, the effect of which carried through to overall brand equity as well. We therefore emphasize the importance of brand attitude in luxury brands’ attempts to enhance brand image and brand equity. Since the sample in this study consisted of college students, future research should investigate the topic of influencer marketing with generations less familiar with digital technologies and social media. We also suggest researching the impact of content sponsorship with different stimuli, including other luxury brands and influencer ethnicities, to allow more generalizability of findings.
Value creation through social media : how influencer marketing can affect brand attitude, perceived brand image, and overall brand equity of luxury brands
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Created on 12/1/2023
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2023
- Keywords
- Brand Attitude, Brand Equity, Brand Image, Influencer Marketing, Luxury Brands, Social Media Marketing
- Subjects
- Internet marketing
- Internet personalities
- Consumers $x Attitudes
- Brand name products