Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Abstract: In today's society, influencers play a significant role in promoting brands.Influencers are endorsers who influence consumer's opinions and attitudes through blogs and social media platforms.Brands seek alliances with these influencers, as they are persuasive and have large audiences (Forbes, 2017).By using influencers, brands aim to reach their potential target market more effectively.Analyzing previous research, a gap has been identified regarding influencer impact on brand personality and perception.Therefore, research was conducted focusing on influencer marketing and its impact on brand personality and brand perception.Focus groups were held to explore correlations between brand-and influencer personality and brand-and influencer perceptions.The focus groups considered two brands (Nelly.comand Calvin Klein) that both leverage influencers differently.A Pyramid of Influencers was created to identity different levels of influencers in the fashion industry.Findings from the focus group were evaluated with previous research.These include: consumer engagement is higher with influencers than with brands; the importance of the consumer ideal selfimage to brands; brand-and influencer personality need to be aligned to create brand personification to consumers; brand-and influencer perception do not have to match to create positive brand association; influencer marketing can help brands remain relevant and connected to consumers; and brands can leverage different types of influencers depending on geographic market focus.
Language: English
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2943937587