Marketing through Instagram influencers: the impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude

Abstract

Findings from two experiments show that Instagram influencers with high numbers of followers are considered more likeable, mostly because they are considered more popular. Important, only in limited cases, perceptions of popularity due to the influencer's number of followers, lead to perceptions of opinion leadership. Furthermore, one should also take into account number of followees, as very low numbers of followees might negatively impact popular influencers' likeability. Also, cooperating with influencers with high numbers of followers might not be the best marketing choice for promoting divergent products, as this lowers the brand's perceived uniqueness and consequently brand attitudes.

COVID-19: fear appeal favoring purchase behavior towards personal protective equipment

“…Customer engagement, as a critical catalyst of loyalty, has become a catchphrase of marketing research in recent years (Bergel & Brock, 2019). The number of followers, which indicates the network size and an indication for popularity, is a crucial indicator for the social impact the product or an institution has (Badashian & Stroulia, 2016;De Veirman et al, 2017). Consequently, a higher number of followers is a good judge of broader coverage of a commercial, market, loyal customers, and the extent to which a social message can go to promote electronic eWOM.…”

“…Consequently, a higher number of followers is a good judge of broader coverage of a commercial, market, loyal customers, and the extent to which a social message can go to promote electronic eWOM. Businesses today leverage the power of this specific type of eWOM at scale to intensify their presence and influence (De Veirman et al, 2017). Regarding their commercial potential, technologies have been developed to identify and track relevant influencers for brands and connect with them.…”

“…Several studies are available on the importance and the role of followers (Badashian & Stroulia, 2016;Cha et al, 2010;De Veirman et al, 2017). However, these studies are predominantly centered on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Google +, Foursquare, and Pinterest but not on product experience platforms like live-streaming for business to customer and customer to customer.…”

Instagramers e influencers. El escaparate de la moda que eligen los jóvenes menores españoles

“…Esas noticias de empleo se unen a la presencia internacional de las marcas textiles españolas, que supone un 9% de todas las exportaciones (modaes.es, 2017), y a la importancia del e-commerce de moda y comunicación en redes sociales. Se ha pasado de una publicidad tradicional y masiva en los medios de comunicación, a una publicidad micro segmentada en las redes sociales, con valiosas e interesantes colaboraciones de celebrities e influencers (Wiedmann, Hennings & Langner, 2010;Khamis, Ang & Welling, 2016;Chae, 2017;Veirman, Cauberghe & Hudders, 2017;Elorriaga y Monge, 2018).…”

Film marketing on Instagram: A model for effectively employing influencers

“…(Djafarova & Rushworth 2017;zachking, 2018). Instagram influencer marketing is on the rise (Biaudet, 2017;De Veirman et. al.…”