Findings of two experimental studies show that Instagram influencers with high numbers of followers are found more likeable, partly because they are considered more popular. Important, only in limited cases, perceptions of popularity induced by the influencer's number of followers increase the influencer's perceived opinion leadership. However, if the influencer follows very few accounts him-/herself, this can 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 decreases the brand's perceived uniqueness and consequently brand attitudes.

/pdf/marketing-through-instagram-influencers-the-impact-of-number-14kofhq1md.pdf

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

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.

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/7223607/file/7223625.pdf

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

Purpose




Advertisers use various tactics to influence consumer purchases and create positive associations with their brands. The purpose of this study is to explore the formation of peer-endorser credibility and its influence on attitude formation. The role of product involvement in the formation of attitudes and endorser credibility is also examined.




Design/methodology/approach




A quantitative study was conducted among university students. Data were collected using an online questionnaire concerning three advertisements for which identical questionnaires were constructed; 364 responses were generated.




Findings




The authors show that the credibility of a peer endorser is constructed from trustworthiness, expertise, similarity and attractiveness dimensions that positively affect consumers’ attitude toward an advertisement and a brand. Product involvement affects advertising effectiveness indirectly through the endorser-credibility construct. Finally, the authors show that a consumer’s experience with an advertised product affects the perception of endorser credibility and the effectiveness of the advertisement.




Originality/value




The findings reveal new insights into the little studied area of peer-endorser effectiveness. The authors shed light on the construction of peer endorser credibility and the relative importance of specific credibility dimensions on the effectiveness of an advertisement. This study also provides information on the direct and indirect effects of consumers’ brand involvement on attitudes toward advertisements.

Credibility of a peer endorser and advertising effectiveness

This paper presents a review and discussion of the role image plays in service promotion and consumer choice in the context of film-induced tourism. Consumers can be very sensitive to images which are important determinants of what a service customer purchases. In relation to image, the medium of film can have a very influential impact on its audience. Consumers may make purchase choices in a range of areas as a result of what they have seen in the movies. An expanding body of literature suggests that film can influence people's travel decisions and entice them to visit particular destinations they have seen on the cinema screen (reinforced through repeat viewing on video, DVD and television). Tourism is a service industry. Does the image of a destination and how it is represented help overcome some of the challenges of service marketing?

Many regions throughout the British Isles have seen their consumer appeal improve because of their links with respective film and television productions. Although they have benefited tourism-wise from this, in many cases there still has not been enough real support from tourist authorities to this growth phenomenon, and as such, the full potential of film to tap into the consumer psyche has not yet been fully realized. Academic discourse from several disciplines is examined in this communication culminating in a conceptual model of destination enhancement through film-induced image, featuring the conscious and unconscious communication factors at work on two sets of consumers (film consumers and destination consumers). As a ‘work in progress’, the paper sets the scene for further empirical research in this interesting area of study.

The role of image in service promotion: focusing on the influence of film on consumer choice within tourism

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how online trust affects group shopping intention in the Ihergo web site.Design/methodology/approach – Samples from the Ihergo web site were collected by mailing a questionnaire survey to those who agreed to participate.Findings – Group‐buying operators need to understand their consumers and the scheduling shopping rules between internet shoppers and firms. Moreover, word‐of‐mouth (WOM) can be created online by offering web visitors the ability to access the opinions of satisfied customers.Practical implications – An online business may adopt different methods to enhance its customer satisfaction level. When people enter a significant amount of personal data at a web site, they are typically reluctant to change vendors and enter the data again.Social implications – Customers view a group‐buying operator as a shopping expert, and expect that the group‐buying operator can handle shopping problems before a dispute occurs.Originality/value – The findings o...

Beyond price: how does trust encourage online group's buying intention?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of the visual element in a print advertisement to service quality expectations and to the source credibility score when a model or spokesperson is used in a service ad.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 230 college students at three different Midwestern universities using an experimental design. Three different ads were designed promoting a fictitious brand of automobile insurance, Top Tier. While the copy remained the same, the visual was changed to reflect three different types of visual strategies.Findings – The results of the study indicate that both source credibility and service quality evaluations have a definite impact on attitude towards the ad and purchase intentions of a service and the type of visual element used is important in the ad evaluation process.Research limitations/implications – Future research needs to examine the relationship between source credibility and attitude towards the ad to determin...

The relationship of the visual element of an advertisement to service quality expectations and source credibility

While larger companies have resources to address cyber security issues, small companies often do not. Usually, a business owner or his immediate family members handle many different roles within the small business. Because of a lack of information technology knowledge and resources to hire that knowledge, many small businesses are at a great risk of having their systems compromised. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a field study that included over 370 interviews with small business owners about their approach to risk management, including those related to cyber security threats. Results indicate that small business owners are often likely to have the basic tools related to technology risk management in place, but lack the policies, procedures and training to secure their information resources. Additionally, responses indicated a majority of respondents do not use strong passwords to protect their information assets.

An initial assessment of small business risk management approaches for cyber security threats

The generic approach is the most frequently used creative message strategy currently used in advertising. Such an approach provides little opportunity for an ad to stand out and be noticed. The role of the visual element in creating effective generic advertisements was examined in this study using an experimental design to investigate the impact of four different visual strategies, within the context of a good and a service. Data were collected from 528 students. Results indicate that when advertisements use a generic creative message strategy, an emotional visual creates the strongest results. Further, data analysis indicated the visual element was a strong driver of attitude towards the ad, which in turn drove attitude towards the brand and purchase intentions. Differences were found between the advertising of a good and a service in terms of the role of the visual and the development of the brand.

An Examination of the Visual Element Used in Generic Message Advertisements: A Comparison of Goods and Services

Because of the intangibility of services, producing effective advertisements challenges the creative ability of advertising creatives. Creating the right headline, the right copy, and the right visual are crucial to the effectiveness of an advertisement in terms of developing a positive attitude towards the brand and increasing the probability of making a purchase. The role of the visual element in creating such an effective advertisement, within the context of a service, was examined in this study. An experimental design was used to investigate the impact of four different visual strategies in combination with a generic creative message approach. Results indicate that when creatives use a generic creative message strategy, an emotional visual creates the strongest results, especially in terms of attitude towards the visual element in the advertisement. Data analysis also indicated the visual element was a strong driver of attitude towards the ad, which in turn drove attitude towards the brand and purchase intentions. The impact of the visual is enhanced when creatives choose a visual that is memorable and matches the written copy of the ad. These findings as well as other findings from the study are discussed in terms of current ad design and future research needs.

An examination of the visual element of service advertisements

The literature on the ‘everyday’ or ‘foundational’ economy poses fundamental challenges to orthodox economic thinking. First, it implies a different way of thinking about economic success, based on good lives for all rather than growth for growth's sake. Second, it emphasises how dominant financialised business models undermine good outcomes for both workers and consumers. But, since the ‘everyday economy’ as a political frame does not make these issues explicit, it leaves room for them to be elided as part of Labour's post-Corbyn rebranding. When Starmer's Labour has squarely confronted issues of power and ownership in the ‘everyday economy’—for example, with its proposed windfall tax on oil and gas firms or plans for publicly-owned energy generation—it has reaped political dividends. However, it remains to be seen whether the party has the appetite to build on these interventions and set out a broader agenda for structural reform. 

Christine T. Berry

Papers

The relationship of the visual element of an advertisement to service quality expectations and source credibility

An initial assessment of small business risk management approaches for cyber security threats

An Examination of the Visual Element Used in Generic Message Advertisements: A Comparison of Goods and Services

An examination of the visual element of service advertisements

Labour's ‘Everyday Economy’: Why, How, and for Whom?