Ascertaining the antecedents of Generation Y consumers’ perceived utility of celebrity influencers’ fashion content on Instagram and consequent fashion brand predispositions and purchase intentions
-
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/im.19(4).2023.07
-
Article InfoVolume 19 2023, Issue #4, pp. 81-94
- Cited by
- 452 Views
-
147 Downloads
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
The fashion apparel industry constitutes a significant global economic force. Generation Y consumers represent a sought after target market to this industry as they are forecasted to have a disposable income outrivaling that of previous generations. Generation Y individuals are acknowledged as being amenable to the opinions of social media influencers, particularly those expressed by celebrity influencers, who often act as aspirational referents. Despite reports highlighting the relevance of the social media influencer strategy when targeting Generation Y, there remains a paucity of research on influencer marketing. Therefore, this study aims to ascertain the antecedents of Generation Y consumers’ perceived utility of celebrity influencers’ Instagram fashion apparel content and consequent fashion brand predispositions and purchase intentions. Fieldwork yielded 334 questionnaires from a convenience sample of Generation Y students registered at two universities in South Africa; data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that informational value, entertainment value, and trustworthiness account for more than 50% of the variance in Generation Y consumers’ perceptions of the utility of celebrity influencers’ Instagram fashion content. In turn, perceived utility, in conjunction with its determinants, accounts for 70% of the variance in their predispositions toward showcased fashion apparel brands, which collectively accounts for 65% of the total variance in their intentions to purchase those brands. These findings highlight celebrity influencers’ salient role in Generation Y consumers’ fashion brand choices and the necessity of incorporating celebrity influencer appeal into fashion apparel marketing communication strategies designed to engage with this generation.
- Keywords
-
JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)M30, M31, M37
-
References66
-
Tables5
-
Figures1
-
- Figure 1. Structural model
-
- Table 1. Sample description
- Table 2. Means, standard deviations, t-values, and p-values
- Table 3. Correlation coefficients, tolerance values, and variance inflation factor values
- Table 4. Confirmatory factor analysis
- Table 5. Path estimates
-
- Alarcón-del-Amo, M. D. C., Lorenzo-Romero, C., & Gómez-Borja, M. A. (2016). Cultural influence on the adoption of social networking sites. International Journal of Market Research, 58(2), 277-300.
- Al-Khasawneh, M., Sharabati, A., Al-Haddad, S., Tbakhi, R., & Abusaimeh, H. (2022). The adoption of TikTok application using TAM model. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 6(4), 1389-1402.
- Alsaleh, D. A., Elliott, M. T., Fu, F. Q., & Thakur, R. (2019). Cross-cultural differences in the adoption of social media. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 13(1), 119-140.
- Ambrose, G. J., Meng, J. G., & Ambrose, P. J. (2020). Why do millennials use Facebook? Enduring insights. Qualitative Market Research, 23(1), 171-197.
- Arli, D. (2017). Does social media matter? Investigating the effect of social media features on consumer attitudes. Journal of Promotion Management, 23(4), 521-539.
- Audrezet, A., de Kerviler, G., & Moulard, J. G. (2020). Authenticity under threat: When social media influencers need to go beyond self-presentation. Journal of Business Research, 117, 557-569.
- Aydin, G., & Karamehmet, B. (2017). A comparative study on attitudes towards SMS advertising and mobile application advertising. International Journal of Mobile Communications, 15(5), 514-536.
- Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2012). Advertising and promotion: An integrated marketing communications perspective (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
- Bhengu, C. (2020, July 20). The 2020 Instagram rich list is out – Here’s who made it and how much they make per sponsored post. Sunday Times.
- Boyd, J. (2022, November 15). The top 20 most followed Instagram accounts. Brandwatch.
- Breves, P. L., Liebers, N., Abt, M., & Kunze, A. (2019). The perceived fit between Instagram influencers and the endorsed brand: How influencer–brand fit affects source credibility and persuasive effectiveness. Journal of Advertising Research, 59(4), 440-454.
- Byrne, B. M. (2016). Structural equation modelling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
- Cham, T. H., Cheng, B. L., & Ng, C. K. Y. (2020). Cruising down millennials’ fashion runway: a cross-functional study beyond Pacific borders. Young Consumers, 22(1), 28-67.
- Chetioui, Y., Benlafqih, H., & Lebdaoui, H. (2020). How fashion influencers contribute to consumers’ purchase intention. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 24(3), 361-380.
- Danziger, P. N. (2019, May 29). 3 ways Millennials and Gen-Z consumers are radically transforming the luxury market. Forbes.
- Davis, F. D. D. (1986). A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new end-user information systems: Theory and results. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P., & Warshaw, P. R. (1989). User acceptance of computer technology: A comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science, 35(8), 982-1003.
- Dencheva, V. (2023, January 19). Influencer marketing worldwide – Statistics & facts. Statista.
- Dhanesh, G. S., & Duthler, G. (2019). Relationship management through social media influencers: Effects of followers’ awareness of paid endorsement. Public Relations Review, 45(3), 101765.
- Dicey, L. (2022, September 18). Authenticity, aspiration and empowerment. Sunday Times.
- Ducoffe, R. H. (1996). Advertising value and advertising on the web. Journal of Advertising Research, 36(5), 21-35.
- Duong, K. (2019, December 26). These will be next year’s biggest fashion trends – According to your favorite influencers. Style Caster.
- Eastman, J. K., & Liu, J. (2012). The impact of generational cohorts on status consumption: An exploratory look at generational cohort and demographics on status consumption. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29(2), 93-102.
- Eze, U. C., Chin, C. H. H., & Lee, C. H. (2012). Purchasing designer label apparels: The role of reference groups. Asian Journal of Business Research, 2(2), 52-74.
- Falcão, J., & Isaías, P. (2020). Perceptions and attitude toward advertising on social networks and search engines: A comparative analysis. Journal of Internet Commerce, 19(4), 404-436.
- Fang, L, & Jiang, Y. (2015). Persuasiveness of celebrity endorsed advertising and a new model for celebrity endorser selection. Journal of Asian Business Strategy, 5(8), 153-173.
- Fear-Smith, N. (2021, January 15). How are fashion brands utilising social media influencers? Talking Influence.
- Fitriani, W. R., Mulyono, A. B., Hidayanto, A. N., & Munajat, Q. (2020). Reviewer’s communication style in YouTube product-review videos: Does it affect channel loyalty? Heliyon, 6(9), 04880.
- Florenthal, B. (2019). Young consumers’ motivational drivers of brand engagement behavior on social media sites: A synthesized U&G and TAM framework. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 13(3), 351-391.
- Friedman, L. (2017, February 8). Millennials and the digital experience: Getting your digital act together. Forbes.
- Gountas, J., Gountas, S., Reeves, R. A., & Moran, L. (2012). Desire for fame: Scale development and association with personal goals and aspirations. Psychology & Marketing, 29(9), 680-689.
- Gräve, J. F., & Bartsch, F. (2022). #Instafame: Exploring the endorsement effectiveness of influencers compared to celebrities. International Journal of Advertising, 41(4), 591-622.
- Haida, A., & Rahim, H. L. (2015). Social media advertising value: A study on consumer’s perception. International Academic Research Journal of Business and Technology, 1(1), 1-8.
- Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2018). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective (8th ed.). India: Cengage.
- Hamouda, M. (2018). Understanding social media advertising effect on consumers’ responses: An empirical investigation of tourism advertising on Facebook. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 31(3), 426-445.
- Helmuth, J. (2020, August 12). How to optimize social media marketing for fashion brands. Penji.
- Herzallah, D., Muñoz-Leiva, F., & Liebana-Cabanillas, F. (2022). Drivers of purchase intention in Instagram Commerce. Spanish Journal of Marketing – ESIC, 26(2), 168-188.
- Hopper, D. (2022, September 6). Influencer marketing in 2020 – Are we sick of it yet? Business 2 Community.
- Hu, T., Poston, R. S., & Kettinger, W. J. (2011). Nonadopters of online social network services: Is it easy to have fun yet? Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 29, 441-458.
- Hudders, L., De Jans, S., & De Veirman, M. (2021). The commercialization of social media stars: A literature review and conceptual framework on the strategic use of social media influencers. International Journal of Advertising, 40(3), 327-375.
- Khwaja, M. G., Mahmood, S., & Zaman, U. (2020). Examining the effects of eWOM, trust inclination, and information adoption on purchase intentions in an accelerated digital marketing context. Information, 11(10), 478.
- Lang, H. (2023, August 18). How to become a fashion influencer: A step-by-step guide to becoming a social media style star.
- Lata, S., & Rana, K. (2021). What are the determinants of consumers’ online reviews adoption for hotel bookings: A structural equation modelling approach. Enlightening Tourism, 11(1), 171-193.
- Lee, J., & Hong, I. B. (2016). Predicting positive user responses to social media advertising: The roles of emotional appeal, informativeness, and creativity. International Journal of Information Management, 36(3), 360-373.
- Malhotra, N. K. (2020). Marketing research: An applied orientation (7th ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.
- Markert, J. (2004). Demographics of age: Generational and cohort confusion. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 26(2), 11-25.
- Mukherjee, K., & Banerjee, N. (2019). Social networking sites and customers’ attitude towards advertisements. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 13(4), 477-491.
- Nadeem, W., Andreini, D., Salo, J., & Laukkanen, T. (2015). Engaging consumers online through websites and social media: A gender study of Italian Generation Y clothing consumers. International Journal of Information Management, 35(4), 432-442.
- Nguyen, W. (2021, January 12). A detailed look at the 10 most important Instagram features. Kicksta.
- Ohanian, R. (1990). Construction and validation of a scale to measure celebrity endorsers’ perceived expertise, trustworthiness and attractiveness. Journal of Advertising, 19(3), 39-52.
- Olajide, O. P., Folake, O. C., Olabode, O. T., & Olayinka, A. M. (2018). Social influence and consumer preference for fashion clothing among female undergraduate in Nigeria. Gender and Behaviour, 16(3), 11984-11993.
- Pallant, J. (2020). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS (7th ed.). London, UK: McGraw-Hill Education.
- Park, C., & Lee, T. M. (2009). Antecedents of online reviews’ usage and purchase influence: An empirical comparison of U.S. and Korean consumers. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 23(4), 332-340.
- Rhea, B. (2023, February 2). 7 ways to reach and influence Millennials using social media marketing. V Digital Services.
- Shareef, M. A., Mukerji, B., Dwivedi, Y. K., Rana, N. P., & Islam, R. (2019). Social media marketing: Comparative effect of advertisement sources. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 46, 58-69.
- Smith, P. (2023, August 31). Global apparel market – Statistics & facts. Statista.
- Tan, C. (2023, June 28). How many Instagram business accounts are there in 2023? Increditools.
- Tilford, C. (2018, June 6). The millennial moment – In charts. Financial Times.
- Valaei, N., & Nikhashemi, S. R. (2017). Generation Y consumers’ buying behaviour in fashion apparel industry: A moderation analysis. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 21(4), 523-543.
- Voorhees, C. M., Brady, M. K., Calantone, R., & Ramirez, E. (2016). Discriminant validity testing in marketing: An analysis, causes for concern, and proposed remedies. Journal of the Academy Marketing Science, 44(1), 119-134.
- Wang, Y., & Genç, E. (2019). Path to effective mobile advertising in Asian markets: Credibility, entertainment and peer influence. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 31(1), 55-80.
- Wilberg, A. (2018, May 10). How social media and its influencers are driving fashion. Digital Marketing Magazine.
- Yan, M., Kwok, A. P. K., Chan, A. H. S., Zhuang, Y. S., Wen, K., & Zhang, K. C. (2023). An empirical investigation of the impact of influencer live-streaming ads in e-commerce platforms on consumers’ buying impulse. Internet Research, 33(4), 1633-1663.
- Zeeman, K. (2022, September 18). TikTok hits the big time. Sunday Times.
- Zhang, K. Z., Zhao, S. J., Cheung, C. M., & Lee, M. K. (2014). Examining the influence of online reviews on consumers’ decision-making: A heuristic-systematic model. Decision Support Systems, 67, 78-89.
- Zote, J. (2023, March 6). Instagram statistics you need to know for 2023. Sproutsocial.