The Influence of Entrepreneurial Instagrammers

Abstrakt

Overwhelmed by the mass of advertising, consumers turned to new social media influencers, Instagrammers, for trusted product recommendations. Brands capitalized on the marketable potential of Instagrammers, making sponsored endorsements dominate their online activity, which made followers lose interest. Thus, Instagrammers diversify their activity, introducing own brands or products launched in collaboration with other brands. However, the persuasiveness of such Entrepreneurial Instagrammers or the effect of their ventures on sponsor brands is unclear. Thus, this thesis investigates how and why Entrepreneurial Instagrammers affect followers’ attitude towards them and sponsor brands.
A proposed conceptual framework illustrates the interrelations between Entrepreneurial Instagrammers,
followers, own brand and sponsor brand. An unexplored research area is addressed by connecting concepts
pertaining to endorsement, entrepreneurship and social media influence. To investigate chosen relationships between the actors, nine propositions were derived after a careful review of related literature. Each proposition is based on theoretical constructs which help grasp the persuasiveness of Entrepreneurial Instagrammers and their effect of sponsor brands. Propositions are tested with a qualitative study using interviews with relevant parties - followers, brand representatives and experts from influencer marketing agencies, as well as netnography conducted on the profiles of Entrepreneurial Instagrammers and their brands.
The research obtained a deeper understanding of the persuasiveness of Entrepreneurial Instagrammers and their effect on sponsor brands. Moreover, findings reveal an array of communication tactics, new perspectives on endorser attributes and other theoretical and managerial contribution concerning Entrepreneurial Instagrammers. The implications of this study describe how the persuasiveness of Entrepreneurial Instagrammers differs from regular Instagrammers. It also delineates outcomes practitioners should consider when engaging in sponsorships or product launch collaborations. As it is a new and dynamic topic, the research concludes with guidelines for future studies.