The Impact of Social Media Influencers as anAdvertising Source in the Beauty Industry from an IrishFemale Millennials’ Perspective.Dayna Sara BakerMSc. MarketingNational College of IrelandSubmitted to National College of Ireland, August 2018Abstractillennial females’ preference for advertising has changed in recentyears, putting immense pressure on brands to consider new andinnovative advertising sources. One of the most popular … Continue reading “Impact of Social Media Influencers | My Assignment Tutor”
The Impact of Social Media Influencers as anAdvertising Source in the Beauty Industry from an IrishFemale Millennials’ Perspective.Dayna Sara BakerMSc. MarketingNational College of IrelandSubmitted to National College of Ireland, August 2018Abstractillennial females’ preference for advertising has changed in recentyears, putting immense pressure on brands to consider new andinnovative advertising sources. One of the most popular avenuestoday, particularly in the beauty industry, is influencer marketing. Because ofits fledgling nature, literature related to this particular phenomenon isunderdeveloped. Although celebrity endorsement has been studiedextensively over the years, research on consumer beliefs and practices inrelation to social media influencers, particularly in an Irish context, is limited.This has led to a gap in business knowledge.The main purpose of this study is to explore social media influencers as anadvertising source for the beauty industry in Ireland, through the lens offemale Millennial consumers. Emphasis is placed on this target audience’sassessment of social media influencers, providing insight in to theirpropensity for potential product placement, stealth marketing and photoediting.Seven in-depth interviews were conducted with female Millennialconsumers, with a common interest in beauty and social media influencers.An interpretivist, inductive approach was used in this study, in an effort tocapture a true reflection of female Millennial consumer views. Those viewswere interpreted using thematic coding. The findings of this researchemphasised a need for brands to ensure the life of the social media influenceris portrayed similarly to that of Millennial consumers, to ensure relatability.Female Millennials acknowledged the practice but expressed theirdissatisfaction with influencers editing published images. Millennialsexpressed this level of recognition for edited and non-edited images onlinewas developed through their digital use and age. The strength of viewsrelating to this topic warrant further investigation and therefore justify theneed for further research of the topic.MAuthor’s DeclarationDeclaration of Submission of Thesis and Dissertation FormName: Dayna Sara BakerStudent Number: X14116286Degree for which thesis is submitted: MSc MarketingMaterial submitted for award:(a) I declare that the work has been composed by myself.(b) I declare that all verbatim extracts contained in the thesis have beendistinguished by quotation marks and the sources of information specificallyacknowledged.(c) My thesis will be included in electronic format in the CollegeInstitutional Repository TRAP (thesis reports and projects)(d) Either *I declare that no material contained in the thesis has been usedin any other submission for an academic award.Or *I declare that the following material contained in the thesis formed partof a submission for the award of_____________________________________________________________Signature of research student:_____________________________________Date: _____________________Submission of Thesis to Norma Smurfit Library,National College of IrelandStudent name: Dayna Sara Baker Student number:X14116286School: School of Business Course: MSc.MarketingDegree to be awarded: MSc in MarketingTitle of Thesis:The Impact of Social Media Influencers as an Advertising Source in theBeauty Industry from an Irish Female Millennials’ Perspective.One hard bound copy of your thesis will be lodged in the Norma SmurfitLibrary and will be available for consultation. The electronic copy will beaccessible in TRAP (http://trap.ncirl.ie/), the National College of Ireland’sInstitutional Repository. In accordance with normal academic librarypractice all theses lodged in the National College of Ireland InstitutionalRepository (TRAP) are made available on open access.I agree to a hard bound copy of my thesis being available for consultation inthe library. I also agree to an electronic copy of my thesis being madepublicly available on the National College of Ireland’s InstitutionalRepository TRAP.Signature of Candidate:____________________________________________________________For completion by the School:The aforementioned thesis was received by__________________________Date:_______________Acknowledgementshis journey has been a challenging, yet a wonderful experience but,without certain people it would have been an impossible task. On thatnote, I would like to thank the following people.My mom, Georgina, for always supporting, believing and pushing her‘shadow’. The horse drank the water thanks to you!My sister, Georgina, who was my inspiration to continue to study. For alwaysbeing there when I needed it most. Along with her husband Al, and mybeautiful niece, Grace, who was there to make me laugh when I was close totears.My partner, Daniel, for making this journey possible, for motivating andbelieving in me and for always being there to “listen to this for a minute”.My supervisor Michael Bane for his mentorship, patience and guidancethroughout my dissertation and Keith Brittle in the library for his time, helpand guidance.Those who took the time out of their day to interview for my study and theNational College of Ireland for giving me this opportunity to further myeducation.Finally, to the rest of my friends and family that were there for a cup of teaand chat, you know who you are.TTable of Contents1. INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………….12. LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………………42.0 MILLENNIALS…………………………………………………………………………….42.1 EVOLUTION OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS ……………………………..62.2 SOCIAL MEDIA …………………………………………………………………………..82.2.1 Electronic Word of Mouth & Online Reviews ……………………….102.3 STEALTH MARKETING……………………………………………………………….122.4 PRODUCT PLACEMENT ………………………………………………………………132.5 INFLUENCER MARKETING ………………………………………………………….152.6 CREDIBILITY ……………………………………………………………………………172.7 BRAND FIT & ATTRACTIVENESS …………………………………………………202.8 HYPERREALITY ………………………………………………………………………..222.9 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………233. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY ……………………..273.0 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES……………………………………………………………..273.1 METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION………………………………………………….273.2 LAYER ONE: RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE …………………………………………283.3 LAYER TWO: RESEARCH APPROACHES ………………………………………..303.4 LAYER THREE: RESEARCH STRATEGIES ……………………………………….313.4.1 Qualitative Approach…………………………………………………………313.4.2 Research Strategy………………………………………………………………323.5.3 Advantages of In-depth Interviews……………………………………….333.4.4 Disadvantages of In-depth Interviews…………………………………..343.4.5 Interview Structure…………………………………………………………….363.4.6 Interview Techniques …………………………………………………………363.4.7 Sample……………………………………………………………………………..373.4.8 Theoretical Saturation ……………………………………………………….383.5 LAYER FOUR: RESEARCH METHOD ……………………………………………..393.6 LAYER FIVE: TIME HORIZONS …………………………………………………….403.7 LAYER SIX: DATA COLLECTION AND DATA ANALYSIS …………………..403.7.1 Data Collection …………………………………………………………………403.7.2 Data Analysis ……………………………………………………………………423.7.3 Ethical Considerations……………………………………………………….433.7.4 Voluntary Participation and Confidentiality …………………………433.7.5 Limitations ……………………………………………………………………….434. FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION …………………………………454.0 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 1…………………………………………………………….454.0.1 Life Online………………………………………………………………………..454.0.2 Entertainment and Engagement…………………………………………..464.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 2…………………………………………………………….494.1.1 Relatable ………………………………………………………………………….494.1.2 Credible……………………………………………………………………………524.1.3 Trust ………………………………………………………………………………..534.1.4 Expert ………………………………………………………………………………564.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 3…………………………………………………………….574.2.1 Fit ……………………………………………………………………………………574.2.2 Attractiveness ……………………………………………………………………584.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 4…………………………………………………………….614.3.1 Filters ………………………………………………………………………………614.4 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 5…………………………………………………………….634.4.1 Collaborations ………………………………………………………………….635. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………….675.0 IMPLICATIONS FOR BRANDS ……………………………………………………….675.0.1 Findings for Objective 1: To assess the importance of engagementbetween a social media influencer and female Millennial consumers. 675.0.2 Findings for Objective 2: To assess the impact of relatability andcredibility of a social media influencer from the female Millennials’perspective………………………………………………………………………………..685.0.3 Findings for Objective 3: To assess the impact of product matchup and the attractiveness of a social media influencer from the femaleMillennials’ perspective. …………………………………………………………….705.0.4 Findings for Objective 4: To assess the impact of photo editing bya social media influencer from the female Millennials’ perspective. ..705.0.5 Findings for Objective 5: To assess the impact of sponsoredcontent from the female Millennials’ perspective. ………………………….715.1 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE ACADEMIC RESEARCH: ……………..71REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………73APPENDICES …………………………………………………………………………………93APPENDIX 1- THEMATIC QUESTION GUIDE ………………………………………..93APPENDIX 2- TABLE OF PARTICIPANTS ……………………………………………..9511. Introductionue to the expediential increase in advertising through socialmedia, websites and games, marketers are fighting through theadvertising clutter to find new innovative ways to connect withtheir target audience. This ever-changing online world has given way for newforms and adaptions of previously used advertising vehicles, includingcelebrity endorsements. In fact, Schimmelpfennig and Hollensen’s (2016)study emphasises that celebrity endorsement is less effective than before andthere is now a need for a new type of endorser. Therefore, as traditionaladvertising has lost its impact with Millennial consumers (Newman 2015),brands are moving towards a relatively new phenomenon in advertising,influencer marketing.The power and reach of a consumers’ opinion or reviews online means theyhave the ability to automatically influence thousands of other consumers, thusgiving a reason for the growth of influencer marketing (Yusuf et al. 2018).Social media influencers are now an influential powerhouse of “somebodies”who hold “immense growth and increasing power” (Booth and Matic 2011:184/190).Today, it is near impossible to scroll an Instagram feed without encounteringinfluencer marketing. These social media influencers are the new agecelebrities and were born from the blogging trend, heavily present in Irelandover the last 5 years. At his talk at 3XE in Dublin this year, Kenny (2018)explained that Irish social media influencers command more power than inother countries, because as a small country, we have very few A-listcelebrities.Due to the recent emergence of social media influencers in the Irishadvertising industry, their power and effectiveness as an advertising sourcehas not been thoroughly investigated academically. Therefore, this studyseeks to explore and understand how brands in the beauty industry can bestD2utilise this type of brand ambassador in advertising campaigns by building anunderstanding of consumers view of the source.The aim of this study was to build an understanding of the impact of socialmedia influencers for brands in the beauty industry and to provide insight into how they could be best utilised as an advertising source. The mainobjectives of this study are outlined below and intend to answer the objectiveand overall research question of this study; The Impact of Social MediaInfluencers as an Advertising Source for Brands in the Beauty Industry froman Irish Female Millennials’ Perspective.1. To assess the importance of engagement between a social mediainfluencer and female Millennial consumers.2. To assess the impact of relatability and credibility of a social mediainfluencer from the female Millennials’ perspective.3. To assess the impact of product match-up and the attractiveness of asocial media influencer from the female Millennials’ perspective.4. To assess the impact of photo editing by a social media influencerfrom the female Millennials’ perspective.5. To assess the impact of sponsored content from the femaleMillennials’ perspective.To successfully address these objectives, this study used the appropriatequalitative technique of in-depth interviews with seven female Millennialconsumers with similar interests in beauty and social media influencers.These in-depth interviews allowed the researcher to build an understandingof female Millennial consumers’ thoughts and opinions on different aspectsof social media influencers. Common themes emerged both during theexploration of the relevant literature (Till and Busler 2000; Goldsmith et al.2000; Jaffari and Hunjra 2017; Wang and Scheinbaum 2018) and during theinterview process. The findings of this study were derived through thematicanalysis and resulted in core themes emerging such as Life Online, Trust, Fit,Filters and Collaborations.3The findings have provided valuable, meaningful and insightful informationfor beauty brands as outlined below:a) Social media influencer relatability and trustworthiness proved to beof utmost importance for the female Millennial consumers in thisstudy.b) The Attractiveness of a social media influencer is significant when theproduct is beauty-related, but the level of attractiveness needs to beviewed as attainable by Millennial consumers.c) Millennial consumers in this study tend to reject sponsored contentand editing of images by influencers. This study does howeverindicate the potential for brands to work with influencers in order tomake a sponsored message more effective to the target audience.The future of this topic could be explored in different countries, particularlyEuropean countries such as the U.K, Italy and France. Social mediainfluencers are popular in these European countries, yet their culture isdifferent to Ireland and therefore, may provide different viewpoints andopinions for brands on a European level. It is also suggested that the studymay be replicated to understand male Millennial consumers’ perspective ofsocial media influencers in a different industry, such as fitness or fashion. Alarger study encompassing both male and female views on influencers mightalso provide useful business knowledge.42. Literature Reviewhis literature review aims to build a greater understanding of thecurrent knowledge relating to the key areas of the research question,The Impact of Social Media Influencers as an Advertising Sourcein the Beauty Industry from an Irish Female Millennials’ Perspective.The context will be provided firstly by building an understanding ofMillennials and their relationship with the evolving area of marketingcommunications. This is followed by a brief review of other related areas suchas social media, E word of mouth, stealth marketing and product placement,in relation to Millennials.Social media influencers are a recent addition to the field of advertising;therefore, the available literature is limited. However, recent publications inrelation to social media influencer product-match-up, influencer marketingimpact and attractiveness will be analysed. In order to build an enhancedunderstanding of other influential sources which are by nature comparable tothat of social media influencers, this study will examine celebrityendorsement literature in the areas of credibility, brand-fit and attractiveness;it aims to provide an overview of current knowledge, highlight commonthemes and identify major gaps. This will provide a useful perspective inaddressing the research question relating to the impact of social mediainfluencers on millennials.2.0 MillennialsPresident of Pew Research Centre, Michael Dimock (2018) defines thoseborn between 1981 and 1996 as Millennials. Millennials have been found tohold a stronger interest and interaction with social media influencers incomparison to other generations (Moore 2012). According to Maoz, in 201783.9% of social media posts were produced by Millennial females (MaozT52018). Therefore, female Millennials as consumers will be the key focus ofthis study.From work to dating, technology is embedded in the daily lives of Millennials(Moore 2012) and therefore, they are generally viewed as digital natives.They are the generation who grew with the internet and pushed boundariesonline through their passion to seek connections, experiences and meaningfulrelationships with brands (Hurst 2016). Millennials are empoweredconsumers, who seek collaboration when it comes to digital advertising(Serazio 2015). They are proactive and no longer want one-waycommunication by brands; rather, they seek mutually valuable dialogues, inwhich they co-create with brands (Yeap Ai Leen et al. 2012; Nosi et al. 2017).The hyper-connectivity of this generation means they hold significantlyhigher rates of satisfaction with the web (Reisenwitz and Iyer 2009; Serazio2015).However, the presumption that all Millennials are hyper-connected, digitalnatives (Serazio 2015) has been disputed by Kilian et al’s (2012) study whichrecognises different levels of digital use amongst Millennials. The first beingrestrained Millennials, who still rely on traditional forms of advertising andare not heavily present online. The second is entertainment-seekingMillennials who use social media for entertainment and content creation butstill rely on traditional methods for completing daily tasks. The last is thehighly connected Millennial group, for whom social media is an irremovablefabric of their existence (Kilian et al. 2012). Their daily lives are fullyintegrated with the technology they use. Any study involving Millennialsshould take this into consideration.It is evident in the literature that Millennials actively seek involvement andshare information with much larger peer groups, than other generations(Fromm and Garton 2013; Weber 2017). Co-creation is a recent conceptwhich first came to light in the literature by Vargo and Lusch in 2004. Theidea is that two parties, the firm and the consumer, come together to createvalue (Barrutia et al. 2016). This study suggests that companies have been too6insular in their view of resources and missed an opportunity to create brandvalue through educating, enhancing consumer expertise and co-creating(Barrutia et al. 2016). This generation demands upbeat, co-created andtransparent communication online. Co-creation gives the Millennialgeneration the transparency and involvement they demand (Fromm andGarton 2013; Weber 2017).The success of co-creation is dependent on consumers being involved. Thesuccess of co-creation is dependent on consumers wanting to be involved withthe They found if a brand wants to encourage Millennial consumers to cocreate, Millennials expect that the brand is open to consumer influence,thereby validating their efforts to be involved in co-creation (Kennedy andGuzmán (2017). The evolution of involvement and co-creation betweenconsumers and corporations is essential. Chief Marketing Officer ofMastercard, Raja Rajamannar, explained how consumers no longer hold aninterest in advertisements (Roth et al. 2017). That is emphasised by thestaggering 225,000,000 web users who use ad blockers to avoidadvertisements (Roth et al. 2017), supporting the theory that Millennialsreject one-way dialogue in online marketing. Barnes (2015) explained thatMillennials’ filtering of digital advertisements could be because they viewthemselves as proactive agents. They have well-developed approaches toassessing advertising, basing judgements not just on standard advertising ofa brand, but the wider peer review of that brand. This provides insight intothe Millennial obsession with social media influencers. After building anunderstanding of Millennials and their relationship with marketingcommunications, it is necessary to understand how marketingcommunications has evolved.2.1 Evolution of Marketing CommunicationsArmano’s (2009) diagram of the evolution of marketing communications(Image 1) perfectly depicts the change the web has brought to the marketingdiscipline since its introduction in 1991 (Bryant 2011). It shows howmarketing has moved from a passive, low-engagement marketing7environment, that held print and radio advertising at the forefront (Aghaei etal. 2012), to an interactive, hyper-connected and proactive marketingenvironment. This newer environment intertwines people and technology.Relationships form between consumers and brands through mutually createddialogues and networks (Armano 2009).Image 1 – Evolution of Marketing Communications (Armano 2009)The mutually created dialogue is the previously mentioned co-creation inaction. The move towards this can be explained by younger generationsrejecting one-way communication by brands as referred to by Andrea Roche,“Younger age groups are hard to reach with traditional forms of advertising,but they will relate to somebody that they have chosen to follow, and theytrust” (O’Connell 2016). As highlighted by Newman (2015), Millennials have“turned traditional marketing on its head” and consequently, it is no longer aseffective with these core groups. Millennials’ more sophisticatedexpectations of marketing communications mean that they have becomecynical towards the constant efforts of brands to merely sell them something(Loda and Coleman 2010). The move from traditional push advertising, to atwo-way digital communication between brand and consumer, is nowimperative.8The growth of the internet has also impacted these changes. The internet hasgrown at an exponential rate over the last 10 years, with over 4 billion of theworld’s population using the internet (Kemp 2018). In Ireland, 89% of Irishhouseholds have an in-home internet connection (Central Statistics Office2017). Core’s Outlook Study (2018) found radio advertising has dropped by5% and print by 14.5% in 2017. Although linear television is still popularamong Irish adults, digital is on the rise, with Irish advertising spend growingfrom €362.2 million in 2016 to €451.3 million in 2017 (Core 2018).Complementary to this, the top five advertising channels for marketers’ futureinvestments are all digital (Mediacom 2018). 49% of the 249-marketingdecision-makers questioned said that they will spend more of their budgetson social media this year (Mediacom,2018), which leads to the next sectiondedicated to social media.2.2 Social MediaThe introduction of social media and engagement can be traced back to thebeginning of 2007. According to (Tapscott 2008), is about “peering: sharing,socializing, collaborating, and, most of all, creating within loosely connectedcommunities” (p 2). Fuchs et al (2013) describe social media as offering“online social networking, online community building and maintenance,collaborative information production and sharing, and user-generated contentproduction, diffusion and consumption” (p.3). Social media advertisingspending in Ireland reached a staggering 114 million in 2016 (IAB Ireland2016), and worldwide there are 3 billion active social media users (Kemp2018). Additionally, Millennials devote over 6 hours of their week to theirsocial media accounts (Casey 2017) Therefore, it is clear that social media isone of the vital aspects of marketing communications today.The key social network of interest for this study is Facebook’s sister site,Instagram. Voorveld et al’s (2018) study on social media platforms foundInstagram is the most popular platform for social interaction. With visualsdescribed as the “direct highway” to Millennials hearts (Arnold Street Media2016), IconoSquare’s study of Millennials and Instagram and found the9platform holds the power to keep consumers’ attention throughout the dayand is a vehicle for visual storytelling (Clasen 2015). Instagram boasts720,000 Irish users (Connector 2017) and influencer marketing on Instagramdoubled globally from 2016 to 2017, to reach an astounding 1.5 million #adposts in 2017 (Klear 2018). The same report found the beauty and cosmeticsindustry to be the second most popular for influencer partnerships and 42%of sponsored posts were created by Millennials, of which 83.9% were female(Klear 2018). According to USA Today, Instagram is a social media favouritebecause it is perceived as a source where users can avoid fake news andadvertisements. Users favour its focus on images associated with Facebook(Guynn 2018). Brands’ in the beauty industry have recognised consumerpreferences towards Instagram and are using the platform more regularly,reporting 0.880% stronger engagement per post on Instagram in comparisonto Facebook (Rival IQ (a) 2018). Similarly, influencer Ciaobellaxo’s birthdaypost held a 0.26% engagement rate on Facebook in comparison to 13.79% onInstagram (Rival IQ (b), 2018). This indicates the shift towards Instagram bybrands, consumers and influencers, (Klear 2018) and highlights that the maindifference between the platforms is engagement levels.Richard Sedley’s definition of engagement through social media, which hegave during an interview with David Chaffey, was “Repeated interactions thatstrengthen the emotional, psychological or physical investment a customerhas in a brand” (Chaffey 2007). High levels of engagement for an influencercan indicate how devoted their followers are and hence, indicate howinfluential they are as a source of advertising (Hurst 2016). Pansari andKumar (2017) present the idea that “when a relationship is satisfied and hasemotional bonding, it then progresses to the stage of engagement” (p.295).This suggests that consumers’ engagement on influencers’ posts indicate thatnot only has a relationship been initiated between influencer and consumer,but also that the influencer is potentially a powerful source of advertising.Engagement has been found to impact future sales (Guesalaga 2016) andbrand usage intent by consumers (Bolton et al. 2013), but most importantlyfor this study, engagement with other customers has been found to impactpurchase intention (Husnain and Toor 2017). The intention to purchase by a10consumer can be used to predict their actual buying behaviour (Sethi et al.2018).Scholars have been researching the phenomenon of social media since thelate 1990s, to understand its impact on consumers’ purchase intentions.Duffett’s (2017) study was conducted using over three-thousand surveys andfound Millennials’ purchase intentions and overall purchases were positivelyimpacted by Facebook advertising. The study initially appeared to indicatethat ethnic influence played a role in purchase intention rates associated withFacebook advertising. However, on closer inspection, this differentiation wasactually related to internet access of those ethnic groups which in turnimpacted their exposure and cynicism towards Facebook advertising (Duffett2017). Le Roux and Maree (2016) study of female Facebook usage found thatby using communities, creating entertainment and allowing consumers toparticipate online, female Facebook users’ purchase intentions and brandattitudes can be positively impacted. Therefore, although certain Millennialsmay be sceptical towards advertising, it is reasonable to suggest that with theuse of the right content, females’ purchase intentions can be altered usingsocial media platforms (Roux and Maree, 2016). In 2018, Sethi et alhighlighted the importance of establishing the right content in order toinfluence purchase intention and their research indicated that the mostsuccessful tool was online reviews. This will be explored further in the nextsection.2.2.1 Electronic Word of Mouth & Online ReviewsDichter (1966) first acknowledged the concept of word of mouth (WOM) andproposed consumers used it in two ways; to justify a purchase already madeor to help decide on a potential future purchase. The growth of the internetand social media has introduced an unprecedented amount of online orelectronic word of mouth (e-WOM) (Silverman 2011). E-WOM is a criticalpart of influencer marketing because it is solely dependent on the passing ofinformation online to other users (Yusuf et al. 2018). e-WOM is defined as“any positive or negative statement made by potential, actual, or former11customers about a product or company, which is made available to amultitude of people and institutions via the internet” (Hennig-Thurau et al.2004: 39). Previously, consumers depended on WOM between friends andfamily to help make purchase decisions (Richins & Root-Shaffer 1988).Through social media, individuals have access to 3.196 billion other users tosource reviews and opinion (Kemp 2018). Social media influencers are oneof the key e-WOM sources.In relation to this study’s focus on Millennials, Smith’s (2010) studyestablished similar findings to the 2018 study by Sethi et al (2018). Smith’s(2010) study emphasised how Millennials have an undeniable preference foronline reviews, which have the power to positively impact their purchaseintentions. As posited by Tang (2017) “online customer reviews areoverwhelmingly more effective than corporate press releases in influencingshopper decisions” (p.103). Purchase intention is created based on the levelof a consumers’ product knowledge. The level of knowledge alters theirproduct evaluation, consequently, heightening or lowering the purchaseintention for the product (Rao and Monroe 1988). For example, Lee et al’s(2014) study using a sample of 199 students aged 18 to 21. It found that whenit comes to medical cosmetics online, this group’s purchase intention isaffected by both e-WOM and their product knowledge. Although word ofmouth and the level of knowledge a consumer has can increase their purchaseintention, according to Moore’s (2012) study, Millennials as a target groupare less likely to make a purchase online, in comparison to other generations.Therefore, proposing that Millennials are using online sources to gainknowledge about cosmetics which has the potential to heighten their purchaseintention, but they probably make the final purchase in-store, rather thanonline.Nielson’s (2015) study of trust in advertising found online opinions were thethird most credible source of advertising (66%) according to consumers in 60different countries. Emphasising how online reviews are one of the mainreasons why social media influencers have expanded substantially, movingfrom items reviewed on blogs weekly, to product and service reviews daily12on Instagram. Influencers are ordinary individuals and for this reason, theyare viewed as more trustworthy than other advertising sources (Shan 2016).Online reviews are crucial for businesses and they should encouragetrustworthy reviewers to review their offerings (Banjerjee, Bhattacharyya andBose 2017). Although it could be proposed that social media influencers areviewed as trustworthy reviewers, consideration towards the industry’s use ofstealth marketing is vital.2.3 Stealth MarketingOf the many forms of advertising, stealth marketing is viewed as the mostdeceitful, in that its main objective is to avoid disclosure of a relationshipbetween a source and a brand (Martin & Smith 2008). The brands’ objectiveis to exploit and use the relationship influencers have with their followers, toencourage objectives such as increasing sales. The rise of such secretive‘buzz’ marketing attempts is associated with the scepticism and ignoranceconsumers have towards traditional or highly obvious advertising formats(Sprague & Wells 2010). In recent years in the world of Instagram, therelationship between brands and influencers was surreptitious for the mostpart. Yet, according to the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland(ASAI) “consumers voice their concerns about bloggers who may or may notbe declaring marketing communications” (ASAI Podcast 2018). Emphasisingthe scepticism of consumers, who are demanding a transparency withininfluencer marketing.As recently as 2017, the ASAI introduced new guidelines for influencermarketing, which clarify that any commercial agreement made between aninfluencer and brand must be transparent. Therefore, any content producedby an influencer and company must include hashtags such as #AD or #SP,clearly identifying sponsored post, rather than an independent review oropinion (ASAI 2017). An example of this is Meaghers Pharmacy, who overthe last year has used a select number of Irish influencers, including EllieKelly and Niamh Cullen, to promote a range of products online throughInstagram stories, affiliated links and follower discount codes (Cullen 2018).13Aiming to attract and use the relationship these influencers had built withtheir followers to benefit the Meagher’s brand. Rosemary MacCabe, an Irishsocial media influencer, told the Irish Times how consumers “don’t likeaffiliate links or sponsored content as much as they like everything else” butshe suggests that if an influencer is open and honest about it, their followerswill accept it (O’Connell 2016).This recent change in the Irish Instagram scene has led to a gap in currentknowledge about whether hashtags such as #Ad or #SP have changedconsumers’ opinion of influencers’ content? This will be explored further inthe next section, which focuses on product placement.2.4 Product PlacementProduct placement is defined as “The purposeful incorporation of brands ineditorial content” (Van Reijmersdal et al. 2005: 659). Products aredeliberately used or displayed within the standard content, drawing on theidea of social media is a platform for performance by the influencer for brands(Hackley et al. 2018). It is reasonable to compare certain influencers’marketing communications to product placement, as the use and display ofthe product is often intertwined with the influencers organic and naturalcontent. This, in essence is a type of new age product placement in play.The Persuasion Knowledge Model (PKM), proposed by Friedstad and Wrightin 1994, looks at the potential effect of a consumers’ awareness of beingtargeted by advertising. This model, shown below (Image 2), is highlysignificant for influencer marketing among female Millennials as it exploresthe topic of scepticism of consumers (Isaac and Grayson 2017) andMillennials as a generation (Cillizza 2015). The model depicts consumers asthe target and firms/brands as the agents. Both the target and agent have threeknowledge structures; topic, persuasion and agent. From the consumers’ pointof view, the topic is the understanding of the message being communicated,persuasion is the knowledge that he/she is being targeted by the advertisement14and agent is the knowledge the consumer holds about the advertiser (Friedstadand Wright, 1994).Image 2 – Persuasion Knowledge Model (PKM)Their study emphasises how for the target, persuasion knowledge is often themain basis for their buying decision making, particularly if the product is newto them. They depend on assessing the viability of the persuasive attempt andare unable to use their subject knowledge (Friedstad and Wright, 1994). Inrelation to the target, which in the case of influencer marketing is theirfollowers, their product knowledge can be increased or decreased dependingon the type of persuasive attempt made by the influencer. When a persuasiveattempt occurs, the consumer analyses, interprets and then finally evaluateshow best to respond to the persuasive attempt. If the persuasive attempt isdeemed obvious by consumers, their persuasion knowledge could beheightened (Ham et al. 2015). Nelson et al. (2009) found if persuasionknowledge is heightened, particularly without the full relationship disclosure,this can mean consumers distrust the advertisement. Therefore, now that Irishinfluencers must clearly indicate sponsorships in posts, does this thenheighten persuasion knowledge to a level that the influencer’s followers rejectthe persuasive attempt? To understand this better, Hall’s (1973) encoder and15decoder model is an important tool. Hall’s (1973) paper acknowledged threedifferent types of consumers; oppositional, negotiated and preferred. It can beassumed that oppositional consumers do not really pay attention toinfluencers and would reject any persuasive messages. Whereas, negotiatedconsumers are most likely to consume influencer communications, yet, theywill also consider other sources, such as peer reviews. Finally, preferredconsumers may depend wholly on the suggestions and informationcommunicated by the social media influencer. As mentioned in a previoussection, Millennials are now cynical towards advertisements and therefore, ifpersuasion attempts are obvious through the obligatory display of hashtags, itcould suggest that Millennials reject this type of messaging and are movingfrom negotiated consumers to oppositional, highlighting a gap in theliterature.Isaac and Grayson (2017) refuted the concept of PKM. They found thattransparent product placement was positively received by consumers. Thisdifference in opinion may be explained by the consumers’ involvement withthe content. It has been found that when a consumer is highly involved, theyare less likely to notice the persuasive attempt, yet their subconscious allowsthe attempt to impact their attitudes, even if they do not necessarily remember(Matthes et al. 2007). Therefore, as the style of Instagram Stories is relativelyshort and intense, is it possible the consumer is so involved that they miss the#SP or #Ad hashtags on influencer posts?The literature review will now move towards exploring influencer marketing,credibility, brand-fit, attractiveness, and hyperreality.2.5 Influencer MarketingInfluencer marketing is described as “a process of identifying and activatingindividuals who have an influence over a specific target audience or medium”(Sudha and Sheena 2017; 16.). These individuals are followed by othersbecause of their content and niche topic areas, such as make-up, fitness orhealthy eating. In fact, Mudge and Shaheen (2017) express how these16individuals are normal people, who have now gained a celebrity-like statusfrom attracting large followings and consequently, earning a revenue basedupon their content. Influencers are portrayed as a new generation ofadvertisers who are used by brands to impact consumers’ attitudes andpurchase intentions (Freberg et al. 2011). Freberg et al (2011) insinuate thatthe advice of social media influencers is held in a higher regard by consumersthan that of chief executive officer’s (CEO).Sudha and Sheena (2017) identified different types of influential endorsersincluding traditional influencers such as celebrity endorsers and mostimportantly for this study, emerging digital influencers, accounting forbloggers and social media influencers (Sudha and Sheena 2017).Schimmelpfenning and Hollensen (2016) criticise celebrity endorsements fortheir overuse in advertising and proposes that there is a need for a new typeof endorser with a story to tell. Brands, as with some consumers, are nowapathetic towards celebrity endorsers. Their study also suggests thatconsumers no longer view celebrities as role-models, due to consumers’inability to relate to celebrities’ lives (Schimmelpfenning and Hollensen2016). Emphasising the potential for social media influencers to now take theplace of celebrity endorsers in advertising, as they are normal individuals,with their own stories to tell and are therefore more relatable than celebrities.When considering how social media influencers work as an advertisingsource, it is merely impossible to avoid the concept of influence. Normativesocial influence is defined as “an influence to conform with the positiveexpectations of another” by Deutsch and Gerard (1955: 629). Their studyfound that other people’s judgements are viewed as trustworthy and therefore,are extremely salient for individuals (Deutsch and Gerard 1955). Consumershave shown a preference towards influencers reviews on products becausethey can relate to the influencer and enjoy receiving opinions from a crediblesource (Sudha & Sheena, 2017). Additionally, in a study of social influenceonline, Guadagno et al (2013) found that consumers can be influenced bycomments of other consumers, positive or negative. Thus, if an influencerposts on Instagram promoting the purchase of a make-up product receives17positive feedback from other consumers, this is found to increase theconsumers’ willingness to comply with the request or message communicatedbased on their need for social acceptance (Guadagno et al. 2013; Chen 2017).Rothschild (2014) reminds us that consumers respond positively to therequests of individuals they like, over those they do not, and any similaritybetween themselves and the individual will increase this. Thus, if a consumercommits to following a social media influencer, it is reasonable to assumethey like the influencer and therefore, are more susceptible to the messagecommunicated by the influencer. De Veirman et al (2017) proposed that if aninfluencer has a large following, they can be perceived as opinion leaders.The concept of someone being a perceived opinion leader leads to the topicof credibility.2.6 CredibilitySource Credibility is multidimensional to include trustworthiness andexpertise (Sternthal et al. 1978). Source credibility captures the extent towhich the consumer believes the influencer’s advice. Source Credibilitytheory posits that consumers appreciate content that is editorial, such asorganic influencer content, over that of an obvious persuasion attempt by aninfluencer (Van Reijmersdal et al. 2005) Celebritys’ credibility influencespurchase intention (Jaffari and Hunjra 2017) and a credible source, who holdsa level of authority, has greater influence over attitudes of consumers(Hovland et al. 1953).In relation to the dimensions of Source Credibility, trustworthiness is theability of the consumer to view the message communicated by the socialmedia influencer as valid. It is the evaluation of how worthy an influencer isof a follower’s trust (Wang and Scheinbaum 2018). The trust and loyaltybetween a consumer and influencer have been found to positively impactsales and long-term relationships between the influencers’ followers and thepromoted brand (Sudha & Sheena, 2017). A study by FullScreen andShareable (2018) found 55% of participants aged 18-24 years old trustinfluencers’ posts and 40% of these consumers said they would trust an18influencer over a brand promotion, which shows how significant trust isbetween social media influencers and their followers (FullScreen andShareable, 2018).Expertise is the consumers’ viewpoint that the social media influencer isadept and knowledgeable in making certain claims (Hovland et al. 1953;Sternthal et al. 1978; Erdogan 1999). That is, the influencer holds somequalification in the area they are promoting (Wang and Scheinbaum 2018).In relation to cosmetics, an expert could be viewed as a make-up artist, whois professionally qualified. Expertise holds a strong correlation with thereputation of an influencer (De Veirman et al. 2017) and therefore, appearsas a significant attribute for influencers.There is a debate between the importance of trustworthiness and expertisewhen it comes to endorsements. If both are used together, it can positivelyimpact purchase intentions and attitudes of consumers (Liu and Teo 2007). Itcan mean consumers are more likely to positively accept the advertisingmessage communicated by the endorser (Metzger et al. 2003). Yettrustworthiness alone has been found to attract low-involved consumers inthe airline industry and considering the number of advertisements consumersare subjected to daily, attracting low-involved consumers is significant(Wang and Scheinbaum 2018). Additionally, trust in a social mediainfluencer has been found to increase based on a consumers’ ability to relateto the source (Shan 2016). Yet Shan’s study went further and suggested justbecause relatability is present between the consumer and influencer, this doesnot necessarily mean the influencer is viewed as an expert in the field or areathey are promoting. Insinuating that expertise and trustworthiness are veryseparate traits, and expertise has no apparent relationship with relatability.However, the preference towards major traits of endorsers is dependent ondemographics. European consumers choose trustworthiness and Americanconsumers prefer expertise (Tzoumakka et al. 2016). These findings may belinked to celebrity culture differences and are complemented by a Europeanstudy by Munnukka et al. (2016), which revealed expertise of peer endorserscan be gained purely through the use of beauty products. A question then19arises as to how important expertise and trustworthiness are for Irishconsumers and whether they have a clear preference in major traits when itcomes to social media influencers?Chakraborty and Bhat (2018) emphasise the key to credible online reviews isexperiences that consumers can relate to directly and a credible source withina review means consumers view the brand positively. Complementary to thisfocus on experiences, Djafarova and Rushworth (2018) found not only dopersonal experiences increase credibility but that in particular, femaleinfluencers online gave more weight to influence and credibility, becauseyounger women could relate to them. Relatability seems to also impactengagement, with Gartner L2’s Intelligence Report (2018) findinginfluencers with under five thousand followers held a stronger engagementrate at 8%, compared to bigger influencers who held only 1.6% engagementrates. This reemphasises the power of influencers’ relatability and similarityof life experiences to that of consumers (Shan 2016).Celebrity endorsers are viewed as credible by consumers (Goldsmith et al.2000) and considering the similarity between celebrities and influencers inIreland (Kenny 2018), it could be interesting to see if female Millennials findsocial media influencers more or less credible than celebrities. If credibilityis closely linked with relatability, is it possible a social media influencer iscapable of becoming too famous or having too many followers, so that theirrelatability and subsequently their credibility is jeopardised?Jain and Posavac (2001) found when an advertising message iscommunicated by a credible endorser, consumers held less scepticismtowards the message. This allowed for a more influential and persuasivemessage to be communicated, insinuating, if social media influencers becometoo celebrity-like and jeopardise their credibility, this will also impact theirinfluence as a marketing source.In contrast to the belief that similarity is an important aspect for consumersin relation to influencers, Munnukka et al’s (2016) study found similarity tobe less important and put emphasis on attractiveness and product match-up.20Wang and Scheinbaum (2018) study opposed this and found trustworthinessof a celebrity endorser in the airline industry to be the most important aspectof an endorser, over that of attractiveness and match-up. Yet, Munnukka etal’s (2016) study is within the beauty industry and therefore, holds a strongercorrelation with this particular study of social media influencers, emphasisedby their statement that “a peer endorser seems well suited to advertisingbeauty-related consumer goods” (p.190). They found attractiveness to be keyin altering consumer attitudes and put emphasis on matching the rightendorser with the right product or brand.2.7 Brand Fit & AttractivenessOther studies have complemented the findings of Munnukka et al’s (2016)study, by shining light on the positive relationship between influencers’attractiveness and consumer attitudes (Lim et al. 2017). However, anAmerican study found expertise to be a stronger match between celebrity andbrand than attractiveness (Till and Busler 2000). Yet, the authors indicatedthat at the time of the study, they felt attractiveness had not yet been measuredcorrectly and they still viewed attractiveness as significant criteria forendorser/product match-up (Till and Busler 2000).Tsai and Chang’s (2007) study found that normally attractive models (NAM)were a stronger option for advertisers than highly attractive models (HAM),for both males and females. Their study of 240, 18-19-year-olds, discoveredNAM’s had a significantly higher impact on both product attitudes andpurchase intentions. They propose this is due to consumers comparingthemselves to these endorsers. If an endorser is perceived as unattainablyattractive, this can have a negative effect on a consumers’ self-esteem (Bower2001; Sääksjärvi et al. 2016). A negative effect on consumers’ self-esteemwas found to impact how the consumer viewed the brand but did notnecessarily affect purchase intention. Which raises the question whether thelevel of attractiveness of the social media influencer impacts the femaleMillennials perception of the source negatively?21Kamins and Gupta’s (1994) study found that if a celebrity endorser match-upwas compatible in the eyes of consumers, the celebrity automatically becamemore attractive in the eyes of consumers. Demonstrating the power of theright match-up when it comes to influencer marketing while highlighting thepossibility that the right match-up means consumers will view the influenceras more attractive, thus positively impacting their attitudes towards the brand.Considering the present study is focusing on beauty related products,Kamins’s (1990) study captured the importance of attractiveness. This studyindicated that attractiveness generally becomes a criterion for consumers,when the product was related to attractiveness, for example, cosmetics. Thisleads to the question, is the attractiveness of a social media influencer onlyrelevant when the product is attractiveness-related i.e. cosmetics for Irishconsumers?The relevance between attractiveness related products and attractiveendorsers may be explained by Erotic Capital as proposed by Hakim (2010).The concept is formed using six main elements; beauty, sexuality, sexualattractiveness, social skills, social presentation and liveliness. Erotic capitalis similar in power to other capital, such as, economic or political. Societyand culture mean women are constructed to possess stronger levels of eroticcapital, than men. Hakim (2010) speaks about how in an expectation aboutwhat is considered femininity, society expects women to demonstrate some,if not all of the six elements mentioned above. Yet, Green (2013) criticisedHakim’s theory as being merely sex appeal and views it as “overstretched”because not all women have a desire to communicate their sexuality throughtheir appearances (p.138). That said. in a study of Korean and Chinesecosmetic advertising, beauty was the most frequently mentioned elementwhich would be provided by the products being advertised (Yu et al. 2015).This could give reason to why attractiveness is of higher importance inrelation to cosmetics (attractiveness-related). Women have been conditionedto some extent to meet societal expectations and aim to do so throughproducts that are primarily attractiveness related. Bringing to question theimportance of the attractiveness of social media influencer in consumers’eyes?22The concept of women performing for others may be attached to Hackley’s(2013) idea that marketing is now a performance by consumers, throughbrands. Hackley et al (2018) discovered that the selfie phenomenon, drivenby celebrity culture, is far more than narcissism in action, rather it was a wayfor consumers to communicate themselves and their lives to their peers.Potentially suggesting that social media influencers on Instagram are justconsumers who are performing for their digital audience. If so, is there a levelof attractiveness needed by influencers to fully perform and expressthemselves to consumers, or is their relatability with the product andconsumers of higher importance than their attractiveness for Irish consumers?The following section will delve into the concept of hyperreality, which stemsfrom the theme of attractiveness.2.8 HyperrealityWhen John Knoll, one of the original creators of the photoshop was asked ifthere were any major regrets with creating photoshop? he replied, “I do wishthere were fewer unethical uses, but I think it’s more up to society to putpressure on people in applying appropriate ethics with these tools” (FollowThis 2018) Thus, he suggests that societal pressure should fight againstunethical use of photo editing tools. However, in an interview, Erin Duffyexplained that “Influencers very much feel they need to present themselvesauthentically while getting the best image possible” (Solon 2018). Suggestingsociety is pressurising individuals into using such tools and is one of thefundamental reasons for the growth in popularity of image altering tools suchas Photoshop and FaceTune across social media platforms like Instagram.Yet, Duffy continued to explain with the significant “call-out culture” online,influencers need to edit the photo just right, so as the use of an editing tool isnot obvious, but that the end product is visually appealing to followers (Solon2018). Therefore, deciphering genuine filter free photos can be challenging,which was expressed by O’Reilly and Battelle (2009) when they explainedthe web is “on a collision course with the physical world”. This can be directly23related to Jean Baudrillard’s (1994) Hyperreality theory. Hyperreality isdescribed as “a play of illusions and phantasms, an imaginary world, madeup of simulacra” (Baines et al. 2008: 837) These simulacra become more realthan what already exists. Relative to the online world, this concept proposesthat the digital imagery and beauty we are subjected to on Instagram havenow become more real than reality itself. We now view the edited digitalversions of individuals as more real than the real person. In a way, the digitaland the physical have collided, proposing we may not be able to tell themapart. Dholakia and Reyes (2013) suggest that the use of social media is notabout creating a separate world to reality, it is about adding a layer to one’sreality.McBain (2018) perfectly sums up hyperreality when she describes scrollinga friend’s social media page. Even though as users we acknowledge that theimage we see online is “only distantly related to their everyday lives”, weforget that and begin to compare ourselves, our lives and our bodies (p.36).Alluding to the idea that we no longer hold the ability to distinguish thedifference between the physical and digital world, they have collided leavingconsumers in a constant state of hyperreality.Edvardsson et al’s (2005) critiqued the idea that hyperreality’s purpose is toavoid real life and indicated the use of service experiences is to stage anexperience that consumers can relate to in real life. Connecting this toinfluencers on Instagram, it could suggest they are not necessarily avoidingreality, but instead are portraying a lifestyle or solution that consumers canrelate to, in a digital format. This leads to the question of whether followersof social media influencers view the content as credible and relatable becausehyperreality means they no longer can tell the difference?2.9 ConclusionSocial media has exploded in recent years, with the growth of the web andevolution of marketing communications. Millennials are demanding twoway, co-created communication between themselves and brands and it seems24advertising, in general, is evolving digitally. Although celebrityendorsements were previously popular, with the drive towards digital, it wasonly a matter of time before a more suitable digital endorser entered theadvertising market.As mentioned, influencer marketing has a significant impact on the purchaseintentions of consumers, which is vitally important because this generationspend substantial amounts of time online but tend not to make purchasesonline. Therefore, to attract Millennials offline, brands need to communicatewith the them online, and it is suggested that social media influencers cansupport businesses in achieving this. Through this exploration of literature,knowledge gaps emerged, which gave way for five overall objectives of thestudy, which will now be used to conclude this section.The first gap to emerge was the significance of engagement betweenMillennial consumers and social media influencers (Rival IQ (a), 2018). Thepower of engagement is well-defined within the literature (Bolton et al. 2013;Hurst 2016; Guesalaga 2016; Pansari and Kumar 2017; Husnain and Toor2017). Yet, it is not evident whether engagement levels and importance varybetween the Millennial groups (Kilian et al. 2012) i.e. entertainment-seekingor highly-connected. It is therefore necessary to explore whether engagementlevels are more important to Millennials, as it could impact brand decisionson working with specific influencers. This was the basis of objective one ofthis study; To assess the importance of engagement between a social mediainfluencer and female Millennial consumers.The second area of interest for brands is understanding the credibility andrelatability associated with social media influencers. Celebrity credibility wasshown to positively impact consumers’ purchase intentions (Jaffari andHunjra 2017) and brand attitudes (Hovland et al. 1953). Relatable lifeexperiences were found to increase credibility (Djafarova and Rushworth2018) and mean the consumer views the brand more positively (Chakrabortyand Bhat 2018) Trust, a dimension of credibility, was found to impactconsumers’ long-term sales and brand relationships (Sudha & Sheena, 2017)25while expertise impacts the influencers’ reputation (De Veirman et al. 2017).Yet, both are viewed as separate traits of an influencer (Shan 2015) andMunnukka et al. (2016) found their importance to vary between Americanand European consumers. Therefore, highlighting the need for brands tounderstand how credible and relatable female millennial consumers viewsocial media influencers and which dimensions of credibility they prioritize.This was the basis of objective two of this study: To assess the impact ofrelatability and credibility of a social media influencer from the femaleMillennials’ perspective.Thirdly, the area of brand-fit and attractiveness is highlighted as a prominentarea of interest. The attractiveness of a source has been found to positivelyimpact consumer attitudes (Lim et al. 2017, yet, have the potential tonegatively impact consumers’ self-esteem (Bower 2001; Sääksjärvi et al.2016). Kamins’s (1990) study found attractiveness to hold greatersignificance when the product is attractiveness related. Thus, this study focuson the beauty industry means understanding the level of attractiveness and itsimportance for female millennial consumers is essential. Additionally, Brandfit was highlighted as an essential aspect for celebrity endorsements and wasfound to positively impact the attractiveness of the endorser (Kamins andGupta 1994). Yet, in relation to social media influencers it is unclear whetherproduct or brand match-up is relevant from female millennial consumers’perspective. This was the basis of objective three of this study: To assess theimpact of product match-up and the attractiveness of a social mediainfluencer from the female Millennials’ perspective.In relation to the editing of images, in a digitally and physically collidingworld (O’Reilly and Battelle 2009), it was suggested by Jean Baudrillard’s(1994) Hyperreality concept that it may be difficult for consumers to tell thedifferences between what they see online, versus reality. Although Dholakiaand Reyes (2013) suggest that the digital world is merely an additional layerto reality, McBain (2018) illustrated that consumers can no longer tell thedifference between their physical and digital worlds. It was suggested societywas a main factor in the use of editing tools (Solon 2018), whereas, John26Knoll believes it is up to society to fight unethical uses of such tools (FollowThis 2018). Raising questions like; Are consumers using editing toolsthemselves? Do they believe influencers are under pressure to use these tools?Are consumers better informed than the literature indicates? Can theydistinguish edited from non- edited photos? Does it impact their view of aninfluencer’s creditability and relatability if the consumer knows they haveedited their material? This knowledge is essential for brands interested in thearea of the impact of social media influencers on Millennials and gave wayfor the fourth objective of this study; To assess the impact of photo editing bya social media influencer from the female Millennials’ perspective.The final gap that became apparent within the literature was in regard tostealth marketing and product placement. As the growth of influencermarketing is predicted to be substantial, rules and regulations regarding thistype of advertising are going to become more prevalent (ASAI 2018). Thehashtags associated with sponsored content mean the advertising attemptcould be deemed as more obvious to consumers than before, which accordingto Ham et al. (2015), increases consumers’ persuasion knowledge and leadsto distrust in the advertisement (Nelson et al 2009). Complementarily, theASAI (2018) outlined how consumers are more skeptical of marketingcommunications today and therefore, it is essential brands understandconsumers view of such collaborations and use of hashtags in content, so asthey can make the best from the relationship between the brand and influencerinvolved. Leading to the fifth objective of this study: To assess the impact ofsponsored content from the female Millennials’ perspective.The gaps identified in the literature and the questions leading to those gaps,provide a path for further research in this field of study. The aim of this studyis to answer the initial research question in relation to the impact of socialmedia influencers in the beauty industry from the female Millennialsperspective, and where possible, address the key questions posed through theliterature review. It is hoped that this will build on current knowledge inrelation to social media influencers, be a useful tool for businesses in Irelandand encourage others to carry out research in this area.273. Research Objectives and Methodology3.0 Research Objectiveshis study’s aim is to investigate female millennials’ view of socialmedia influencers through developing an understanding of theirbeliefs, feeling and opinions relating to social media advertisingpractice. The main objective of this study is to build an understanding of howbest to utilise social media influencers in advertising campaigns. Theliterature presented in the previous chapter provides the basis to the overallobjectives of the study. The objectives outlined below aim to address theresearch question; The Impact of Social Media Influencers as an AdvertisingSource in the Beauty Industry from an Irish Female Millennials’ Perspective.The five objectives created in line with gaps and areas of interest within theliterature are:1. To assess the importance of engagement between a social mediainfluencer and female Millennial consumers.2. To assess the impact of relatability and credibility of a social mediainfluencer from the female Millennials’ perspective.3. To assess the impact of product match-up and the attractiveness of asocial media influencer from the female Millennials’ perspective.4. To assess the impact of photo editing by a social media influencerfrom the female Millennials’ perspective.5. To assess the impact of sponsored content from the femaleMillennials’ perspective.3.1 Methodology IntroductionThis chapter will describe the methods used in collecting and analysing thedata for this study. A comprehensive justification of both the method anddesign will be provided. Other topics of discussion will include both thelimitations and ethical considerations of the study. The primary objective ofT28this study is to thoroughly address the impact of social media influencers asan advertising source.3.2 Layer One: Research PerspectiveThe research perspective of this piece of research will be explored throughSaunders, Lewis and Thornhill’s (2009) Research Onion, as seen below inImage 3. This outlines the importance of identifying the appropriate researchperspective. It brings validity to the research, which strengthens the prospectof this piece of research and its contribution to business practice and theorygoing forward (Crotty 1998).A research perspective or paradigm is a set of common beliefs about how aresearch problem should be approached. Saunders et al (2016) explained thata research perspective is about “developing knowledge around a particularfield” (p.124), so as to understand or answer particular hypotheses associatedwithin the area of the study. Although Saunders et al (2016) emphasise thatthere is no ideal philosophical perspective for a business research study, thereare clear indications as to a suitable philosophical approach, depending on thearea under study.Image 3 – Research Onion29Firstly, the research paradigm or worldview of the research needs to bedecided upon, as it lends to the overall view, methodology and outcomes ofany research study (Quinlan 2011; Saunders et al. 2016). Saunders et al(2016) introduce two types of paradigms, ontological and epistemological.Ontology “relates to the study of being, the nature of being and our ways ofbeing in the world” (Quinlan 2011: 95) and views the world through a seriesof events. Whereas, “epistemology represents scientific knowledge focusedon different areas of thought, in order to appreciate the relevance of the humanbeing” (Mejías 2018: 362). Epistemology is concerned with the study ofknowledge. This study’s paradigm is epistemological, in that the researcherseeks to understand social media influencers as an advertising source, bymeans of producing “acceptable knowledge” through qualitative in-depthinterviews (Bryman and Bell 2011: 15). Yet, epistemology can be value-freeor value-laden, in that there are two main approaches, Positivist andInterpretivist. Positivist is value-laden and usually follows a deductive stance,whereas, interpretivism takes an inductive perspective which should be valuefree. Positivist epistemology “advocates the application of the methods of thenatural sciences to the study of social reality and beyond”, it considers bothhumans and the impact of natural science (Bryman and Bell 2011: 15).Whereas, interpretivist epistemology considers “the distinctiveness ofhumans against the natural order” (Bryman and Bell 2011: 16) and believeseach individual being has their own valuable thoughts and beliefs whichproduce acceptable knowledge. According to Creswell (2007) ininterpretivist epistemology, the researcher works closely with participants todelve deeper into understanding their viewpoint. This fits perfectly with thisstudy of building acceptable knowledge and understanding the views ofMillennial consumers toward social media influencers. For that reason,interpretivism epistemology was the chosen research paradigm of this study.As illustrated by the Research Onion’s outer layer (Figure 2), there are 4 maintheoretical perspectives, Positivism, Realism, Interpretivism and Pragmatism.These are a crucial aspect of the research, as they underpin the focus andcreation of knowledge for the study. Saunders et al (2009) outline only fourin their research onion; Positivism, Realism, Interpretivism, and Pragmatism,30however, Quinlan (2011) outlines nine additional approaches to includeConstructivism, Hermeneutics, Symbolic Interactionism, Functionalism,Structuralism, Critical Theory, Feminism, Post-structuralism and Postmodernism.As this study’s objective is to further understand female Millennial consumerperspectives, the interpretivist approach is deemed most suitable.Interpretivism aims to delve deeper into understanding the social realities ofhumans and views people as subjective beings, who’s individual socialworlds, feelings, opinions and viewpoints hold value and meaning (Saunderset al. 2016). Mack (2010) and Dudovskiy (2016) outline the major drawbackof interpretivist research is the fact it is subjective and therefore, the findingscannot be generalised for a population or situation. Yet, Greene &McClintock (1991) defend the value of interpretivist approach is because“One individual’s perception of meaning in a given setting is likely to differfrom others and representing both is needed for an understanding of thewhole” (P.14). Thus, each consumer is subjective, in that each individual hastheir own feelings and experiences in relation to the phenomenon of socialmedia influencers. This study aims to explore those opinions and experiences,to present a study that captures more than data, but interprets what mightreally be happening in the world of female Millennials’ engagement withsocial media influencers. The next section will outline the research approachand strategies.3.3 Layer Two: Research ApproachesThere are two approaches to research; deductive and inductive reasoningwhich will be explained as follows. The deductive approach is focused onanalysing and testing against pre-existing theories, to find a relationshipbetween the research and the existing theory (Bryman and Bell 2011). Thismeans the researcher’s theoretical position is clear, which is opposite to aninductive approach. The inductive approach usually focuses on qualitativemethods of small samples, whereas, deductive has larger samples and usesquantitative methods (Saunders et al. 2016). With an inductive approach, the31relevant theory is considered, but the approach seeks to build new theorythrough the interpretation of the data collected and therefore, the theoreticalposition is not clarified. This research study is inductive in nature and seeksto build theory around the concept of social media influencers usingqualitative research, in line with an interpretivist approach (Saunders et al.2016).3.4 Layer Three: Research Strategies3.4.1 Qualitative ApproachThe chosen research strategy and instrument depend greatly on the type ofresearch design chosen (Saunders et al. 2016). Qualitative research is said to“begin with assumptions, a worldview, the possible use of a theoretical lens,and the study of research problems inquiring into the meaning individuals orgroups ascribe to social or human problems” (Creswell 2007: 37). Studiesaround the social media influencer phenomenon have been primarilyquantitative based such as Booth and Matic (2011) or Sudha and Sheena(2017) study which focused on comparing social media influencers, celebrityendorsements and brands. Yet, Thomas (2003) explains that quantitative andqualitative methods vary in their appropriateness in answering questions, thatis, each has the ability to answer certain questions that the other does not havethe capability to. In an Irish context, the topic of social media influencers isrelatively understudied and Kelle (2006) explains how with quantitativeresearch“a limited knowledge about the investigated life worldmay bring about problems of operationalization andmeasurement: researchers who do not know how specificwords and actions are understood in the socioculturalcontexts of their research domain may ask the wrongquestions or misinterpret the respondents’ answers inquestionnaires” (p.296).Therefore, qualitative research in the area will give the grounding for a deeperunderstanding of consumers’ viewpoints of the source, that may well developa quantitative study in the future. Qualitative research is a popular choice in32relation to social media, as many studies in the area seek to understand thephenomenon further through the lens of the consumer. An example is Whitingand Williams (2013) study that sought to understand consumers’ usage ofsocial media through conducting twenty-five in-depth interviews. Qualitativeresearch is conducted in a more natural way than quantitative, whichperspective is scientific (Quinlan 2011). The qualitative approach allows theresearcher to understand consumers’ perspective through the respondents’own words, giving a narrative of their direct experiences. With a study thatviews each participant as subjective, qualitative research allows theresearcher to understand each individuals’ feelings and beliefs around a topic.The information gathered can be analysed and findings presented, that giveinsight into the target audience’s feelings towards a subject through their ownwords (Saunders et al. 2016).As with any research approach, the consideration of drawbacks is essentialfor the researcher to consider, so as measures can be taken to ensure the studyis not negatively affected. With qualitative research, there can be difficultyrepresenting the target group accurately due to small samples sizes (Morris2015). Although qualitative research has evident drawbacks, the topic ofsocial media influencers is underdeveloped. Therefore, qualitative researchallows for an initial exploration of the topic, to build an understanding ofconsumer feelings, opinions and perspectives, which according to Riley et al(2000) “only words can do that” (p99). As the topic of social mediainfluencers is underdeveloped, the author of this study decided that aqualitative approach should provide an explorative and data rich studyallowing a more in depth understanding of views and opinions of social mediainfluencers.3.4.2 Research StrategySaunders et al (2016) indicate that an interpretivist perspective combined withan inductive approach using qualitative methods, with small samples,provides better research data than larger sample quantitative methods and forthis reason, a qualitative method of in-depth interviews using a small sample33was chosen for this study. Although other methods such as case studies andnetnography could have been chosen in interpreting Millennial consumers’feelings on the topic of social media influencers, the ability of in-depthinterviews in allowing the participant “to tell their story and give theresearcher a range of insights and thoughts about a particular topic” was bestsuited to the study (Morris 2015: 5). Yet, Quinlan (2011) explains that focusgroup research can also allow for insights and feelings through groupdynamics, which would have also suited this particular study. The researchermust be aware of group power and influence issues, such as “group think”,which means participants follow the group thought rather than their own(MacDougall and Baum 1997; Adams et al. 2014). The risk would be thatgenuine thoughts and feelings of the target group could be missed. Althoughpower and influence issues can play a part in in-depth face-to-face interviews,it is easier to control and recover on a one-to-one interview basis, than tocontrol and guide a group with the same issues. The researcher wanted toensure that the true thoughts, feelings and attitudes of participants werereflected in the study, ensuring they reflected the target audience andtherefore chose in-depth, face-to-face interviews.Inductive research is about discovering evident themes or patterns associatedwith a certain phenomenon (Saunders et al. 2016) and interviews allow theresearcher to “explore meanings and thus generate rich qualitative data”(Cameron and Price 2009: p367). In-depth interviews aim to explore aphenomenon or people through unstructured or semi-structured interviews,lasting between 45 minutes to 2 hours (Bryman 2008). Jankowicz (2005)explains semi-structured, open-ended techniques, such as in-depth interviews“provide you with large amounts of rich, fertile, but disorganised data.”(p.257). Therefore, it is vital the researcher organises and interprets the dataso as to find meaning. There are advantages and disadvantages to using indepth interviews, some of which will be explored in the next two sections.3.5.3 Advantages of In-depth InterviewsBrenner, Brown and Canter (1985) consider two major advantages ofinterviews as dual exploration and time.34Dual Exploration: When in-depth interviews are the chosen data collectiontool, they allow for both the researcher and the participants to journey througha topic together. The dual exploration is directed partly by the questions preprepared by the researcher, which guide the interview. Due to the semistructured nature of in-depth interviews, the researcher needs to listen intentlyand use probing efforts based on the words or statements made by theparticipant that seem significant in relation to the topic under exploration. Theclear, one-on-one communication means that rich and detailed information iscollected for the study and any misunderstandings can be easily identified anddealt with immediately. Unlike with the group communication present infocus groups, which can be more difficult to control (Brenner et al. 1985).Time: The timing of the in-depth interview, which as mentioned previouslyis 45 minutes to 2 hours, means the topic can be effectively explored in arelevantly short space of time in comparison to focus groups. (Brenner et al.1985).3.4.4 Disadvantages of In-depth InterviewsThere are some disadvantages of using in-depth interviews as a researchstrategy. Quinlan et al (2015) highlight two of the main disadvantages of indepth interviews as time-consuming by nature and researcher bias.Time-Consuming: Although the length of time of an interview has itsadvantageous as mentioned above, this type of research method is extremelytime-consuming on the researcher. There is a lot of organising and arrangingattached to this method, including question preparation, location, timing andtranscriptions. (Morris 2015) With this disadvantage in mind, the researcherconsidered telephone interviews, which offer advantages with time and costin comparison to that of face-to-face in-depth interviews. However, therewere clear drawbacks to the researcher’s ability to monitor participants’reactions to questions over the phone, which has been described as animpossible task by Quinlan et al (2015). Additional issues relating toimpersonality over the phone were also considered; “The absence of visual35cues via telephone is thought to result in loss of contextual and nonverbal dataand to compromise rapport, probing, and interpretation of responses (Novick2008: 391). If the researcher and participant are strangers, it is a difficult taskto build a rapport over the phone (Adams et al. 2014). Additionally, Da Silvaet al’s (2014) study found it can be more difficult to ensure consistency of theconversation over the telephone in comparison to face-to-face interviewsbecause participants found it harder to hear and understand the questions overthe phone. With the obvious drawbacks to telephone interviews, which couldaffect the data collected, the researcher believed the drawback of in-depthinterviews time-consuming nature was justifiably less important thanproducing a true reflection of the data collected. As posited by Morris (2015)“Certainly, when the research involves obtaining a sense of how individualsview their situation and what their experiences have been around the researchtopic under consideration, in-depth interviewing is an appropriate method”(p.8).Researcher Bias: With a one-on-one interview there is a risk that theresearcher could influence the thoughts and feelings of the participant. It isaccepted that the personal standpoint of the interviewer has the potential toimpact the research. As expressed by Saunders et al (2016) “a researcher mayallow her or his own subjective view or disposition to get in the way of fairlyand accurately recording and interpreting participants’ responses” (p.203).That is why for this study a thematic question guide was used, to ensure somestructure and guidance was present, but it was also necessary to ensure thatthe participants were left free to explore the topic themselves without theundue influence of the researcher. To ensure an honest and non-biasednarrative of those participating in the study, the researcher made notesdirectly after each interview, while also recording the interview to ensure atrue reflection of participants’ words and experiences. Reflexivity is thereflection by the researcher on their role and influence over the interviewprocess (Saunders et al. 2016). The researcher of this study considered roleduring the process while interpreting the data because doing so is said to“challenge the idea that the words of the subject can be interpreted in isolationfrom the nature of the interaction between two people” (Brett Davies 2007:36166). Thus, the researcher wanted to take measures in truly reflectingparticipants’ interviews and avoiding her own bias on the subject.3.4.5 Interview StructureUnlike structured interviews, semi-structured interviews allow both theinterviewer and interviewee to explore the topic further (Morris 2015). It ispossible to adapt the direction of the interview while still maintaining somestructure (Bryman and Bell 2011). “The interviewer commences with a set ofinterview themes, but is prepared to vary the order in which questions areasked and to ask new questions in the context of the research situation”(Saunders et al. 2016: 727). The fluidity of this approach allows theresearcher to build a deeper understanding of the individual’s viewpoint oropinions, that become apparent during the interview (Saunders et al. 2016).Semi-structured interviews were chosen based on the researcher’s need toexplore the themes of influencer marketing, that became apparent within theliterature review. The flexibility of allowing new themes and patterns emerge,allows the researcher to build an understanding of the situation based on theperspective of participants (Bryman 2008).3.4.6 Interview TechniquesProjective techniques, ranging from sentence completion to brand mapping,can play a crucial part in in-depth interviews. This can guide participantsthrough the interview journey while using the technique to trigger memoriesrelating to their view on a subject (Cooper and Schindler 2014). The authorof this research chose to use one projective technique to encourage reflectionon the part of participants. An imagination exercise was carried out, whereparticipants were provided with three A4 pages, each with 4 photos depictingmarketing attempts by influencers on Instagram. Participants were then askedto imagine being the brand manager of a business and how they might bestutilise the influencer within the advertising. The aim of using a technique likethis was to evoke “information, feelings, and memories” in participants, thus,capturing rich data which might not be accessible using other techniques(Harper 2002: 13; Quinlan 2011).373.4.7 SampleIn qualitative research, sampling is of utmost importance (Saunders et al.2016) A sample with a strong representation of target groups, givesconfidence in the generalisability of the study’s findings (Graziano andRaulin 2010). Therefore, the chosen participants must closely resemble thetarget group under investigation and significant time was given to consideringthe right sample for this study.Millennials aged between twenty-two to thirty-seven (Dimock 2018), werethe selected target group for this study. 83.9% of Instagram #ad posts weremade by female Millennials in 2017 (Maoz 2018) and therefore, theresearcher decided to focus on female Millennials, as this area of marketingis popular amongst females. The decision to focus on beauty, more preciselycosmetics and tanning, was because of the number of beauty brandsparticipating in influencer marketing, such as Rimmel, L’Oréal, B-Perfectand Iconic Bronze. In addition, the beauty industry was found to be the secondmost popular after fashion and accessories in influencer marketing (Maoz2018).Probability sampling which “using established statistical procedures, you canestimate the likelihood that your findings for the sample differ from thepopulation” (Brett Davies 2007: 61) differs greatly to non-probabilitysampling. Non-probability means participants are not chosen randomly,therefore, the sample chosen cannot be generalised to an entire population,but it ensures that participants share certain criteria. Non-probabilitysampling was chosen for this study and according to Saunders et al (2016), isbest suited to qualitative studies. The chosen form of non-probabilitysampling was purposive sampling, which is described as meaning “theresearcher does not seek to sample research participants on a random basis”(Bryman and Bell 2011: 442).Bryman and Bell (2011) explained that the sampling strategy, quotasampling, which is another form of non-probability sampling, is viewed inhigh regard by scholars, yet, the researcher of this piece decided snowball38sampling was a better fit for a study of this nature. Saunders et al (2016)describe snowball sampling as “a procedure in which subsequent respondentsare obtained from information provided by initial respondents” (Saunders etal. 2016: 728). This sampling technique was employed to meet the specificcriteria of the study and allowed the researcher to identify a network of socialmedia followers, whom could accurately reflect female Millennials’perspectives (Riley et al. 2000). The researcher approcahed an Irishinfluencer called Laura Views. Laura agreed to assist in identifying additionalrespondents. Stemming from this, the researcher was then contacted by 20people through Instagram private mail, of which participants were chosenbased on the following criteria:o Age: To ensure the participant was within the Millennial generation(22-37). The researcher also tried to ensure a variety of Millennialages within the study.o Gender: To ensure the participant was female, to correctly representthe gender choice for this study.o Nationality: To ensure the participant was Irish and therefore,represented an Irish consumer.o Interest in social media influencers and beauty: This allowed for theparticipant to accurately reflect the target group of Millennials whomhold interest and knowledge of this topic.3.4.8 Theoretical SaturationRiley et al (2000) outlined a need for the researcher to consider the studieslimitations, objectives and the chosen research instrument when selecting thesize of their sample, particularly when it comes to in-depth interviews.Therefore, for this study, the researcher continued to interview until theinformation being produced reached an adequate level of i.e. theoreticalsaturation occurred (Saunders et al. 2016). Theoretical Saturation is describedas “a point at which observing more data will not lead to discovery of moreinformation related to the research questions” (Lowe et al. 2018: 191). Theresearcher took an inductive thematic saturation approach, in that she39continued to interview respondents until there were no longer new codes orthemes emerging in relation to social media influencers (Saunders et al.2018). Saunders (2012) critiques the use of theoretical saturation because itdoes not give a definite number for an appropriate sample size. He suggestsbetween five and ten participants for a semi-structured/in-depth interview.The final sample size of this study was seven participants after theoreticalsaturation was accomplished. Thus, falling perfectly within the minimumsample size guidelines recommended by Saunders (2012). A table ofcandidates is presented in Appendix 2.3.5 Layer Four: Research MethodThe fourth layer of the research onion is concerned with the research method.There are three types of methods; the mono-method, mixed-method andmulti-method. Multi-method is when the researcher uses two or morequantitative or qualitative instruments to gain a deeper understanding of thetopic. Mixed-method is criticised by some because each method isphilosophically different, and these differences are missed when mixed(Quinlan 2011). On the other hand, it is also advised by others for exampleThomas (2003), who believes both quantitative and qualitative methodsanswer different questions. Therefore, qualitative allows for exploration of atopic through respondents’ own words, while quantitative can add to andgeneralise the findings through the testing of hypotheses. By using both, theresearch can avoid any weaknesses associated with each method (Saunders etal. 2016). In fact, Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2005) emphasised a need forstudents to take on a mixed-methods approach as, without the experience ofboth methodologies, students were losing their chance to become pragmatic,knowledgeable and experienced researchers. Although a mixed-methodapproach was a preferred method for this particular study, it was unviable,due to the limited resources and timeframe available to the researcher. Amono-method was better suited, due to said restrictions. Mono-method meansthere is only one type of research design (Qualitative) and data collectiontechnique (in-depth interviews) (Saunders et al. 2016). In-depth interviewshave been used in many studies to understand the thoughts, feelings and40attitudes of respondents. For example, Whiting and Williams (2013) reportedthat they could explore a topic to the necessary degree using one method.However, a PhD study could consider using a mixed-method approach in thefuture.3.6 Layer Five: Time HorizonsThe second last layer of the research onion deals with the time horizons,which are cross-sectional or longitudinal in nature. In exploring aphenomenon, a longitudinal study collects the data over an extended periodof time and more than once, whereas, a cross-sectional study focuses on aphenomenon at one particular point in time and collects the data once(Sekaran 2003). With the constraints placed on this study, a cross-sectionalstudy was best suited. The researcher collected the data over a two-weekperiod during July 2018 and the data collection was only made once with eachparticipant interviewed on one occasion only.3.7 Layer Six: Data Collection and Data AnalysisThis final layer deals with the data collection and data analysis of the study.Referring back to layer three, this study has taken a qualitative approach andtherefore, both the collection and analysis of the data discovered through theinterviews were of utmost importance.3.7.1 Data CollectionFace-to-face interviews can be held in any suitable location. For the purposeof this study, the researcher booked a private room within the NationalCollege of Ireland (NCI) library for all interviews. This private room in thecentre of Dublin suited all participants as they lived or worked nearby, whilethe environment was quiet, comfortable, ensuring the interviewee was at ease.All interviews were arranged at a time that suited the candidates. Theinterviews were held over a two-week period in mid-July 2018 and eachlasted between forty minutes to one hour and fifteen minutes.41The questions posed aimed to be unambiguous and succinct, to avoid any biasor confusion on the part of the interviewee. The questions were open-endedin nature, to allow for exploration of the topic by the participants (Quinlan etal. 2015). Usually, questions proposed in an in-depth interview are derivedfrom other sources such as previous studies around the topic, to ensurequestions are valid and reliable. Unfortunately, the phenomenon of socialmedia influencers is relevantly underdeveloped and therefore, this was noteasily accomplished. However, the researcher had to compromise anddeveloped suitable questions for the topic based on other academic studies,such as those around celebrity endorsements (Jain and Roy 2016).To create a level of discussion, a thematic question guide was prepared, whichfollowed themes apparent within the literature and questions deemedappropriate for the particular section. The topics covered were; Advertising,Social Media, E-Wom, Influencers, Credibility, Trust & Expertise, Brand-Fit& Attractiveness, Influence, Product Placement and Hyperreality. A sampleof the questions chosen for this study were pretested with 5 individuals, toensure they were understood as the researcher had intended and therefore, theinformation gathered was appropriate for the study. Following the feedback,the researcher made some minor changes to the context and phraseology ofthe questions. An example of the thematic question guide used by theresearcher of this piece can be found in Appendix One.To ensure descriptive validity which is imperative for qualitative studies, theresearcher took notes during all of the interviews, to ensure any reactions orexpressions could be noted (Huberman & Miles 2002). Descriptive validitymeans ensuring that the words actually expressed by participants areaccurately represented by the findings (Huberman & Miles 2002). To ensuredescriptive validity, all interviews were audio recorded using the quick voiceIOS mobile application and QuickTime player on Mac. All participants weremade aware of the audio recording of the interview and its usage in theresearch. All participants agreed to the recordings. The researcher made clearthat all of the recordings and data collected would be destroyed after the study42was completed, by deleting recordings from both the researchers I-Phone andMac and transcriptions by a paper shredder.3.7.2 Data AnalysisIn relation to the data analysis, a grounded approach was taken as accordingto Hussey and Hussey (1997), it is extremely useful when a previouslyestablished theory is not tested against within the study i.e. there is notheoretical framework. Which is the case of this study which is of an inductivenature and Chapman et al (2015) describe grounded theory as “an inductivemethod of developing theory grounded in data” (p.202). Therefore, theanalysis of this research aims to find theory within the information collected.One type of grounded theory approach is thematic approach and was thechosen approach for this research. Thematic Analysis can be used under anyphilosophical approach and whether the study is inductive or deductive as itis described as a stand-alone analytical technique by Saunders et al (2016:579). Thematic analysis is useful when there is a large amount of disorganisedqualitative data, in which one seeks to find relationships among the words ofsubjective individuals (Saunders et al. 2016). With this approach, allinterviews are transcribed and read in detail, seeking out key phrases, ideasor concepts that become apparent. Saunders et al (2016) explain that codescan become apparent in three ways, through participants’ words, through acollection of data the researcher labels, or terms existing in related theory andliterature.Although some studies such as Fereday et al (2006) take on both data-drivenand theory-driven data, this piece was wholly inductive and therefore, theresearcher focused on developing theory by allowing themes to evolve fromthe data collection, rather than from the literature alone. Therefore, from thedata collection, the initial codes were identified and put into categories orthemes, which is known as open coding (Quinlan 2011). The researcherfollowed the process of theoretical saturation in that she continued to add tothe themes, until either the category was well developed or saturated (Bryman43and Bell 2011). Secondly, axial coding was then undertaken to find arelationship between the codes. Finally, selective coding was used in that thecodes were appropriately integrated based on these relationships orsimilarities to produce the overall themes of the research (Saunders et al.2016). At the end of the process, the researcher had elucidated themes fromthe qualitative narrative of the interviews, to build theory around social mediainfluencers. Finally, the apparent themes were then compared to the literature,to add an additional layer to the interpretation and produce a relevant andvaluable discussion around the topic.3.7.3 Ethical ConsiderationsThe National College of Ireland’s ‘Ethical Guidelines and Procedures forResearch Involving Human Participants’ were adhered to by the researcherthroughout the research process. An ethical review application accompaniedthe proposal submission for this study.3.7.4 Voluntary Participation and ConfidentialityBefore each interview, the purpose of the interview and the study overall wereexplained, so as all the participants understood what they were participatingin. Each participant was asked to read and fill out a consent sheet, to guaranteethey understood the purpose of the study and that their information was beingrecorded and used for the study (Collis & Hussey 2014). All candidates wereinformed that the interview content would be used for the purpose of this MScdissertation, but that they could choose to stay anonymous (Jankowicz 2000).All participants expressed their interest in maintaining their anonymity andtherefore, throughout this document, the participants are named in order ofinterview i.e. Interviewee 1, Interviewee 2.3.7.5 LimitationsA limitation is described as a “weakness or deficiency in the research” (Collis& Hussey 2014: 110) and as with most research studies of this nature, thispiece held two main limitations;44 Firstly, as the topic of social media influencers is still in its earlystages in academic research, a longitudinal study would have given agreater insight into Millennial consumers’ relationship with socialmedia influencers. However, the time constraints of this study madea longitudinal study impossible. A longitudinal qualitative studywould have provided an empirical stamp of approval in relation to thetopic but would be more suited to a future PhD study. A longitudinalPhD study could follow engagement and interaction of Millennialconsumers with social media influencers, to build a greaterunderstanding of Millennial consumers’ thoughts and feelings over aperiod of time. Secondly, although in-depth interviews allowed for great insight intothe topic through the consumer lens, an extension of time may haveallowed for the addition of focus groups. Denzin and Lincoln (1994)emphasised how focus groups are not a substitute for one-on-oneinterviews but actually offer a different layer of data gathering.Suggesting that focus groups could have added and complemented thefindings of the in-depth interviews if time had allowed. A groupinterview may lead to interaction among participants that would pushthem to think about alternative aspects or considerations they may nothave thought of alone.454. Findings, Analysis and Discussionhe purpose of this chapter is to present an analysis and discussionof the main findings which emerged from the in-depth interviewsconducted as part of this study. By exploring the feelings andopinions of Irish female Millennials, common themes shared among themajority of participants became apparent. This section will present eachtheme and a number of significant direct quotes from the participants, withthe aim of addressing the objective of this study, which is to explore theimpact of social media influencers on female Millennials.4.0 Research Objective 1 Research Objective 1:To assess the importance of engagement between a social media influencerand female Millennial consumers.Interview Themes1. Life Online and Visuals2. Entertain and Engage 4.0.1 Life OnlineThe data collection process began with participants discussing traditional anddigital advertising. Six of the seven participants agreed that they consumedigital advertising more often than traditional. The reasoning for theparticipant’s interest in digital over that of traditional advertising wasexplained by comments relating to their digitised lives, outlined below.Interviewee A “I live most of my life online at this stage”Interviewee B “as people we spend a lot of time online”T46There was a consensus amongst participants that visual content was the mainreason they enjoyed Instagram.Interviewee B “Pictures entice me”.Interviewee E “it is visual” (…) “is more our generation”Interviewee D “Watching takes less effort than reading”These responses are complementary to the idea that Millennials arehyperconnected and highly engaged digital consumers, whose lives areimmersed online (Moore 2012). As proposed by Guynn (2018), Instagram isthe winning platform with this target audience because of its focus on imagesand visual storytelling. This has been found to entice Millennials (Clasen2015; Arnolds Street Media 2016) and explains their interest in both theplatform and social media influencers.4.0.2 Entertainment and EngagementFollowing participants’ discussion about their online life and interest inimages, the conversation moved towards social media influencers. Allparticipants follow social media influencers across a range of industriesincluding beauty, fashion and fitness. Participants then explored the reasoningfor their interest in social media influencers.Interviewee E “They would entertain you as well and catch my attention ifI was sitting around”Interviewee G “I find them very interesting”These comments suggest that Millennials interest in social media influencersis because they are viewed as a vehicle of entertainment. This can beassociated with the idea that Millennials are entertainment-seeking, in thattheir focus online is to be entertained through content (Kilian et al. 2012). The47participants’ view that influencers are merely a source of entertainment maybe explained by their belief that some influencers are not open to interaction;Interviewee F “I remember I messaged Niamh Cullen before, when she hada really nice top on, I was like just wondering where your top is from andshe never got back to me, I was like nooo” (…) “It made me feel like a fool”(…) “Then I know there’s other people like Pippa O’Connor apparentlyalways gets back to people and her life is way more hectic”This participant’s statement indicates that when an influencer is perceived asinterested and open to consumer communication, it, therefore, encourages theconsumer to interact and feel comfortable doing so. Yet, the importance ofengagement was also outlined by participants.Interviewee A “I find a lot of them engaging, engagement is a big thing forme”.It was clear that this respondent had formed a bond with social mediainfluencers, which can be explained by Pansari and Kumar’s (2017) study.They found if a consumer has an emotional bond with an influencer, then thenext stage of the relationship is engagement. Thus, Interviewee A has anestablished relationship with social media influencers, that has now resultedin her turning towards engagement. This signifies that she could possibly fallunder the segment of a highly connected Millennial, whose relationships canbe built and played out online (Killian et al. 2012). Other respondentsexpressed a relationship and interest in social media influencers to a point ofimpacting their purchase intentions.Interviewee E “She was using it and I was so curious and felt like I needit”Demonstrating that a relationship between this consumer and the influencerimpacted her purchase intention. However, other participants held mixed48feelings when it came to engagement and interaction with social mediainfluencers.Interviewee F “But I don’t interact with them, I don’t comment on theirposts” (…) “I’d never like comment on their stuff”The comment above denotes that engagement, described as “repeatedinteractions”, varies with different segments of the Millennial population.Giving substance to Killian et al’s (2012) study which divided millennialsinto three segments which include entertainment-seeking and highlyconnected Millennials. Some may not engage on an influencer’s post butfollow them for entertainment or relationship purposes, thus they can be seenas the entertainment-seeking segment. Others engage more directly, areproactive (Serazio 2015) and seek a relationship with the influencer fallinginto the highly-connected group. However, the lack of direct engagementwith influencer posts does not mean the influencer has not had an impact insome way. In fact, participants of this study indicated their bond and interestwith an influencer can impact purchase intentions, similar to the findings ofHusnain and Toor (2017) study. Therefore, demonstrating that engagementbetween a consumer and influencer becomes apparent after a relationship hasbeen formed. Yet, just because a consumer does not engage on an influencer’spost does not necessarily imply a relationship has not been achieved betweenthe influencer and the entertainment-seeking millennial segment. However,engagement could imply the strength of the relationship, in that thoseengaging with the influencer have reached a level in the relationship to feelthe want or need to engage i.e. highly-connected segment. After all, Hurst(2016) pinpointed that the Millennial generation demand relationships online.This would indicate that a more limited view of engagement may notadequately capture the power of influencers as both a direct and indirectadvertising source.Additionally, these findings also indicated consumers do not always feelcomfortable in engaging with an influencer because they do not view them asopen to co-creating or engaging with them. Which ties in with Kennedy and49Guzmán (2017) study that found Millennials will only engage in co-creatingif the brand seems open, friendly and appears to be interested in consumers.The same could be said for social media influencers. If they are viewed asopen to consumers comments and engage with their followers directly, it willencourage consumers to interact and engage. Therefore, althoughengagement may only tell the brand part of the story, the level of engagement,be it comments, likes or private messages, may indicate how open andconnected an influencer is with their followers. Considering the importanceof engagement on Instagram, it is essential brands acknowledge engagementlevels. However, they must also consider the existence of the purelyentertainment-seeking segment of the Millennial population who apparentlyavoid engagement.As the research progressed other themes came to life and are dealt with underobjective 2.4.1 Research Objective 2 Research Objective 2:To assess the impact of relatability and credibility of a social mediainfluencer from the female Millennials’ perspective.Interview Themes1. Relatable2. Credible3. Trust4. Expert 4.1.1 RelatableAll respondents spoke about why they find social media influencers relatable,particularly in comparison to celebrity endorsers.Interviewee B “I think they are more relatable” (…) “They don’t have themoney a celebrity does”50The comments by participants show that Millennials feel closer to socialmedia influencers because they view them as normal individuals likethemselves. The characteristics of the influencer that matters when it comesto relatability were also expressed below.Interviewee A “She’s refreshing, she’s just really ordinary”Interviewee F “Normal living and things like that is more relatablebecause you would eventually go down the same road in life, a normal life”Interviewee D “She is a similar age and puts up about her everyday lifeand that makes it more relatable and she is not just trying to shove productsat us” (…) “Whereas, people my age you look at them being so successfuland think maybe if I put in as much effort or did what they are doing, Iwould become as big as them”This gives grounding to Schimmelpfenning and Hollensen (2016) studywhich found the reason consumers no longer connect with celebrity endorsersis that they cannot relate to their lives. In their study, they spoke about howcelebrities used to act as role models for consumers, but due to theirunattainable lives, there is now a need for a new endorser (Schimmelpfenningand Hollensen 2016). Participants of this study seem to express that socialmedia influencers now have the opportunity to take the place of celebrityendorsers because their lives are both relatable and attainable in the eyes ofconsumers, as posited by Mudge and Shaheen (2017). Corresponding withDjafarova and Rushworth (2018) study, which found young women can relateto influencers and that’s what makes their presence online credible andinfluential. Furthermore, participants expressed that the opportunity to builda relationship with the source is also a clear reason for their ability to relateto social media influencers.Interviewee A “Better chance of reaching out to them than celebrities” (…)“Seems like I can be their friend”51Interviewee F “You probably don’t know the celebrity as much as youknow the influencer” (…) “You build a relationship with them whereas witha celebrity you don’t have a personal connection”Interviewee A “With influencers rather than celebrities, there’s a greaterchance they can actually interact and maintain that contact on a genuinelevel”Interviewee G “I’m more relatable with an influencer than I would be witha celebrity because a celebrity is quite out of reach”These comments emphasise participants’ view that celebrities are out of reachand relationships are easier to form with influencers, which is important toMillennial consumers. Corresponding with Hurst (2016) who explained thatMillennials seek relationships online, it seems if a social media influencerappears accessible by consumers, they then feel more related to theinfluencer.Interviewee C “I think relatability plays a part in the credibility of thesocial media influencer” (…) “If they are relatable you will trust them andtry the product” “If I did relate to them I am sure I would trust theiropinion”Interviewee A “If I find somebody relatable, the likelihood is I’m inclinedto trust them”Thus, showing the importance of relatability for consumers, as it affects bothcredibility and trust in the eyes of the Millennial consumers of this study.Credibility stemming from relatability can be explained by Chakraborty andBhat (2018) study which found for a review to be deemed credible, theexperience needed to be relatable by the consumer. Considering respondentsemphasised the lives of influencers are relatable, it seems fitting thatconsumers will, therefore, view the source as credible because they can relateto the influencer’s everyday life and personal experiences (Shan 2016;Djafarova and Rushworth 2018). Credibility was a keen topic among52participants when discussing relatability and leads to the next theme of thissection.4.1.2 CredibleParticipants were mixed in their responses to whether or not a social mediainfluencer is a credible source. Some participants described their inability toview the source as credible as of late;Interviewee C “No I wouldn’t, to me they are paid to say it’s great andtherefore, not credible”Interviewee G “Like So Sue Me, I think she’s now become almost acelebrity, so a lot of her stuff isn’t credible, and she lies a lot”Whereas other participants viewed influencers as highly credible;Interviewee G “Once they are relatable, you find them more credible, like,you can relate to your friends and so their credible”This participant indicated credibility of this source stemmed from her abilityto relate to an influencer, as she would her friends. However, there was amixed response in relation to whether or not an influencer is a credible source,and this could be explained by Instagram pages such as Bloggers Unveiled,which all participants mentioned they followed in the past. Bloggers Unveiledand other pages preceding it focused on calling out irresponsible or unethicalactions by bloggers and brands. Therefore, the Irish influencer marketingindustry has become more transparent as of late, which is somethingMillennials demand from brands (Fromm & Garton 2013). However, thefindings from this primary research denote that once relatability between aconsumer and a social media influencer is present, a relationship can thenform and thus, gives credibility to the source. Therefore, brands need toensure relatability is achieved between the influencer and the Millennialconsumer, so as to achieve a level of credibility. Therefore, unlike Munnukket al’s (2016) study which found that similarity is of less importance than53other aspects of an endorser, this study finds relatability between aninfluencer’s life and that of their followers is of utmost importance inachieving credibility. After all, the credibility of an endorser has been foundto increase purchase intention and impact brand attitudes by other studies(Hovland et al. 1953; Jaffari and Hunja 2017), thus emphasising theimportance of this finding for brands.The conversation around credibility brought to light its associateddimensions, trust and expertise by consumers, which is the basis of the nextsection.4.1.3 TrustIt became apparent that the trustworthiness of social media influencers amongMillennial consumers has been damaged, with some reasons outlined byparticipants.Interviewee F “I have lost trust in some of them”Interviewee D “It used to be people I follow on Instagram I did trust butlately they are switching from brand to brand and we are losing thecredibility and trust with them”These comments signified that the switching between brands by social mediainfluencers is detrimental to their trustworthiness by Millennials.Furthermore, participants indicated this type of activity by an influencercauses confusion and dislike towards a brand’s advertisement by Millennialconsumers;Interviewee D “You’re like which tan do you actually like, you’re sayingyou like B Bold one minute and then it’s the B-Perfect the next and thenyou’re like what’s going on”54As the interview process progressed another aspect to negatively affect thetrustworthiness of an influencer by participants was the size of an influencer’sfollowing.Interviewee A “I would trust them less the bigger they get because they’renot one hundred percent honest”Interviewee D “Smaller influencers are usually more trustworthycompared to those with a mass following”Subsequently, brand switching, and amassing a large following are the twoaspects that affect a social media influencer being viewed as trustworthy byparticipants. This could be explained because Millennial consumers cannotrelate to constantly switching products or having an extensive followingonline. This is explained by Chakraborty and Bhat’s (2018) and Shan’s(2016) studies which implied Millennials lose their ability to relate to theinfluencer’s experiences, thus damaging their trust towards the source.These findings indicate that firstly brands need to be more aware of theadditional brands that influencers are working with. Secondly, they need toensure the number of followers an influencer possess online, does not gobeyond the point of relatability to a more celebrity-like following and thus,impacts the trust by Millennial consumers. However, Goldsmith et al’s (2000)study of celebrity endorsers found them to be viewed as trustworthy in theeyes of consumers and participants of this study expressed certain ways for alarger influencer to be deemed trusted and credible by Millennials was sharedby participants.Interviewee F “I do if it’s someone I have heard speaking bad about aproduct because I would trust what they are saying. Where some of thepeople I follow, they never have anything bad to say about a product”55Interviewee A “If an influencer says, ‘look this tan was really bad’, I amgoing to actually think ‘she was honest in this review’ and the next time shesays the tan is good I am going to believe her”Interviewee E “Her hair changed dramatically within a few months andshe wouldn’t tell anyone about it. Then she released the product and thenyou trust it as you could see what happened to her hair” (…) “That’s whyit’s important to have someone you trust who will tell you the good and thebad of it so you’re not wasting your money”Participants showed concern for influencers allowing their followers to wastetheir money which signifies that social media influencers have an influentialpresence over the purchase intentions of Millennial consumers. However, thiscan only be effective when trustworthiness is established and to do so brandsneed to consider the following.Jain and Posavac (2011) found if endorsers are deemed credible, whichincludes trustworthiness, they are more persuasive and influential indisseminating the brand message. Therefore, this study posits that if aninfluencer appears to only share the positive aspects of the product and tonever use the product themselves, it is damaging for the message the brandsare hoping to communicate. Consequently, social media influencers shouldbe encouraged to share their real thoughts and opinions of a product orservice, good or bad, and to use the product on their platform, outside of thepromotion. By doing so they will be viewed as both credible and trustingamong Millennial consumers and avoid perceptions such as thesecommunicated by participants.Interviewee C “I think they are being paid to say great things, I just don’ttrust them”Interviewee D “I think they should be more honest with what they areselling, and people will trust you more that way”564.1.4 ExpertAll participants shared their thoughts in regard to the need for expertise whenit came to social media influencers, however fashioning a divided response.Although three respondents expressed their preference for a social mediainfluencer to be an expert of some kind, to begin with, as the conversationprogressed, and participants reflected, they proclaimed a change of stance.Interviewee F “Trustworthy more, like some of the girls I follow, they’renot experts, just your normal girl”Interviewee C “No it’s not important in summary, because they would usethe product themselves”Interviewee D “It is more important that they are trustworthy and relatablemore than an expert”Thus, in the end, all respondents agreed that the expertise of social mediainfluencers is not as important to them as trustworthiness or relatability. Infact, Interviewee A emphasised the reason for trustworthiness holding moreimportance than expertise is because;“They’re ordinary punters trying out products they’re not necessarilyhugely skilled, like, you see a makeup artist with a contour kit, you knowthey have professional skills that go behind that. Whereas I have no formalmakeup training and I am able to use a contour kit because an influencer onYouTube was like ‘oww well this is how you do it’ and I was like well you’rean ordinary Joe and I am an ordinary Joe, we have that in common”.Thus, signifying that Irish female Millennial consumers are not as concernedtowards the expertise of a social media influencer, as they are withtrustworthiness. Insinuating, similar to Munnukka et al’s (2016) study, it isbetter for an influencer to gain expertise through the use of a beauty product,in that the influencer builds his/her experience through consistent use ratherthan professional skills, so as consumers can relate and feel they too can use57the same beauty products. This gives reason for Tzoumakka et al’s (2016)finding that European consumers hold preference towards trustworthiness,whereas American consumers focus on the expertise of an endorser. Thus,participants of this study fall in line with other European consumers, in thatthey prioritise trust over expertise. This is a significant finding for brands, inthat their concentration is best spent on the trust and relatability levels of asocial media influencer, as previously emphasised, over ensuring theinfluencer is an expert within their field.4.2 Research Objective 3 Research Objective 3:To assess the impact of product match-up and the attractiveness of a socialmedia influencer from the female Millennials’ perspective.Interview Themes1. Fit2. Attractiveness 4.2.1 FitAll participants openly spoke about the need for an influencer and brand tocomplement one another.Interviewee E “If it’s paid and it fits ill like it and show a bit of interactionbecause I’ll support them and the brand”Thus, indicating when the promotion between a brand and influencer isdeemed fitting by Millennial consumers, the level of interest rises for both thebrand and influencer. Other Millennials of the study communicated what“brand-fit” means to them during the process.Interviewee D “You don’t want to be an MUA (Make-Up Artist) and beadvertising a can of Fanta and you don’t want to be a fitness guruadvertising eyeliner”58Interviewee E “Like Pippa was promoting Sally Hansen nail polish theother week. Pippa constantly gets gelish from Michelle B nails, likeridiculously constantly. Like she must have taken these off just to put SallyHansen nail polish on and then removed it two days later”Suggesting brand-fit in the eyes of Millennial consumers necessitates boththe usage of the product and the fit between the individual influence’s careeror established area of expertise and the product type. The focus on expertiseas a critical match-up measure was also emphasised in Till and Buslers’s(2000) study. Demonstrating the need for brands to ensure the influencers’area of expertise is viewed as compatible with both the product and the brand.It is important to note however, in section 4.1.4, it was denoted by participantsthat an influencer does not necessarily need to be an expert as relatability wasmore important. Therefore, it suggests that the influencer needs to be anindividual who uses the product, rather than an expert such as a make-upartist. Yet, Kamins and Gupta’s (1994) study linked the brand-fit of anendorser to how attractive the endorser became in the eyes of consumers andis the next theme of this section.4.2.2 AttractivenessAttractiveness was discussed amongst all participants and the concept ofsocial pressure was emphasised.Interviewee A “Like the commercially acceptable thing would probably be,yes, they do have to be the social standard of beauty”Interviewee E “It’s kind of the world we live in” (…) “We are more likelyto stop on a picture of an attractive person, but they still need to berelatable”Relatability, along with expertise was emphasised as more important thanattractiveness among the majority of respondents, which is contradictory toMunukka et al’s (2016) belief that attractiveness is more important than59similarity. Yet, trust was emphasised as less important than attractiveness byparticipants because;Interviewee D “If they were really ugly looking, you are not really going totrust them or follow them”Insinuating that the pressure of society to adhere to beauty ideals forMillennials means they recognise the need for an endorser to be attractive, sothey can trust their advice in relation to a beauty product. The societalpressure expressed by the respondents gives grounding to Hakim’s (2010)idea of Erotic Capital, in that women in society have expectations placed onthem. Thus, influencers are expected to use their beauty to sell a product.However, respondents also accentuated the level of importance ofattractiveness heightens when the product is attractiveness-related.Interviewee E “I think it is more for beauty products as you are looking atthem face-on”Interviewee C “As it is cosmetics then yes, it is important”The finding of increased importance given to attractiveness is similar toKamin’s (1990) study, which found attractiveness is significant for Millennialconsumers if the product is attractiveness-related, rather than any other typeof product. Considering participants’ ability to relate with the influencer,which was previously discussed, it seems fitting to assume Millennialconsumers are evaluating the level of attractiveness the influenceraccomplishes using the product as an indication of what they might achievewith the products use. Therefore, although the societal influence is a majorfactor for Millennial consumers, it seems they, as individuals, are alsoconcerned with their individual beauty or overall sex appeal and viewinfluencers as role models.Interviewee D “Someone who is naturally pretty, then yes that helps, andyou aspire to be them”60Participants expressed their interest in sex appeal and beauty of others as amotivation towards using the beauty product. Stressing Green’s (2013) viewthat Erotic Capital is merely sex appeal seems more realistic to Millennialsviewpoint. As previously discussed, Millennial consumers find influencersrelatable, suggesting they feel they can compare themselves to the source.Bringing understanding to participants concern for attractiveness rising for abeauty-related product. It can be proposed that Millennial consumers of thisstudy analyse an influencer’s attractiveness in hope of understanding the levelof sex appeal they would possess by using the product advertised. Thus, alevel of beauty is necessary to entice Millennial consumers. Yet the level ofbeauty must be deemed attenable by Millennials and therefore, brands needto ensure an appropriate level of beauty is achieved but not beyond a certainpoint.Interviewee F “If they’re extremely attractive but don’t know what they aretalking about sure then you’re just looking at a face”Interviewee D “You start thinking that they only have that followingbecause of the way they look and wouldn’t have it otherwise”As demonstrated through the interview process, Millennials concern forattractiveness reaches a certain point, where the influencer is deemedextremely attractive, which in turn damages the relatability for femaleMillennial consumers. This finding can be associated with both Bower (2001)and Sääksjarvi et al’s (2016) studies, which highlight consumers comparisonbetween themselves and highly attractive models/celebrity endorsers isdetrimental to their self-esteem.Therefore, this study proposes brands in the beauty industry need to safeguardthe perceived brand-fit between the product and the influencer. To do so it isadvised the influencer with whom they collaborate with has previously usedthe product and has a lifestyle that is relatable to their female Millennialconsumers. Along with guaranteeing a brand-fit, brands in the beauty industry61also need to consider the societal influence and that a level of attractivenessis present with the influencer yet deemed attainable by Millennial consumers.The focus on relatability and attractiveness of an influencer lead thediscussion towards false attractiveness and pretence of editing, which is thetheme of the next section.4.3 Research Objective 4 Research Objective 4:To assess the impact of photo editing by a social media influencer from thefemale Millennials’ perspective.Interview Theme1. Filters 4.3.1 FiltersThis aspect of the data is concerned with the editing of photos, be it throughPhotoshop, filters or FaceTune from the female Millennials’ perspective. Allparticipants expressed their personal use of filters and their ability torecognise an edited photo. There was an agreement among all intervieweesthat influencers are under pressure to use editing tools, but they clearlycommunicated their dislike when a social media influencer does so.Interviewee E “Completely unrealistic, I would not trust anything she saysthat is makeup related”Interviewee B “Why pretend to look a certain way”Interviewee F “Influencers I relate to don’t really use filters”Interviewee F went further by explaining the reasoning behind her dislike ofediting tools.62“If someone is trying to promote a makeup product if it’s really that good,why are they putting a filter on it”In fact, the dislike of editing images by social media influencers was foundto affect the credibility of the influencer by Millennial consumers.Interviewee C “I think it does defiantly because they are lying and showthat they look a certain way because of a product or when using it”Interviewee D “Yes because you don’t know if the product will look likethat at all”Interviewee F “Yes, its false attractiveness”This indicates that Millennial consumers are aware of the digitised beautypresented online yet, are unwilling to accept it, which can be linked with Lodaand Coleman (2010) stance that Millennials are sceptical of advertisersattempts. Yet, it became apparent that the awareness of edited images byMillennials was not always present and that they link maturity with therealisation that what an image portrayed is often times, not reality.Interviewee E “The image will have a filter on it and is airbrushed, likecome on. When I was younger I didn’t realise.”Interviewee F “Especially with younger girls, I am sure they are looking atthis sort of stuff thinking they’re going to look just as good as this influencerthat just pops on 50 filters”Overall, the impact of edited photos by influencers is damaging on theMillennial consumers’ perspective of both the influencer and the brand.Millennial consumers of this study are fully aware of the digital and physicalrealities of social media influencers. Thus, participants do not view the use offilters as merely an additional layer onto reality as proposed by Dholakia andReyes (2013). This may be explained by Moore (2012), who emphasises63Millennials are cynical digital natives, who are sceptical towards advertisingattempts and therefore, they do not believe everything they consume. It seemsMcBain’s (2018) article was correct in that consumers today are capable ofunderstanding that what they see online is only a snapshot of reality.Consequently, influencers who try to falsely mislead consumers with editedphotos, lose their credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of femaleMillennial consumers. Yet, participants clearly indicate when they wereyounger they were in a constant state of Jean Baudrillard’s (1994)hyperreality. In that they could not tell the difference between what theyconsumed online and what was reality. Thus, signifying a need for brands toconsider younger generations, who may arrive to the realisation maturity hasgiven to Millennial consumers’ and therefore, they too may begin to rejectedited images. Therefore, this study shows the need for brands in the beautyindustry to ensure that editing of photos is avoided by influencers theycollaborate with if their target audience is that of female Millennialconsumers. While also indicating the editing of images is an area for a futurestudy in relation to a younger cohort i.e. pre-millennials.The emphasis on photo editing and collaborations lead to the final themeemerging within the data collection process; collaborations.4.4 Research Objective 5 Research Objective 5:To assess the impact of sponsored content from the female Millennials’perspective.Interview Theme1. Collaborations 4.4.1 CollaborationsThe final section focused on Millennials feelings towards sponsored posts andthe associated hashtags #AD or #SP. Throughout the research process, theconcept of sponsored posts was mentioned by all respondents. With the use64of the imagination exercise described within section three, respondentsdelved into the subject, considering the benefits and drawbacks of such anadvertising technique. All participants confirmed their awareness of the newASAI standards in relation to influencer marketing and claimed to prefer theevident hashtags involved within sponsored posts because they were nowaware of what is organic and what is paid content. Participants first sharedtheir thoughts on digital advertising consumption:Interviewee E “There is so much you don’t know you are consuming”Interviewee F “sometimes I take it in and I don’t realise”This indicates that the Millennials of this study acknowledge that because oftheir intensive digital consumption habits, they are influenced by advertisingand are aware of the growth of stealth marketing because of their interest indigital versus traditional advertising (Sprague and Wells 2010). Matthes etal’s (2007) study, found if a consumer is highly involved in the content, thepersuasive attempt can impact their brand attitude subconsciously. Therefore,although the participants indicated they are being targeted without evenrealising it, they can still be impacted by the advertising attempt. In relationto Friedstad and Wright’s (1994) Persuasion Knowledge Model, this studypositions Millennial consumers as the target that are aware of the persuasiveattempts made by agents, the influencer/brand. Which may explain themajority of respondents expressed concern and scepticism towards sponsoredposts by influencers.Interviewee B “They do it out of desperation, they are greedy”Interviewee G “I am mixed with it, if they’re endorsed, are they going togive you a real review?”Interviewee C “If it was in collaboration with a brand I would assume thatthere just saying things as they are getting paid”65Thus, indicating Millennials believe sponsored posts are driven by a socialmedia influencer’s financial gain. Which in turn jeopardises their ability toappear as a credible reviewer. In fact, because of this, participants indicatedthat sponsored posts have a negative effect on how they consume the brand’sadvertisement.Interviewee D “Most of the time when I see AD or SP, I tend to startflicking past it”This participant’s statement is complementary to Ham et al’s (2015) findingsin that it demonstrates that Millennials’ persuasion knowledge is heightenedbecause of the evident hashtags now applicable to influencer marketing inIreland. All participants suggested a preference towards brands sending outtheir products to influencers seeking a review, or an influencer organicallyreviewing a product without any affiliation with a brand. Thus, this studyquestions the findings of Isaac and Grayson (2017) study that foundheightened persuasion knowledge was positively acknowledged byconsumers as, at first, the female Millennials of this study communicated theiraversion and scepticism of such attempts. Yet, some participants indicatedthat there are sponsored posts that do appeal to the Millennial generation.Interviewee E “She uses a product and won’t immediately go into a paidsponsorship, she will use it for a few months”Interviewee F “Its credible up to a point where they’re not all of a sudden‘this is the B-Perfect tan and its great’ and you’ve never heard them talkingabout it before”Considering Isaac and Grayson (2017) found that heighten persuasionknowledge has a positive outcome and Matter et al’s (2007) belief that theeffectiveness is dependent on how involved the consumer is with the content,this study indicates something different. The insights from the Millennials ofthis study propose that a sponsored post can be deemed positive but notdependent on Millennial involvement, but dependent on the involvement of66the influencer and their use of the product. Although Millennials holdscepticism towards sponsored advertising (Loda and Coleman, 2010), aninterest in the product by the influencer previous to their collaboration with abrand ensures consumers view the influencers endorsement as credible.According to Jain and Posavac’s (2001) study, a review by a credibilitysource ensures a decrease in scepticism by consumers. Therefore, it becameapparent that Millennial consumers are negotiated consumers (Hall 1973),who spend the time to evaluate the message and the source and then decideon whether or not they will accept it based on certain criteria i.e. previous use.Overall, the findings from this section illustrate that brands sending productsto influencers or an organic influencer review, are the most effective optionfor brands when indulging in influencer marketing. However, this study alsodenotes the need for brands to be cautious in how they collaborate with socialmedia influencers, ensuring they work with influencers who have previouslyused their product or service. By doing so, brands guarantee Millennialconsumers view the sponsored communication by influencers as credible,which has been found to impact purchase intention of endorsers (Jaffari andHunjra 2017).The findings and discussion within this section have brought to light a rangeof recommendations for both academia and industry, which will be presentedand summarised in the following chapter.675. Conclusion and Recommendationshe purpose of this interpretivist study was to understand therelationship between female Millennial consumers and social mediainfluencers, to give brands in the beauty industry a clearerperspective on how to best utilise the advertising source. The study hasadvanced both marketing and academia by offering insight into the world ofinfluencer marketing through the lens of the Millennial target audience. Theareas of Engagement, Relatability, Credibility, Attractiveness, Brand-Fit andSponsored Posts have all been explored to successfully propose essentialrecommendations for brands to consider when utilising this type ofadvertising source and highlighting potential avenues for future studiesaround the area.5.0 Implications for Brands5.0.1 Findings for Objective 1: To assess the importance of engagementbetween a social media influencer and female Millennial consumers.a) In relation to engagement, it was found that Millennial consumers aredivided in their interest in engaging with influencers. Althoughengagement may indicate a deeper relationship between an influencerand a highly-connected Millennial consumer, this does not necessarilymean an entertainment-seeking Millennial consumer has not achievedsome level of a relationship with an influencer. In fact, althoughengagement is an aspect a brand should consider, this study found thatif the Millennial consumer has formed a relationship, yet does notengage on the influencer’s platform, the influencer still has the abilityto influence the consumers’ purchase intention.b) Another key aspect found under this theme which is important forbrands in the beauty industry to consider was that Millennialconsumers’ view certain influencers as approachable online. It wasfound that engagement by consumers may indicate that a particularT68influencer is open and encouraging towards consumer contributions.Therefore, their followers feel comfortable in reaching out andengaging. Potentially indicating the reason engagement may beviewed as the step after a relationship has been established is becausethe consumer feels that the influencer is interested in what her/hisfollowers have to say or contribute (Pansari and Kumar 2017).5.0.2 Findings for Objective 2: To assess the impact of relatability andcredibility of a social media influencer from the female Millennials’perspective.a) Relatability was found to be a highly significant aspect of a socialmedia influencer for all of the female Millennial participants. In fact,this study proposes that social media influencers are taking the placeof celebrity endorsers because of Millennial consumers ability torelate to the source. Relatability means the Millennial consumers viewthe source as more credible, which has been found to impact purchaseintention and brand attitude by other scholars (Hovland et al. 1953;Jaffari and Hunja 2017). Thus, brands within the beauty industry needto ensure the social media influencer they choose to collaborate withis perceived to achieve two main objectives. Firstly, live a similar and attainable life to that of their Millennialtarget audience. By doing so, consumers will view the socialmedia influencers’ life as comparable to their own, which givesthe source credibility in female Millennials’ eyes. Secondly, to appear contactable and reachable by Millennialconsumers, as this is an aspect a social media influencer can offerover that of a celebrity endorser, which ensures a level ofrelatability.b) Credibility, as outlined in section 4.1.2 is made up of both trust andexpertise. Trustworthiness was found to be of utmost importance forMillennial consumers in relation to social media influencers.69Therefore, it is suggested by the Millennial consumers of this studythat brands need to: Ensure an influencer avoids switching between brands with asimilar product, which negatively impacts trustworthiness, causesdislike and confusion by Millennial consumers. Consider influencers with a smaller following as they are viewedas more relatable and therefore, more trustworthy by Millennialconsumers, as their reviews or promotions are less likely to bedriven by a brand. Guarantee when using an influencer with a larger following thattheir communication about the beauty product is both open andhonest. Therefore, the influencer needs to be able to tell both thepositive and negative aspects of a product so as to be viewed astrustworthy by Millennial consumers. The Millennial consumersemphasised the power of a negative review on their trust of theinfluencer. If a social media influencer communicates a negativereview, consumers automatically view the source as more trustingand less likely to be swayed by the financial benefits of acollaboration.c) The findings illustrated the insignificance of expertise in regard tosocial media influencers from a female Millennials’ viewpoint.Consequently, Millennials prioritise relatability and trustworthinessover expertise. Therefore, brands in the beauty industry consider aninfluencer who does not hold expertise such as a make-up artist,because female Millennial consumers want to view the product beingused by someone similar to them, so they feel they too can achievethe same tanning or beauty look.705.0.3 Findings for Objective 3: To assess the impact of product match-upand the attractiveness of a social media influencer from the femaleMillennials’ perspective.a) The participants emphasised that brands are expected to ensure theinfluencer they use fits the beauty product they are promoting. Toachieve a positive fit in the eyes of Millennial consumers, theinfluencer should be perceived as a person who would use the productnormally and whose area of interest is complementary to the productitself. Thus, using an appropriate influencer, who is deemedcompatible with the product is essential for brands in the beautyindustry.b) The recommendation around attractiveness shared by Millennialconsumers was that although relatability was found to be held inhigher regard to Millennial consumers than attractiveness, brandsneeded to ensure a level of attractiveness was present so as to achievetrust in the source and message by consumers in relation to cosmetics.Yet, as with other studies, the level of attractiveness should berelatable and attainable by female Millennial consumers so as they canvisualise the use of the product by the social media influencer assomething they too can achieve.5.0.4 Findings for Objective 4: To assess the impact of photo editing by asocial media influencer from the female Millennials’ perspective.a) Another major suggestion by the Millennial consumers of this studywas to avoid photo editing by the influencer. Their commentsexplained how this affects how trustworthy they view the influencerand the product. Generally, if a product or person needs to be edited,Millennial consumers do not trust what is being communicated.Therefore, brands in the beauty industry need to ensure the influencerwhom they chose to work with avoids the use of filter or editing toolswhen promoting a product as consumers want to view the real benefits71of the product in the image or video shared on Instagram. The findingsalso showed this rejection towards false images comes with maturityand digital usage and is discussed further in section 5.1.5.0.5 Findings for Objective 5: To assess the impact of sponsored contentfrom the female Millennials’ perspective.a) The final recommendation is that the use of #SP or #AD was noticedby this the Millennial cohort and they tend to ignore or reject themessage being communicated. However, to avoid this rejection andscepticism, the Millennial consumers indicated brands should focuson organic unpaid posts by influencers or send the product out tosocial media influencers without any obligation to review. Therefore,Millennial consumers can see the social media influencer genuinelyenjoyed the product and took their own time to present an honestreview of the product. Yet, if a brand decided to collaborate with asocial media influencer, the Millennial consumers emphasised a needfor the influencer to have used the product previous to the promotion.So as to ensure Millennial consumers view the review and promotionof the product by the influencer as honest and trustworthy.5.1 Recommendations for Future Academic Research: This the study could be replicated in other European countries, so asto explore the topic from European customer’s perspective. Countriessuch as the U.K, Italy and France, have a thriving social mediainfluencer community, yet their culture differs greatly from Ireland.Thus, bringing new insights for brands who work within thesecountries, so they understand consumers’ views and which influencermarketing campaigns will work best in each country. The Millennial consumers in this study explained that their concern inrelation to the impact of editing of images only really became apparentas they matured. Thus, highlighting a potential limitation to this study,in that its focus was the Millennial generation and therefore, did not72consider any other generational cohorts. This study could bereplicated with the group after the Millennial generation, preMillennials. It is paramount brands consider other consumergenerations in relation to social media influencers. This will giveinsight into whether there is a possibility that their digital usage isfurther ahead to that of Millennial consumers’ and therefore, brandsmight need to avoid use of edited influencer posts beyond theMillennial generation. This study considered both entertainment-seeking Millennials andhighly-connected Millennials. Emphasising a limitation to this study,in that neither one was explored fully. Consequently, a future studymay consider focusing on one or another of the Millennial segments,to fully understand the importance of engagement in relation to oneparticular segment of female Millennial consumers. Furthermore, a future study could focus on the male Millennialgeneration, to explore whether similar Millennial practices areapparent within the male Millennial cohort, in relation to engagementand social media influencers. 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Does traditional advertising attract you?2. What about digital advertising?Social Media:3. Do you use social media daily?4. What social media sites do you use?E-Wom:5. Where do you seek credible and trustworthy information about newor untested tanning or cosmetic products i.e. friends, family,influencers, celebrities?6. Would you view a Social media influencers (SMI) review as credibleor trustworthy as a friend’s or family members review? Why?Influencers:7. Do you follow social media influencers, particularly those involvedwith the beauty industry?8. What do you feel is your main drive to follow social mediainfluencers?Credibility:9. Do you view SMIs as normal everyday people like you?10. What are your thoughts on SMI’s advertising or collaborating withbrands? (Picture Probes)Trustworthiness & Expertise:11. Do you view SMIs as trustworthy?12. In your opinion, what qualities or experience would an SMI need tohave, to be viewed as an expert of cosmetics and tanning?94Brand-fit & Attractiveness:13. Is it important that the SMI and the product they are promoting seemlike a good match? (Probe Pictures)14. Does it matter how attractive a SMI is? (Relatively attractive,Conventionally, extremely?) (Picture Probes)Influence:15. Have you recently bought a product based on a SMI advertisement/collaboration or review?16. What about the SMI review, advertisement or product motivated youto make the purchase? Or not?Product Placement:17. Are you aware of the new ASAI rules in relation to #AD or #SP?18. Do you notice the #AD or #SP on posts?Hyperreality:19. Do you edit your photos on Instagram, using photoshop, FaceTune orfilters?20. Can you tell the difference between edited and unedited photos onInstagram?95Appendix 2- Table of Participants
