IMTC Best Thesis Final: "Post it, Like it, Share it, ... and Profit?"
Type
conference contribution
Date Issued
2025-01-23
Author(s)
Abstract
The presentation was about the research findings of the Disseration "Post it, Like it, Shar it - and Profit?" which is focussing about Social Media Influencers.
Abstract: In the context of various behavioral and consumer theories, the digital transformation with its increased use of social networks, is significantly changing communication and interaction processes, sender-receiver structures, and decision-making mechanisms in modern society. These developments in recent years have led to substantially scaling the classical effects through word-of-mouth. Simple users used social networks to create user-generated content, generating reach that previously could only be achieved through traditional media. Therefore, they increasingly provide opinions and recommendations on a commercial basis as well. This has given rise to the phenomenon of influencer marketing. The topic still needs to be researched in depth, especially in tourism decisions. However, numerous questions of efficiency and influencing factors arise for destination management organizations, marketers, and the research community. This research addresses these issues and brings novel insights into this debate. Applying the positivist stimulus-organism-response-model, adapted by people-related and environmental contextual factors regarding the impact of digitalization and eWOM, a modern research approach is chosen to further explain the influence of social media influencers (SMI) and their communication on their recipients in the context of tourism research to identify sufficient or necessary influence conditions. The modus operandi here comprises a multi-stage research design. In the beginning, a detailed literary analysis of the current state of research on the influence of social media in marketing and behavioral research is conducted. An examination of the status quo specifically in the tourism sector follows to highlight parallels and divergences due to different decision-making mechanisms. Based on this, exemplary identified influencing factors, such as the recognition of advertisements and the number of followers, are validated with an experimental study from the user perspective. Finally, this combined approach helps to address the complexity of the question in the field of tourism decision-making, to derive recommendations for action in the young research field as well as in practice, and to highlight additional potential research opportunities. Results of the literature review, the first main block, show that there are still no satisfactory answers regarding contextual influences of SMI in tourism. and also the phenomenon of persuasion in the SMI context could not be finally explained. Especially in the tourism context, several research gaps have been identified. The aim of this research work is to present the current situation of SMI in tourism, to outline contextual variables that determine SMI as influential, and to identify numerous potential further research gaps around SMI. Based on the current state of research on the influence of SMI on their recipients, the empirical part of this paper builds on an experimental 2x3-between-subject design. As a result, it was shown that advertising recognition and purchase intention exhibit an inverse, full-serial mediation effect between the dis-closure of the sponsorship and the supported purchase decision. Additionally, the number of followers exerts an influence on the perception of SMI and a small one on advertising recognition. However, an influence on the purchase intention could not be found in this context. These novel results guide future research efforts and help marketers to design effective SMI marketing campaigns that support future sales and marketing practices as well as to evaluate innovative business models for SMI usage. For the tourism context, this approach was one of the first successful attempts in this relatively young research field to demonstrate the effects of SMI categorizations and sponsorship disclosures beyond traditional operationalizations, such as brand attitudes and purchase intentions.
Abstract: In the context of various behavioral and consumer theories, the digital transformation with its increased use of social networks, is significantly changing communication and interaction processes, sender-receiver structures, and decision-making mechanisms in modern society. These developments in recent years have led to substantially scaling the classical effects through word-of-mouth. Simple users used social networks to create user-generated content, generating reach that previously could only be achieved through traditional media. Therefore, they increasingly provide opinions and recommendations on a commercial basis as well. This has given rise to the phenomenon of influencer marketing. The topic still needs to be researched in depth, especially in tourism decisions. However, numerous questions of efficiency and influencing factors arise for destination management organizations, marketers, and the research community. This research addresses these issues and brings novel insights into this debate. Applying the positivist stimulus-organism-response-model, adapted by people-related and environmental contextual factors regarding the impact of digitalization and eWOM, a modern research approach is chosen to further explain the influence of social media influencers (SMI) and their communication on their recipients in the context of tourism research to identify sufficient or necessary influence conditions. The modus operandi here comprises a multi-stage research design. In the beginning, a detailed literary analysis of the current state of research on the influence of social media in marketing and behavioral research is conducted. An examination of the status quo specifically in the tourism sector follows to highlight parallels and divergences due to different decision-making mechanisms. Based on this, exemplary identified influencing factors, such as the recognition of advertisements and the number of followers, are validated with an experimental study from the user perspective. Finally, this combined approach helps to address the complexity of the question in the field of tourism decision-making, to derive recommendations for action in the young research field as well as in practice, and to highlight additional potential research opportunities. Results of the literature review, the first main block, show that there are still no satisfactory answers regarding contextual influences of SMI in tourism. and also the phenomenon of persuasion in the SMI context could not be finally explained. Especially in the tourism context, several research gaps have been identified. The aim of this research work is to present the current situation of SMI in tourism, to outline contextual variables that determine SMI as influential, and to identify numerous potential further research gaps around SMI. Based on the current state of research on the influence of SMI on their recipients, the empirical part of this paper builds on an experimental 2x3-between-subject design. As a result, it was shown that advertising recognition and purchase intention exhibit an inverse, full-serial mediation effect between the dis-closure of the sponsorship and the supported purchase decision. Additionally, the number of followers exerts an influence on the perception of SMI and a small one on advertising recognition. However, an influence on the purchase intention could not be found in this context. These novel results guide future research efforts and help marketers to design effective SMI marketing campaigns that support future sales and marketing practices as well as to evaluate innovative business models for SMI usage. For the tourism context, this approach was one of the first successful attempts in this relatively young research field to demonstrate the effects of SMI categorizations and sponsorship disclosures beyond traditional operationalizations, such as brand attitudes and purchase intentions.
Language
English (United States)
Keywords
Social Media Influencer Marketing
Consumer Behaviour
Experimental Designs
Content Creator
SMI
Event Title
International Marketing Trends Conference
Event Location
Venice - San Servolo
Event Date
23.01.-25.01.2025
Subject(s)