Social media influencers & consumer trust in the UAE€¦ · Content Popularity of SM in the UAE...
Transcript of Social media influencers & consumer trust in the UAE€¦ · Content Popularity of SM in the UAE...
Social media influencers & consumer trust in the UAE
Gaelle Duthler & Ganga Dhanesh
College of Communication and Media Sciences
Zayed University
Content
Popularity of SM in the UAE
Effectiveness of influencers
Credibility and celebrity
endorsement
Parasocial interaction and
influencers
Influencers and disclosure of
paid endorsement
Disclosure and consumers’ persuasion knowledge
Disclosure and influencer-
public-relationship
Research questions
MethodsPreliminary
insights
Popularity of Social Media in the UAE
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WhatsApp Facebook Instagram Snapchat Twitter YouTube FB
Messenger
LinkedIn Line Viber Skype Google
chat/hangout
Don’t use
social media
Dennis, E.E., Martin, J.D., & Wood, R. (2017). Media use in the Middle East, 2017: A seven-nation survey.
Northwestern University in Qatar. Retrieved from www.mideastmedia.org/survey/2017
Type of content sent, shared or posted
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20.00%
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Dennis, E.E., Martin, J.D., & Wood, R. (2017). Media use in the Middle East, 2017: A seven-nation survey.
Northwestern University in Qatar. Retrieved from www.mideastmedia.org/survey/2017
Reasons to use Social Media
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Communicate directly with specific
individuals or groups
Get news about current events Share news about current events Get entertainment content Share entertainment
Facebook WhatsApp Twitter Instagram Snapchat YouTube
Dennis, E.E., Martin, J.D., & Wood, R. (2017). Media use in the Middle East, 2017: A seven-nation survey.
Northwestern University in Qatar. Retrieved from www.mideastmedia.org/survey/2017
Effectiveness of Influencers
83% trust recommendations from friends and family
•83% of these take action on these opinions
66% online trust recommendations from consumer opinions
•69% of these take action on these opinions
Consumers in the MENA region have highest level
of trust of consumer opinions posted online
Influencers are most effective in raising brand awareness compared to generating sales lead or
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Credibility and celebrity endorsement
Attractiveness
ExpertiseTrustworthiness
Parasocial Interaction (PSI) and Influencers• Parasocial interaction: expressing
interpersonal affinity for mass mediated personalities
• Celebrities seek liking, intimacy, and credibility from their social media followers
• PSI helps build consumer trust and loyalty toward a brand by promoting a lifestyle
Need to post frequently
Postings may enhance credibility
Influencers and disclosure of paid content
FTC’s Endorsement Guides: Truth-in-advertising and
Disclosure; offers updated guidance for influencers
and marketers
International Consumer Protection and
Enforcement Network (ICPEN) Guidelines for
Digital Influencers
Oct 2017: Facebook announced updated
advertising transparency and authenticity efforts
FTC’s first law enforcement action against individual online influencers for their role in misleading practices
Dear Influencer,
…emails from FTC to social media influencers
Disclosure and consumers’ persuasion knowledge
• Persuasion knowledge model (PKM) (Friestad and Wright 1994): Refers to consumers’ knowledge and beliefs about what strategies marketers use to persuade them and how they deal with these strategies such as through heightened skepticism, resistance, and counter arguing
Disclosure affects…
Ad recognition (cognitive persuasion)
1Distrust towards the ad/brand (attitudinal persuasion)
2Purchase intention
3Online sharing intention
4Credibility perceptions
5
Disclosure and influencer-public-relationship
Trust
Commitment
Satisfaction
Control mutuality
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Trust in social media advertising varies across regions
Asia, Latin America, Africa
Europe & US
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Research questions
Are social media consumers in the UAE aware that many influencers promote content/brands they are paid for?
What is the impact of such non-disclosure of paid content on the trust of social media users in the UAE?
Would UAE consumers prefer that paid content be voluntarily be communicated by influencers?
What difference would the impact of voluntary disclosure of paid content by brands and social media influencers be on consumers and their trust in advertising and branding?
Do social media users understand when a post is sponsored, like they would with internet, radio and television advertising?
Do social media users expect social media influencers to clearly state when content is financially sponsored?
Research model
Awareness of paid content
Ad recognitionInfluencer-
Public Relationship
Behavioral intentions (purchase intention, eWOM)
Methods
Surveys – general population,
Instagram users (ongoing)
Focus groups –general population,
Instagram users (Spring 2018)
Experiments –Instagram users
(Spring 2018)
Pilot study Surveyed only 45 people
93% female
74% between the age of 18-24
Fouz Al Fahad was the most named social media personality
18% follow influencers on Instagram
38% follow influencers on Snapchat
13% follow the same influencer on multiple social media (mainly Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube)
Are social media consumers aware that many influencers promote content/brands they are paid for?
Consumers are aware
76% know that these social media personalities receive payments for endorsing a product or service
80% agree that these endorsements are paid advertising
78.3% are aware that social media personalities are paid to endorse certain brands and products
Do social media users understand when a post is sponsored, like they would with internet, radio and television advertising?
• YES
• 74.3% can tell when a social media personality is paid to endorse a certain brand or product or not
Would UAE consumers prefer that paid content be voluntarily be communicated by influencers?
• YES
• 78.3% would prefer for social media personalities to disclose when they are paid to advertise a product or brand
Do social media users expect social media influencers to clearly state when content is financially sponsored?
56.7% expect influencers to disclose when they are paid to advertise a product
What relationship exists between voluntary disclosure of paid content by social media influencers and consumers’ trust in the influencer?
Trust was not related to consumers’
expectation of disclosure by influencers
What relationship exists between consumers’ trust in the influencer and behavioral outcomes?
Trust was related to how much consumers were willing to try the brands endorsed by the influencers
01Trust was related to how much consumers were willing to talk to others about the brand
02Trust was not related to how much consumers were willing to buy the products/services or willing to share posts and opinions
03
Main study: The model
Awareness of paid content
Ad recognition
Influencer-Public
Relationship
Behavioral intentions (purchase intention, eWOM)
Thank you