‘Trust’ and ‘perceived authenticity’ in social media driven influencer marketing and their influence on intentions-to-buy of 18-24-year-olds in Ireland

Abstract

In the recent years, we have experienced a completely new form of brand communication: Influencer Marketing. Besides, companies are facing digital natives who do not correspond to the traditional ways of marketing. The characteristics of generation Z reveal that they are avid Social Media users and are less likely to build up brand loyalty because they prefer to trust authentic sources. A new conceptual model has been developed, examining the factors of Perceived Authenticity and Trust in Social Driven Influencer Marketing and their influence on the intention to buy. These considerations are following a thorough literature review where relevant literature on Influencer Driven Marketing, generation Z and the key variables Trust, Perceived Authenticity and Intention to Buy is discussed. Finally, the model was tested with the data emerged from a survey of people aged 18-24. The results of this dissertation show that Perceived Authenticity plays a key role and has a direct effect on the Intention to buy. In turn, PA has an effect on Trust which can be considered as positive. Moreover, Trust and its influence on Intention to Buy is also considered as a contributory factor. At the end of the paper, the findings are discussed, conclusions are drawn, and recommendations for future research are given.