The effectiveness of Nigerian social media influencers in promoting brands and products
Authors
Okposo, Onatobome
Issue Date
2022-05
Degree
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
Abstract
The introduction of the internet and social media has had a disruptive impact on the traditional marketing and communication sector. Influencers on social media have consequently emerged as powerful means of promoting brands and their products and services. However, the ingenuity of this mode of reaching out to consumers has been hampered by certain factors such as the prevalence of bots on social media platforms. There are limited studies on the effectiveness of Nigeria social media influencers. Moreover, the conventional means of rating the effectiveness of influencers base on the number of likes seems insufficient. Therefore, this study investigated the effectiveness of Nigerian social media influencers from multiple perspectives incorporating the dual AISAS model (Attention, Interest, Search, Action and Share) and the perception of social media users in Nigeria. Although Nigerians are faced with myriad challenges, they are avid users of social media. The study employed a quantitative approach incorporating 205 social media users, who were chosen through purposive sampling. Purposive sampling was used to ensure that the users are representative of major social media platforms in Nigeria. The questionnaire used was designed based on scales obtained from literature for measuring the variables involved, thus ensuring construct validity. Content validity was achieved through a pilot study prior to the main survey. Ethics was also considered through informed consent. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the collected data. The results generally showed that Nigerian social media influencers are not effective, based on the dual AISAS model used. From users’ perspectives, these influencers were also not credible. The implication for brands and influencers is then summarized with limitations that create opportunities for future studies.