Instagram influencers and the 18–24-year-old demographic, a qualitative study in the Scottish commercial scene

Abstract

Whilst academics and practitioners within the industry tend to agree on Instagram influencers being an intermediary between marketers and Generation Z consumers, there is a lack of research into how this digitally native demographic respond to such advertising. This dissertation studies the consumer perspective of Instagram influencer marketing on the 18-24-year-old demographic, ultimately suggesting that elements of credibility, relatability and effectiveness have an impact on their consumer behaviour. To achieve these findings, focus group studies on this demographic in the Scottish commercial scene were used alongside previous literature with the field to help achieve the research objectives. The findings of this study further suggest that Generation Z consumers may find television advertising formats more engaging than Instagram influencer content. Although this may be the case, findings illustrated that the study demographic tend to neglect commercial television channels with the rise in popularity of streaming services such as Netflix. Whilst this data proposes the difficulty of reaching this demographic, this study highlighted an opportunity of Instagram influencer marketing potentially being of most appropriate fit for marketers of fashion brands.