An exploratory study on the increasing influence of social media on consumer's perception and event motivation.

Abstract

This research was undertaken to explore the effects that the rapid growth of social media has had in the last decade and what influence this has on the consumer's decision-making process. Focusing primarily on the impact this has on attendance at festivals in the UK. The research sought to identify the motivation for attending music events in the UK and if the motives have changed since the first Glastonbury festival in 1970. It also explores the benefits and flaws of an organisation using social media, in order to communicate and advertise to consumers. A literature review was undertaken to highlight what past research has shown and areas requiring further development. Secondly, primary research was conducted in the form of mixed method as this was deemed most appropriate for the study. A questionnaire was used to gather information from social media users and two interviews were carried out to achieve a more in-depth analysis. The main findings found that organisers should be using social media as a way of communicating and advertising to past and potential future attendees, as the younger generation (Generation Y) use social media as their main communication process. However, organisers should also spend time understanding the negative effects of consumers being able to openly communicate with each other. One of their main hurdles is being able to dilute the perception of what others read online. Throughout the study it was made apparent that social media is not a trend and instead many see it as the biggest shift since the industrial revolution. Social media has gained great success it such a short period of time and will only continue to develop, therefore festival organisers in the UK need to analyse this and learn to use it to their advantage.