Influencer persona and audience engagement : an analysis of the user decision-making differences between traditional and short-video-based social media

Abstract

Social media influencer marketing, which is a new marketing method that takes on the idea of celebrity endorsement, is a growing phenomenon. The ever-increasing influence of social media as seen in society today places it as a key modern-day content-driven marketing movement. The atmosphere of different social media platforms, the persona of influencers, and the qualities of influencers' posted content are all possible factors that have an impact on the outcomes of influencer marketing. This thesis explores the following questions: Are there any differences between short-video and traditional social media platforms on the influencer persona establishment? What, if any, are the reasons for the differences regarding persona establishment from both the audiences' and the influencers' points of view? How do influencer personae affect the decision-making processes of their audiences, and are there methods that can quantify those influences? Presented in the thesis are A) The definitions and subsequent analyses of different social media platforms, influencers, personae from human-centered design, and behavioral marketing research aspects; B) Interviews and surveys of influencers and audiences on personae topics; C) Influencer-audience interaction data collections and analyses; D) The development process of a method that quantifies influencer personae evaluations.