Instagram: Enhancing Communication & Marketing With Social Media - Research Paper

Introduction

Instagram is a social media networking app for smartphones. The app allows people to share pictures and videos by just a click (Nugraha, Kusumawardani, & Octavianie, 2018). Instagram, just like other social media apps, for instance, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and LinkedIn, among others, allow interactivity among users and enhances both long-distance communication and short distance communication. Social media platforms have also become a hub of marketing activities as well as sources of knowledge to the users. This research essay aims at finding out whether Instagram plays a role in consumer behavior through celebrity endorsed products.

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Background Information

With the internet and the technology of smartphones, social media platforms have had a significant influence on human life and especially in the socialization aspects. Smartphone technology has brought about tremendous contributions to the field of sales and marketing. Besides just sharing pictures with catchy captions, Instagram has also shown great strengths in the world of sales and marketing (Nugraha, Kusumawardani, & Octavianie, 2018). Users no longer use it only to publicize themselves and show off their beauty, intelligent users and marketers also use it as an advertising platform. Producers have actively engaged Instagram and utilized its huge population, usage, and fellowship to reach their potential buyers and customers.

With the number of users growing each day, Instagram has been said to be among the most used platform with a membership close to one billion. As opposed to other social media platforms, Instagram does not only allow the posting of pictures and videos but also allows users to edit and add filters and other effects to both the videos and images, thus making them look prettier and more exciting than when posted raw.

With the ability to edit both the videos and the pictures, Instagram users do not need to carry big cameras and machines to shoot and edit their works but can easily use the buttons and the manipulations of the platform to make the images pleasant (Nugraha, 2017). Besides sharing the cute pictures and videos of people, marketers have also capitalized on the strengths of this app. They have successfully carried out their marketing activities through advertising, which has provided them with a significant change and new approaches in sells and marketing, thus accruing them higher profits. The platform is no longer used only as a fun site but also as a channel that connects brands with customers and other potential buyers.

Aim of the Project

• The project aims at establishing the assertion that Instagram has played an influence on consumer behavior through celebrity endorsed products.
• The research essay also intends to find out how celebrity endorsements influence consumer purchases and preferences.
• The paper also aims at finding out the importance of Instagram and the role it has played in marketing.
• The research paper will examine the effectiveness of celebrity endorsements in influencing new purchases and consumptions.
• The research will also examine other possible effects of Instagram use on both the consumers and the producers.

Value of Research

The research will objectively consider the various aspects of Instagram advertising while ensuring that the information gathered if honest. The study will also keep strict adherence to the integrity part of researches by ensuring that there is honesty in collecting and using of the information gathered, the research will also ensure that there are openness and integrity in discussing the findings and ensure that there is accountability in the research findings

Purpose and Objectives of the Study

• The research aims at finding out factors that influence buying behaviors
• The research also is interested in finding out how Instagram celebrity endorsement affects advertising.
• The research will also examine the type of goods and services that Instagram celebrity endorsement is most commonly used.
• The study also aims at finding out the positive and negative impacts of Instagram celebrity endorsement on brands

In response to whether Instagram celebrity endorsement on products influences consumer behavior, it has in many ways influenced consumer behaviors, to begin with, celebrities are a form of authority in the social media platform as most social media standards seem to be set by them (Kang, 2018). Given that they are the pacemakers, using the celebrities on Instagram to endorse a product gives the product a taste of class, thus sending the message that the brand is the best that anyone who wants to stand out should go for. In this manner, then more consumers will opt to buy these brands.

Given that Instagram is mostly used by teenagers, celebrity endorsements are very appealing to then as most of them are followers and supporters of these celebrities. As part of being a fan, teenagers are curious to know every bit of information on the celebrities' lifestyles, choices of brands, and preferences (Nugraha, 2017). Using a personality liked by many in Instagram endorsement thus is a plus to the sales and marketing strategy.

Instagram pictures and videos are very appealing and had to ignore since they are posted after thorough vetting. The ability to edit the images and videos before posting also works best in setting a class. Most Instagram pictures and videos are hyped and showoffs of people at expensive places (Phua, Lin, & Lim, 2018). Life is presented as fun. Celebrities command a more considerable following, and as a result, by using them in approving the use of certain products, a higher population is reached. Besides enhancing deeper market penetration, the use of celebrities in Instagram adverts communicates some message of class. People view stars as individuals who have achieved in life; they are believed to be people who use quality items and of a higher class than ordinary citizens. With such a perception and from the above assumptions, it is then arguably right to think that by using these celebrities in the adverts, more buyers and customers will opt to buy the same goods believing that the items are of class.

Value of the Research to Society

Having known the strengths of Instagram celebrity endorsement on brands, the knowledge will, in many ways, help both the buyers and the producers in several ways. First, the producers can establish whether celebrity endorsement has contributed to more demand for their brands (Nugraha, 2017). The knowledge is crucial in sales and marketing and especially to the producers since the realization of this fact adds to their understanding of the best-selling strategies.

The research also helps the advertisers to study the current trends in advertising and work on strengthening their advertising techniques to remain relevant and appealing to producers who will then have a preference for their services. Advertising is about creating appeal and demand among potential buyers and customers (Nugraha, Kusumawardani, & Octavianie, 2018). With the right advertising knowledge, it is then possible to know how to generate demand and appeal.

Manufacturers and producers will use the knowledge to understand the consumer traits and market trends to tailor suit their products and services to meet the demands of their consumers. Market demand is dynamic and requires that both the producers, manufacturers, sellers and buyers understand the various traits to remain relevant.

The knowledge will also help producers and manufactures to cope up with the competition. Globalization has dramatically influenced businesses and trade in general. Production is no longer about only satisfying the local demands but also to get preference in the international market (Kang, 2018). As a result, producers can learn the new dynamics of the business world and apply the skills to remain in operation for as long as it is going to work for them.

With the Instagram celebrity endorsement knowledge, the producers will not only be challenged to learn about the newest market trends but also to produce quality to meet the needs of the market created. As a result, consumers and buyers will have better goods and services provision. Better products and services satisfy the ever-changing needs of consumers and create more demand. With improved goods and services, consumers find value for their money.

Also, the knowledge on Instagram advertising gives another perspective on how the social media platform can be used to create value and make money. The experience is crucial and essential, especially with the rate of joblessness (Phua, Lin, & Lim, 2018). Through the knowledge, the teenagers who form the highest number of users of Instagram will find more value and create a source of income for them. Advertisers also prefer using the social media pages of people with the highest following as they assume that with the huge following, they will penetrate and access more buyers and create awareness for many people.

Conclusion

The advancements in technology have indeed contributed significantly to current developments in both human lives and the world of business. Smartphone technology has brought about significant improvements in human life and enhanced access to many services (Kang, 2018). Social media platforms have been actively used to enhance human interactions and facilitate faster sending and reception of messages, thus enhancing communication. The technology has also brought about more discoveries; for instance, most social media platforms have been a discovery of the advancements in technology. Instagram, for example, was created in 2010 with few features, but with time more improvements have been made to the app to accommodate more operations. The many activities have attached more utility to the app and as a result, contributed significantly to the world of business and advertising.

References

Kang, J. (2018). The Effect of Ad Skepticism and Celebrity Preference on Brand Attitude Change in Celebrity-Endorsed Advertising. Japanese Psychological Research. doi:10.1111/jpr.12242

Nugraha, R. (2017). The Influence Of Celebrity Endorsement In Instagram Towards Customer Behavior And Purchase Intention In Healthy Food Diet Business. doi:10.31227/osf.io/ug6at

Nugraha, R., Kusumawardani, K. A., & Octavianie, V. (2018). The Influence of Celebrity Endorsement in Instagram towards Customer Behavior and Purchase Intention in Healthy Food Diet Business. Firm Journal of Management Studies, 3(2). doi:10.33021/firm.v3i2.476

Phua, J., Lin, J. (., & Lim, D. J. (2018). Understanding consumer engagement with celebrity-endorsed E-Cigarette advertising on instagram. Computers in Human Behavior, 84, 93-102. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2018.02.031