The influence of disclosed sponsored
versus non-disclosded Instagram
posts on e-loyalty towards the
influencer and brand: The interaction
effect of brand credibility.
Goal
of
the
research
This research aims to examine the extent to which
a disclosed versus non-disclosed sponsored
Introduction
Social media is becoming more prominent within
the marketing field
(Sokolova & Kefi, forthcoming).
Instagram has grown with 20% over the last year
(Oosterveer, 2019).
There must be a logical link between the influencer
and the brand
(Uzunoğlu & Kip, 2014).
When a brand uses influencer marketing, it will
Introduction
Brand credibility is not only important because it
has a direct effect on e-loyalty
(e.g., Sweeney & Swait, 2008; Alam, Arshad & Shabbir, 2012; Ghorban & Tahernejad, 2012).
The more transparent a brand is, the higher the
brand credibility will be perceived by its
consumers
(Kang & Hustvedt, 2013).
If there is congruency between the different
Conceptual model
DV’s: E-loyalty towards the influencer/brand
the intention, behavior, and attitude the
consumer has towards a brand and towards the influencer (Alfonzan, de Groot, Shields & Meeren,
forthcoming).
IV: Sponsored Instagram post disclosed versus non-disclosed
with disclosure, the sponsorship becomes
transparent (De Veirman & Hudders, 2019).
Moderator: Brand credibility high versus low
the more transparent a brand is, the higher the
Method
2 (sponsorship: disclosed vs. non-disclosed) x 2 (brand
credibility: high vs. low) between-subject experimental design
Questionnaire via Qualtrics
N=187
Two pretests
Pretests
Pretest 1 | Aimed to choose an appropriate brand Low involvement products
Existing brands
Dutch and international brands Well known brand by population
Pretest 2 | Aimed to choose an appropriate influencer Photos of both men and women
Existing photos
“I know the person in the photo” Realistic influencer
Results | H1a & H1b
H1a: A disclosed sponsored Instagram post will lead to more e-loyalty towards the influencer than a non-disclosed
sponsored Instagram post. = Not supported
H1b: A disclosed sponsored Instagram post will lead to more e-loyalty towards the brand than a non-disclosed sponsored Instagram post. = Not supported
Disclosures are just a small part of transparency
People either way think it is sponsored due to brand name Unsuccessful manipulation of sponsorship disclosure
Contribution: Sponsorship disclosure has no effect on the e-loyalty towards the influencer and brand.
2,64 2,19 2,6 2,09 0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3
Results | H2
H2: A high brand credibility will lead to more e-loyalty
towards the influencer when including a disclosed rather than a non-disclosed sponsored Instagram post (Hypo 2a), and low brand credibility will lead to less e-loyalty towards the influencer when including non-disclosed rather than a disclosed sponsored Instagram post (Hypo 2b). = Not supported
Not enough transparency to mitigate feelings of persuasion Unsuccessful manipulation of sponsorship disclosure
Contribution: Brand credibility (high vs. low) does not have
a moderating effect on sponsorship disclosure à e-loyalty towards the influencer
2,35 2,2 1,97 1,96 0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3
Disclosed sponsorshp Non-disclosed sponsorship
E -loy alty towa rd s the in flu en ce r
Results | H3
H3: A high brand credibility will lead to more e-loyalty
towards the brand when including a disclosed rather than a non-disclosed sponsored Instagram post (Hypo 3a), and low brand credibility will lead to less e-loyalty towards the brand when including non-disclosed rather than a disclosed
sponsored Instagram post (Hypo 3b). = Not supported
Not enough transparency to mitigate feelings of persuasion Unsuccessful manipulation of sponsorship disclosure
Contribution: Brand credibility (high vs. low) does not have
a moderating effect on sponsorship disclosure e-loyalty towards the influencer
2,85 2,74 2,35 2,45 0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3
Disclosed sponsorshp Non-disclosed sponsorship
E -lo ya lt y to w ar d t h e b ra n d
Results | Further Analysis
A Instagram post featuring a high credible brand will lead to more e-loyalty towards the influencer and brand than a low credible brand.
Direct effect between brand credibility and loyalty highly investigated and established (e.g., Sweeney & Swait, 2008; Alam, Arshad & Shabbir, 2012; Ghorban & Tahernejad, 2012).
Contribution: the effect of brand credibility is stronger towards the e-loyalty towards the brand than the e-loyalty towards the influencer.
2,28 2,8 1,96 2,4 0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3
Limitations
Unsuccessful manipulation of sponsorship disclosureLength of the main questionnaire
Future Research
Does disclosure increase feelings of persuasion?