How does Generation Z react to different advertising tactics used by social media influencers?

Abstract

Influencer marketing plays a key role in the world of advertising. There is little doubt that influencers wield a lot of persuasion power. The question lies in whether or not the consumers realize when influencers are filling their feeds with advertisements. This study conducted a survey to understand how Generation Z responds to different advertising disclosure tactics used by social media influencers. Specifically, this study aims to assess whether the awareness of brand sponsorships affect consumers’, specifically Generation Z’s, trust toward the social media influencer and purchase intentions of the product in the social media influencer’s post t.

Results demonstrated that Generation Z uses social media to interact with influencers, primarily through Instagram. The results indicated that as the level of parasocial interaction increased, their level of trust toward the social media influencer increased. Furthermore, the study showed that different brand sponsorship disclosure tactics impacted the level of trust and purchase intention. The findings also displayed positive associations between the feelings of parasocial interaction and trust, as well as trust and purchase intentions. Overall, the results provide new insights about how ad disclosure tactics influence Generation Z’s perception of trust and purchase intention.