The past 10 years have seen a huge rise in the use of social media and influencers in
marketing. Many brands, companies and organisations have begun to use both social media
and influencers to help connect with their customers. Over time, people (influencers) have
built themselves as a brand and are now employed by other brands to promote their
products, just as you would see with traditional celebrities, and now those people
(influencers) have developed a following of people who look to them for advice,
entertainment and recommendations.
The purpose of this study was to explore the effect social media and influencers have on
consumers' behaviour. The study consisted of a short questionnaire followed by 5 semistructured interviews to gain a deeper insight into participants' opinions. The results of this
study showed that brands using influencers and social media need to ensure the content
they produce feels cohesive and relevant to the brand, as well as ensure they are using the
right influencer, social media platform and content length for their target market.