Celebrity Contagion Maddison Bilderback, Grace Pereski, Kayla Floyd, Libby Muret, Sarah Sailors, & Raeann Kane

Research Objective

Demographic

To explore individual’s associations with celebrities through Instagram and how it impacts their view on how they value a certain item or brand(s); and to uncover the motivations behind why people are more/less persuaded to purchase items used by celebrities.

Male and Female, College Student, 20-22 Years Old, Attends University of Georgia

Interview Questions1. At the beginning of the interview, ask the participant to use words to describe themselves (their

personality, interests, etc.). Then, ask them to describe the celebrity they were following in the same way. At the end, repeat this procedure to see if anything has changed.

2. How does this celebrity’s opinion and lifestyle influence your choices?3. Tell me the story behind this picture (with brand object) 4. What attributes do you associate with this celebrity? 5. Could you explain why you choose to follow this celebrity versus other celebs?6. Think of a (or the, depending if the celebrity has a big brand they always use) brand the celebrity uses

and how do you feel about those brands?7. How was your view altered of the product/brand before and after viewing it in relation to the celebrity?8. Which of these products/brands would you consider purchasing after viewing the celebrity’s Instagram

and why?9. Was there a specific time when you bought a product only after seeing it with a celebrity and why?

What was the product? Explain to me step by step your thought process when considering and going through the purchase.

10. Projective technique; Word association: “What is the first thing that pops into your head when I say the word ___?” (words such as Jimmy Fallon, Instagram, a specific product in one of the pictures they saw, etc.)

Relevant Literature ReviewMarket Trend & Size- The brand Kurt Geiger benefited from overall positive growth (13.3%) in the fashion accessories market and strong sales of its handbags have been helped by celebrity endorsement from models.

Market Segmentation- “One third of women 18-34 say that social media is a top influencer” but active and impressionable individuals apply as well.” -Mintel

Past and Present Strategies-Easy to use websites, apps, and maintaining active on social platforms A positive effect when the number of celebrities endorsing a brand increases70% reported agree that content provided on social networks by celebrities change their behavior

Future Trends-Going mobile, email and promotions, & continued recommendations from friends and family via social media, reviews online, word-of-mouth, etc.

It is important for businesses “because social networks make up marketing’s most powerful media recommendation.”

Data Display

Trust

Quality of Brand

AdmirationWhy

people buy

celebrity endorsed products

Data Reduction Theme: TrustFound in 3 out of 6 interviews

Theme: Quality of BrandFound in 4 out of 6 interviews

Theme: AdmirationFound in 5 out of 6 interviews

Quote: “I strive to make my life like his. I want my relationships to be like the relationship between Sean Lowe and his wife. He has a lot of the same values as me.”

Quote: “Cam Newton makes it seem like Under Armour is a great product, worth the money, that it will last you longer, and help you perform better in whatever way you use it.”

Quote: “I loved her style and makeup and how she looks natural. I believed the chapstick would make me look and feel that way. I wanted to be like Audrina, so I bought things I know she bought so that I would look like her.”

Quote: ”I remembered seeing Aveno with Jennifer Aniston and she is really attractive and has good skin so I trusted it.”

Quote: A majority of celebrities wear Ray Bans and I was kind of like “if they’re wearing them then they’re good sunglasses.”

Quote: “I like how a musician is into things that matter, such as politics. It shows that she cares about things and isn’t just rich. I like that Katy Perry doesn’t take things too seriously but likes to have fun.”

Conclusion Drawing And Verification Member checking (asking others if they are drawing similar

conclusions from the research)

Cross Researcher Reliability (using codes from each interviewer to draw main themes)

Demographic TableName Age Gender Ethnicity Occupation Celebrity

Jill Davis 20 Female Caucasian Student Gigi Hadid

Taylor Scott 22 Female Caucasian Student Kylie Jenner

Meleigha Millman 20 Female Caucasian Student Kylie Jenner

Lauren Lauterbach 20 Female Caucasian Student Sean Lowe

Sam Donaghue 21 Female Caucasian Student Katy Perry

Robert Kane 22 Male CaucasianStudent/Personal Trainer

Cameron Newton

Informant Example

Male discussing objects in Instagram Post

His Watch

Recommendations Who? Recommendation

Celebrities Tag the brands in the actual picture or in the caption so buyers can easily notice them

Celebrities Frame their instagram in a way that the brands stand out more in pictures

Researchers Conduct focus groups to further examine the correlation between the three factors

Researchers Find out which celebrities have the most social media engagement and interview their followers to collect further data

Instagram Create a “buy” option on pictures with brands

Conclusion Visual ModelConsumer

values brand/product based on their

view of the celebrityProduct(s) a

celebrity associates

with through their Instagram

Ease brand identification

Celebrities with high

engagement add value to

brands

Influenced purchasing decisions

Positive view of brand/product quality when

consumer admires a celebrity

Hypothesis: If celebrities endorse products in an attractive manner on Instagram, then followers of those certain individuals are more likely to purchase those pictured objects.

Testing Method: Individual Surveys

Purpose: The purpose for conducting a follow-up study using quantitative research is to uncover the correlation between product sales and celebrity endorsements on Instagram.

LimitationsGiven an unlimited budget: (1) Increase the sample size

Given more time: (1) Increase the sample size (2) Interview more males (3) Increase the time of each interview, ask more questions and follow up