INFLUENCER MARKETING AND ITS IMPACT ON THE BUYING CULTURE OF LEARNED YOUTH IN BENIN CITY

ABSTRACT

Influencer marketing has risen to be the new trend in the business and marketing world and is considered to be a sure way for organisations to build, sustain and maintain their image and at the same time boosted the sales of the organisations product. This study reviews the topic “Influencer Marketing and its Impact on Learned Youth in Benin City”. The objectives of this study are to find out the level of learned youth exposure to products marketed by influencers, to identify the media learned youth had access to the products been marketed by influencers, to identify learned youth perception on the use of influencers in marketing of products, promoting brand loyalty, and encouraging brand recall among youth, and to determine if authenticity and trustworthiness of the influencers is a major factor that impacts the effectiveness of influencer marketing on youth. The study made use of the survey research method using the multistage sampling technique where the Disproportionate Stratified and Accidental sampling

Techniques were used to draw a sample size of 396 students in the University of Benin City, Edo state, with an 18-item questionnaire as the research instrument. The study was anchored on the Yale’s Persuasion and Source Credibility theories which state that it is not only the media that has the ultimate impact on individual and personal choices and decisions but that personal preferences and group affiliations determine what people choose to be exposed to and how it impacts their choices. Findings from this study indicated that most learned youth are exposed to influencer marketing. Also influencer marketing has encouraged buying culture of learned youth and increased brand loyalty and recall among learned youth. Finally, one major recommendation provided by this study is that organisations should venture more into influencer marketing as it is greatly considered to be a winning tool for their organisation, but not without ensuring that there is proper evaluation of the influencers must have good credibility and large following, as well as use the proper medium that appeals more to their target audience, for fast response to their campaigns.