Influencer Marketing in the Digital age: The Response to Authentic Creator Content

Abstract

The study aims to determine just how effective influencer marketing is in the digital age, where authenticity and intention can be conflicting factors. With the rapid development in the digital marketing age, the market cannot afford to miss out on a single piece of information considering that it is data that determines the trajectory of businesses. A total of 423 respondents have answered the survey and the data gathered were analyzed using ANOVA and regression. The findings asserted the following: (1) Among the four metrics included in this study, companies tend to choose an influencer/KOL with a good reputation and high credibility over the other influencer metrics, (2) Target customers buy, use, and recommend products of Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) who have good reputation and high credibility over the other influencer metrics, (3) Target customers buy, accept and recommend products endorsed by influencers over celebrities, (4) Among the influencer/KOL metrics, the target customers prefer reputation and credibility over other metrics, (5) reputation and credibility are significantly associated with influencer marketing, and (6) advertising disclosure, reputation and credibility, and transparency as Key Opinion Leader (KOL) metrics have all positive effect to influencer marketing.