Social media marketing: The relationship between sponsorship disclosure and consumer’s purchaseintention with the effects of product match-up

Abstract

Over the years, marketing techniques have changed and been adapted to fit the population’s receptiveness. In the last decade, the emergence of social media influencers has turned into a massively profitable business and has shifted marketing strategies. The use of influencer marketing has blurred the limits of organic and editorial content, making it harder for social media users and potential customers to recognize persuasion attempts in the influencers’ endorsement. The dilemma of disclosure is not only related to ethics in the context of the Consumers Protection Act but also to strategies, performances, and purchase intention index for brands and influencers to be more efficient creating of successful endorsements. The comprehension of consumer behavior and attitudes toward the ad is crucial to setting up marketing strategies and increasing sales. This study aims to acquire knowledge on the dynamics leading to purchase intention from the presentation of sponsored content, ad recognition, and consumers attitudes and evaluate the role of the product influencer fit. A quantitative approach was used to operationalize this study and a sample of 182 participants, aged between 18 and 54 years old , who use social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok and follow SMIs, was collected through an online questionnaire. The final results indicate that a standardized and familiar type of disclosure positively activates the recognition of advertisement and leads to positive attitudes toward the ad from the consumers. The product congruence with the influencer was proven to meliorate consumers’ attitudes and purchase intention and moderate the relationship between the constructs. However, the recognition of advertising showed a decrease in purchase intention mediated by consumers’ attitudinal persuasion knowledge.