A STUDY ON THE PERSUASIVENESS OF MALE INFLUENCERS ON MALE FOLLOWERS IN SWEDEN - DIVA
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FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND BUSINESS STUDIES
Department of Business and Economics Studies
A Study on the persuasiveness of male
influencers on male followers in Sweden
Pontus Henriksson & Karl Pålsson
June, 2021
Student thesis, Master degree (one year),15 Credits
Business Administration
Master Programme in Business Administration (MBA): Business Management
Supervisor: Katarina Arbin
Examiner: Ehsanul Huda Chowdhury
Abstract Since influencer marketing is a relatively new term, there is a scarce theoretical foundation investigating the subject. Previous research has mainly focused on identifying female followers' behavior and how they are persuaded, fewer studies are on male followers and the ability of male influencers to influence their followers. Therefore this master thesis aims to investigate if and how male influencers persuade their male followers. Aim: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if and in that case how male followers are influenced by the persuasiveness of male influencers. Method: Based on the literature review, a theoretical framework is proposed to accomplish the aim of the thesis. For the empirical evidence, a qualitative approach was taken, with the help of ten online based interviews. Furthermore, the content analysis method was used for the analysis of the collected data. Results & Conclusions: The results of the study provide evidence that followers of these influencers are persuaded by influencers, and they are persuaded by influencers on two main factors, authority and likeability. Suggestions for future research: As a suggestion for future research we suggest someone to research more in depth with more interviews carried out. Also, more research is needed on persuasion over male followers +35 years old and how persuasiveness of an influencer is influencing in different industries. Contribution of the thesis: This research study contributes with knowledge on male influencers and male followers and especially with knowledge on how male followers are persuaded by male influencers. This research findings contributes to the theoretical framework by showing that social media influencers, influences its followers on two main factors, likability and authority. Furthermore, influencers can use this study to enhance their persuasive power and it provides a good understanding of the mechanisms that are influencing the persuasive power. Keywords: Digital marketing, Social media, Influencers, Persuasion, Purchase- intention
Acknowledgements We would like to thank all who supported and contributed to the process of writing this thesis paper. We would like to give a big thank you to our supervisor Katarina Arbin and our examiner Professor Ehsanul Huda Chowdhury. They have provided us with great guidance and valuable support throughout the entire thesis period. Moreover, we would like to thank all who participated in our survey and friends, who have provided us with their experience and valuable data for this research project. We appreciate their participation and support which have been significant for this project. Karl Pålsson 2020-06-03: Pontus Henriksson 2020-06-03: ……………………….. ……………………………
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Background .................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Problem formulation ........................................................................................................ 2
1.3 Purpose of the study and research questions .................................................................... 4
1.4 Delimitation ...................................................................................................................... 4
1.5 Disposition ....................................................................................................................... 5
2. Literature Review ................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Social Media ..................................................................................................................... 7
2.1.1 Instagram ................................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Influencer Marketing ........................................................................................................ 8
2.2.1 Social Media Influencer Definition ........................................................................... 8
2.2.2 Opinion leadership & Parasocial relationship ........................................................... 8
2.2.3 Opinion Leadership ................................................................................................... 9
2.2.4 Parasocial Relationship ........................................................................................... 10
2.3 Persuasion....................................................................................................................... 10
2.3.1 Cialdini's principles of influence ............................................................................. 11
2.4 Purchase intention .......................................................................................................... 14
2.5 Summary of theoretical framework ................................................................................ 15
3. Method ................................................................................................................................. 16
3.1 Choice of Subject and pre-understanding ...................................................................... 16
3.2 Choice of theory presentation of theory and motivation to why .................................... 17
3.3 Literature search ............................................................................................................. 17
3.3.1 Source criticism ....................................................................................................... 19
3.4 Research Approach ........................................................................................................ 20
3.5 Research Method ............................................................................................................ 21
3.6 Research Design ............................................................................................................. 23
3.7 Methodology for collecting data .................................................................................... 23
3.7.1 Interviews ................................................................................................................ 24
3.8 Conducting the interviews .............................................................................................. 25
3.9 Analysis Method ............................................................................................................ 26
3.10 Quality Standards ......................................................................................................... 26
3.10.1 Quality of the study ............................................................................................... 26
3.10.2 Ethical consideration ............................................................................................. 27
3.10.3 Trustworthiness, Reliability and Validity ............................................................. 27
3.11 Method Criticism.......................................................................................................... 29
3.12 Schedule and Planning ................................................................................................. 29
4. Empirical .............................................................................................................................. 30
4.1 Authority ........................................................................................................................ 30
4.2 Likeability ...................................................................................................................... 32
4.3 Social proof .................................................................................................................... 35
4.4 Summary of findings ...................................................................................................... 36
5. Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 37
5.1 How male influencers persuasion power is influencing followers................................. 37
5.1.1 Authority of a social media influencer and its influence on purchase intention ..... 37
5.1.2 Social Proof and influence on purchase intention ................................................... 395.1.3 Likeability of a social media influencer and its influence on purchase intention ... 39
5.2 Summary of analysis ...................................................................................................... 42
6. Conclusions and Discussion ................................................................................................. 44
6.1 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 44
6.2 Answering Research Questions ...................................................................................... 44
6.3 Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 45
6.4 Contribution to the field of research .............................................................................. 47
6.4.1 Theoretical contribution .......................................................................................... 47
6.4.2 Practical implication ................................................................................................ 47
6.5 Limitations ..................................................................................................................... 48
6.6 Suggestions for future research ...................................................................................... 49
References: ............................................................................................................................... 50
Appendices ............................................................................................................................... 59
Appendix 1: Operationalization of Interview Questions ...................................................... 59
Appendix 2: Transcript Sample............................................................................................ 62
Appendix 3. Schedule and planning ..................................................................................... 66List of Tables Table 1: Overview of the people that have been interviewed. Table 2: Summary of the Empirical Findings linking with Themes Table 3: Summary of the theories connected to this study's findings List of Figures Figure 1: Disposition of the study Figure 2. Describing the correlation between influential factors leading to purchase intention Figure 3. Illustration of the two classical approaches Figure 4: The abductive research process
1. Introduction
The introduction chapter will give the reader information about the background of the chosen
subject, which then will be followed by a purpose and research questions. Thereafter, the
authors have a discussion about the problematization of the chosen subject.
1.1 Background
We are living in the digital era and internet marketing and social media have a significant impact
on the way we live, how companies do business and consumers behave (Todor, 2016). In 2020
the global social media penetration rate reached 53,6 percent and this is an increase from the
previous year by 13,2 percent (Chaffey, 2021; Statista, 2021b). The term “social media'' was
introduced in the early 2000s and includes vlogs (Video blogs), Facebook, Instagram and
various microblogs that are becoming increasingly important in our everyday lives (Bishops,
2020; Nisar, Prabhakar and Strakova, 2019). These web-based services allow people to
exchange information, create and publish their own content and have contact with other people,
organizations and public figures (Ariel and Avidar, 2015). As a result of the opportunities
offered by social media, companies today have to adapt to the new global digital world where
consumers are largely located (Thackeray, Neiger, Hanson and McKenzie, 2008). Findahl and
Davisson (2015) states that digital marketing provides companies the opportunity to reach
consumers regardless of the time of day and location, and opens up for dialogue, while at the
same time giving consumers the opportunity to reach companies. There is an awareness among
today’s businesses that a digital presence is a necessity to achieve success as they have come to
realize that traditional marketing (TV, Radio, print advertising) is no longer as effective as it
used to be (Findahl and Davidsson, 2015).
Businesses are spending more money on online marketing because they have seen the benefits
with social media marketing and started to implement new social initiatives (Ashley and Tuten,
2015). It is not only the big brands that are involved in this paradigm, even the smaller brands
are following the footsteps of bigger companies (Clark and Melancon, 2013; Neti, 2011). The
infinite amount of information available through the many new digital media platforms has
resulted in consumers becoming less interested in corporate branding delivered through
traditional media (Lou and Yuan, 2019; Confos and Davis, 2016). The way people receive
information nowadays has been widely affected by the presence of social media and social
1media marketing. Use of social media has become habitual among the younger generations -
especially millennials and zoomers (Vishwanath, 2015; Bolton, Parasurman, Hoefnagels,
Migchels, Kabadayi, Gruber, Loureiro, and Solnet, 2013). This has resulted in consumers
seeking information and inspiration from social media instead of traditional marketing channels
(Lou and Yuan, 2019). Influencers play a significant role in social media today, and companies
can benefit from the credibility and the relationships that influencers have created with their
followers (Hörnfeldt, 2015). Farivar, Wang and Yuan (2020) describes influencer marketing as
a persuasion process which is aimed at changing followers' attitude and behavior towards
products and brands. These followers are also the company's current or potential customers and,
according to Brown and Hayes (2008), followers get help from influencers to navigate between
companies' many and similar marketing messages.
1.2 Problem formulation
Nowadays the amount of information that is available on the internet is colossal and this can
make it hard for consumers to decide which product to choose from (Moon, 2004), and
businesses are aware of this (Sharif and Butt, 2017). With the rising popularity of the social
media influencers, businesses have noticed the benefits of using influencers in their marketing
strategy. This is done in order to influence an influencer's followers to change their attitude
towards a company's brand and products (De Veirman, Cauberghe and Hudders, 2017).
Social media influencers are described as persons who have made themselves celebrities on
social media. They differ from traditional celebrities such as actors and athletes (Brown, 2015;
Giles, 2002 Horton and Wohl, 1956). Some have a large network of followers and are regarded
as trusted tastemakers in one or several niches (Stoldt, Wellman, Ekdale and Tully 2019; Jin,
Muqaddam and Ryu, 2019). Influencers communicate to their followers through visual and
textual narration of their lifestyle (Feng, Chen and Kong, 2020). Social media influencers can
create value for the endorsed products and affect the purchasing intention of the followers (Jin,
Muqaddam and Ryu, 2019).
According to previous studies, social media influencers have an effect on brand awareness and
purchase intention (Pick, 2021; Lou and Yuan, 2019; Coco and Eckert, 2020; Farivar et al,
2020). Lou and Yuan (2019) explain this by the influencer’s trustworthiness, authenticity,
attractiveness and similarity to the followers and this is what helps the influencer to create a
2positive picture of the endorsed products or services. Digital marketing and especially
influencer marketing is gaining popularity among businesses because of its reach and
opportunity to reach consumers regardless of the time of the day and it has become a significant
marketing channel for businesses (Findahl and Davisson, 2015; Hörnfeldt, 2015 ).
Previous studies have been focusing on the underlying factors of influencer marketing and how
these factors are affecting consumers' purchasing intentions (Farivar et al, 2020; Coco and
Eckert, 2020; Lou and Yuan, 2019) Farivar et al (2020) conducted a study to gain a better
understanding of how influencer features affect the persuasion results in influencer marketing.
They used a quantitative research approach and online surveys were used to gather data from
409 online followers (both men and female) of two Instagram influencers. Coco and Eckert
(2020) focused on consumer perceptions of sponsored content posted by social media
influencers. The aim of the study was to understand why women follow influencers and how
they respond to sponsored content. The focus group of this study was at the age of 18-years or
older. The study had a qualitative research approach where researchers had 15 in-depth
interviews with women in the United States. Lou and Yuan (2019) studied the mechanism by
which influencer marketing affects consumers via social media. The study had a quantitative
research approach and online surveys were used to gather primary data from 538 participants,
both female and male. Fashion is further one of the most active industries on social media and
female Instagram accounts connected to fashion are commonly studied in previous studies (e.g.,
Farivar et al, 2020; Sokolova and Kefi, 2020; Casalo, Flavian and Ibáñez-Sánchez,
2020; Djafarova and Rushworth, 2017). Main focus so far within current literature on
influence by influencers on consumers has been on female influencers and female consumers
(e.g., Farivar et al, 2020; Sokolova and Kefi, 2020; Casaló et al, 2020; Djafarova and
Rushworth, 2017). There are fewer studies focusing on male influencers and their influence on
male consumers (Farivar et al, 2020). However, when it comes to male influencers and their
ability to influence male consumers, more knowledge is needed (Farivar et al, 2020). Most
studies today have researched the influence of influencers on consumers in general, and have
further been conducted using quantitative methods, giving only an overarching picture ( Farivar
et al, 2020; Sokolova and Kefi, 2020; Lou and Yuan, 2019). Therefore, more in-depth
knowledge is needed, using more qualitative methods, adding to the knowledge about male
influencers' ability to influence their followers.
3It is somewhat surprising that there is limited studies on male influencers and their influence
on male consumers compared to studies focusing on females (e.g., Coco and Eckert, 2020;
Sokolova and Kefi, 2020; Casaló et al, 2020; Djafarova and Rushworth, 2017). According to
Statista (2021c) 49,2 percent of the Instagram users are men and this makes it important to also
understand how male followers are influenced by male influencers. More knowledge is needed
about how influencers are influencing their male followers. One way of investigating this is to
focus on the persuasive power of male influencers and how persuasiveness is affecting male
followers. Persuasive power in relation to influencers and their follower have been studied
previously (e.g., Farivar et al, 2020; Coco and Eckert, 2020; Sokolova and Kefi, 2020; Casaló
et al, 2020; Lou and Yuan, 2019; Djafarova and Rushworth, 2017). Those studies have however
solely focused on females (e.g., Coco and Eckert, 2020; Sokolova and Kefi, 2020; Djafarova
and Rushworth, 2017). More knowledge is thus needed on how the persuasion power of male
influencers are affecting male followers. Moreover, we have chosen to focus on Instagram male
influencers because Instagram is more appealing to younger audiences, far more than the owner
company Facebook (Statista, 2021a; Suciu, 2019).
1.3 Purpose of the study and research questions
The purpose of this study is to investigate if and in that case how male followers are
influenced by the persuasiveness of male influencers
In order to fulfill the aim, we have formulated two research questions to work as guidance
through the research work.
RQ1: How are male followers influenced by the persuasion power of male influencers?
RQ2: Does the influencer's persuasive power influence the purchase intention of male
followers?
1.4 Delimitation
This study focused on investigating the persuasive power of Swedish male influencers on
Swedish male followers through social media, specifically Instagram. We pursued this by
focusing on one social media platform, Instagram. There are several factors that come into play
when it comes to persuasion, but we have chosen to research three out of the 8 possible factors.
4Therefore, not every aspect of persuasion is covered in this study. Furthermore, this study was
made via a qualitative approach through the use of semi-structured interviews conducted on ten
male respondents.
1.5 Disposition
This study consists of six chapters, and will be presented in the following order (Figure 1):
Chapter - 1 Introduction: Consists of a background of the study, background to the research
area, knowledge about social media, persuasion, gap identified, and motivation for this study,
aim, research questions and delimitation.
Chapter - 2 Literature Review: Presents some of the important theories that are related to the
main concepts and theoretical framework of this study.
Chapter - 3 Methodology: Explaining the different methods used from conducting this research,
how data have been collected and conducted for further analysis. The chapter also motivates
why the chosen methods are relevant and important for this study.
Chapter 4 - Empirical Findings: Represents the data collected from the interviews.
Chapter 5 - Analysis and Discussion: Presents the analysis through the collection of data and
compares this to the existing theories.
Chapter 6 - Conclusion: Presents the conclusions that are being drawn from this research with
a discussion. Answers are provided to research questions and the contribution of this research.
There is also a reflection on this study and suggestions for future research.
Finally, references, figures, tables and appendices are presented.
5Figure 1: Disposition of the study
(Source: Illustrated by the authors)
62. Literature Review
The following chapter presents the literature and theories that have been set as the foundation
for the study. The literature chapter will explain how persuasiveness is influenced by key factors
from the literature. Also, it will provide a brief overview of social media and this research field.
2.1 Social Media
Social media refers to Internet-based services and applications that allow users to generate
content, interact, and communicate with other users (Koetsier, 2020; Kietzmann et al, 2011).
According to Koetsier (2020) social media can be described as a two-way digital tool which
allows users to interact, create and share content with the public. Most common social media
channels are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and TikTok. Social media
plays an important role in setting the trends and agendas in topics that range from environment
to entertainment industry. This is because of its ease of use, speed and reach of posts, tweets
and YouTube videos can be viewed by millions for free (Kim and Ko, 2012; Asur and
Huberman, 2010). Increasing number of actors are using social media as a communications
tool. These actors come from a wide range of industries such as governmental organizations,
social networkers, and business firms (Kim and Ko, 2012). If businesses want to guarantee their
successful attendance on social media they have to take different marketing strategies into
account to enhance their brand (Saravanakumar and SuganthaLakshmi, 2012).
2.1.1 Instagram
Instagram is designed to run on smart devices where users can make visual and textual
meanings and interact with other platform users. It is similar to Facebook and Twitter where
every user has an account with a profile and news feed. Instagram can be described as simplified
Facebook with an emphasis on mobile use and visual sharing (Moreau, 2018). It has more than
one billion active users monthly and it ranks fifth after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp,
Facebook messenger in terms of most popular social media channels. Instagram is more
appealing to younger audiences, far more than the owner company Facebook (Suciu, 2019;
Statista, 2021a). Instagram has become an influential and persuasive source of information
thanks to the growing popularity of social media and accessibility through smart phones and
other smart devices.
7There is growing interest among companies to use Instagram as a marketing tool because of its
large reach with 1.2 billion users worldwide (Djafarova and Rushworth, 2017; Statista, 2021a).
According to social media analytics site NapoleonCat (2020) there were 4 910 000 Instagram
users in Sweden in April 2020, which accounted for 48 percent of Sweden's entire population.
2.2 Influencer Marketing
2.2.1 Social Media Influencer Definition
There are several different definitions of what a social media influencer is (SMI). One of the
first definitions was stated by Freberg, Graham, McGaughey and Freberg (2011) and they
defined SMIs as a “new type of independent third-party endorsers who shape audience attitudes
through blogs, tweets, and other social media applications”. Furthermore, SMIs have good
relationship building capabilities and interaction with followers. SMIs self-disclosure helps to
enhance the influencer’s perceived authenticity and this invites interaction. It leads to followers
wanting to engage with the influencer by commenting, liking or sharing influencers social
media posts (Reinikainen, Munnukka, Maity and Luoma-Aho, 2020). Glucksman (2017) states
that SMIs promote brands through their personal lives, and this makes it more relatable to the
average consumer. Additionally, the openness and candidness towards the audiences enhances
the influencer’s credibility and this is why the influencer marketing is so successful
(Glucksman, 2017). Businesses and brands are using SMIs to promote and review products in
order to fully exploit the potential of social media marketing (Stubb, Nyström and Colliander,
2019).
2.2.2 Opinion leadership & Parasocial relationship
Farivar et al (2020) States that two important factors when it comes to the influencer persuasion
process are, opinion leadership and parasocial relationships. Studying them separately does not
provide a comprehensive view over the influencing mechanism. Farivar et al (2020) mentioned
that this may be misinterpreted as implying that they are separate, mutually exclusive processes.
These two theories are, however, mutually exclusive processes. These two factors are indeed
complementary features that influencers rely on in their relationship with their followers. It is
said that followers seek both valuable information and relational connection when following
influencers. It is through both the perceived opinion leadership of and the parasocial
relationship with the respective influencer in which followers are influenced and adopt
recommendations (Farivar et al, 2020).
8Farivar et al (2020) states that influencers should work on enhancing both features to improve
their marketing effectiveness. It is of great interest to know their relative importance, to know
which one to work on, and how they combine with post characteristics in order for the influencer
to maximize the potential influence. Farivar et al (2020) suggests that one should study the two
together in one model, because it could address certain questions, project a holistic view on
who the influencers are to their followers, and reveal further insight in influencer marketing.
2.2.3 Opinion Leadership
Casaló et al (2020) defines an opinion leader as an individual who has a great amount of
influence on their followers' decision making, and also on their attitudes and behaviors. Opinion
leadership relates to the extent an individual is perceived to be a model for others, to which the
degree of information provided by him is interesting and persuasive. The influence of mass
communication on people’s behavior might not be as direct as it has previously been supposed.
An opinion leader could either be people with a wide knowledge of a particular topic, or
someone who has many connections with others. People who are regarded as opinion leaders
by their peers probably truly influence them, this is where a celebrity might serve as a high-
arousal stimulus which, in turn, can enhance persuasive power (Casaló et al, 2020).
The fashion opinion leadership which has been regarded as a consumer goods, opened for all
to see what may indicate to other consumers aspects of the personality and status of the person
wearing it. Leading influencers in the fashion category have been widely recognized as crucial
in transiting new clothing habits to other customers because they are supposed to exert a
powerful influence on their buying behavior. Fashion opinion seekers want to avoid this risk
when purchasing clothes, therefore they look for inspiration from fashion opinion leaders,
because opinion leaders are regarded as having the knowledge about this specific topic.
Therefore opinion seekers help to spread this information to other consumers. This is why
fashion opinion leaders have been regarded as key to the diffusion of new fashion trends,
because of their great influence on their followers, based on their knowledge of this topic
(Casaló et al, 2020).
92.2.4 Parasocial Relationship
According to Farivar et al (2020) parasocial relationships can be described as imaginary
relationships between an audience and a media persona. Before social media, these relationships
were often developed by traditional celebrities like athletes and actors/actresses (Brown, 2015;
Giles, 2002; Horton and Wohl, 1956). In social media context, parasocial relationships refer to
the relationship that followers have with influencers they follow. Followers feel that they are
having a social relationship with a prescribed influencer but these relationships are only one-
sided (Farivar et al, 2020). Parasocial interactions creates an illusion of interactions through the
media, and triggers an experience of an actual interaction and lures the audience into adjusting
their own behavior after the influencer. Also, creating a feeling of personal, private and informal
conversations with the help of technology is one of the most popular methods used by vloggers
on YouTube (Reinikainen et al, 2020).
2.3 Persuasion
Pressgrove, McKeever and Collings (2021) present that the theory of persuasion has been used
in a number of different industries and contexts in order to test its theory. Multimedia and video
content in different campaigns aimed at for instance education, awareness and persuasion to
name a few. Media's effect has long been recognized by researchers and the potential it offers
to emotion-inducing media content, to influence persuasive outcomes and that emotional
valence affects how different messages are stored and retrieved from different sources
(Pressgrove et al, 2021).
O'Keefe (2015) defines persuasion as “a successful intentional effort at influencing others'
mental state through communication in a circumstance in which the persuader has some
measure of freedom”. Farivar et al (2020) describes influencer marketing as a persuasion
process which is aimed at changing followers' attitude and behavior towards products and
brands. Usually it involves “who said what” as a key theme in the persuasion research
psychology, marketing and communication literature. Persuasion research has previously
studied the effects of message source but also content arguments when determining persuasion
results (Farivar et al, 2020). Three factors that have a significant impact on influencer’s
persuasion power are: authority, credibility, and social attractiveness (Sokolova and Kefi,
2020).
10Van Noort, Antheunis and Van Reijmersdal (2012) states that messages received by an
audience are less likely to be perceived as persuasive if the ties to an influencer are strong.
Therefore, should close interpersonal connections with influencers be received better and
therefore exert a stronger influence. When marketing campaigns stem from an influencer it is
perceived as more credible to the follower. The receiver (the follower) is less likely to associate
the campaign with a persuasive intent, because of the influencer's credibility. Van Noort et al
(2012) therefore states that the tie strength between influencer and follower reduces the
follower’s perceived persuasive intent.
2.3.1 Cialdini's principles of influence
Cialdini published his book The Psychology of Persuasion in 1984 and it focused on the
techniques for getting people to say “yes” to another person. He presents six principles of
persuasion which he considers as weapons to influence people's behavior. These six principles
are: reciprocation, commitment and consistency, consensus, liking, authority and scarcity. In
his book Cialdini explains the functions of these principles in society and how they can be used
by salesmen and marketing specialists who deftly incorporate them into requests for purchase,
donations, votes, and etc. Cialdini explains that these six principles are meant to influence the
target of the interaction by activating unconscious social cues and perceptions to motivate that
targeted individual to respond in the desired way (Cialdini, 2001).
In this study we have chosen to focus on three of Cialdini's principles: Likeability, Authority
and Social proof. These three principles were chosen due their relevance for our research topic.
Additionally, these factors are similar to factors that were used in Sokolovas and Kefis (2020)
research about persuasive power.
112.3.1.1 Likeability
Cialdini (2001) explains that most people prefer to say yes to the request of someone we know
and like. Cialdini (2001) clarifies this rule by an example where a successful car dealer Joe
Girard sent a simple handwritten letter to his customers where he had written “I like you”.
Compliments like this stimulate liking and this is a well-used method by salespeople. This was
one of the reasons why Girard made a successful career in the sales business and is regarded as
“The greatest salesman of all time” by the Guinness Book of World Records. Another great
example is the worldwide success of the Tupperware Corporation and its home party concept.
Products are demonstrated in home get together where Tupperware representatives are selling
the products to their friends and family. Because they are selling to people who they already
know, the bigger the chance is that the customer will make a purchase. Moreover, physical
attractiveness is one of the factors that has shown to work (Cialdini, 2001). Efrain and
Pattersons (1974) research findings showed that voters in Canadian federal elections gave
physically attractive candidates several times as many votes as unattractive ones. At the same
time, voters insisted that their choices would never be influenced by something as superficial
as appearance (Efrain and Pattersson, 1974). Cialdini (2001) states that similarity is also a
powerful tool and it is used frequently by the salesman and this is done to build a connection
between themselves and customers.
2.3.1.2 Authority
Cialdini, (2007) Mentions that the information that can be received or recognized from someone
who is viewed as an authoritarian source, can provide us with valuable shortcuts for deciding
how to act in different situations. The obedience to authority is mostly rewarding and it is easy
for ourselves to use the convenience of automatic obedience to an authoritarian source.
However, with a better understanding of the workings of authoritarian influence could help us
to resist it. But we should not want to resist the information provided by authority. Usually,
authority figures have the knowledge and know what they are talking about. These people are
often judges, corporate executives, legislative leaders, and they have typically gained their
positions because of their superior knowledge and judgment. So as a rule, their directives offer
excellent counsel (Cialdini, 1987).
12According to Cialdini (1987) the key is to be able to recognize without much strain or vigilance
when authority promptings are best followed and when someone should resist it. As a
suggestion there are two questions one can ask themselves to accomplish this trick. The first
one being “is this authority truly an expert?” This question helps to focus our attention on a pair
of crucial pieces of information. The authority’s credentials and of which relevance those
credentials it has on the topic at hand. By simply orienting in this way towards the evidence for
authority status, the chance of avoiding major pitfalls of automatic deference can be evaded
(Cialdini, 2007).
Cialdini (1987) mentions another question we could ask ourselves, before submitting to
authority influence, would be to ask a second simple question “How truthful can we expect the
expert to be here?” Even authorities who are seen to be best informed, may not present their
information honestly to us. That is why we need to consider their trustworthiness in the specific
situation. We tend to allow ourselves to be much more swayed by experts who we seem to be
impartial than by someone who has something to gain by convincing us. This has been shown
by researchers to be true around the world. Just by wondering how an expert stands to benefit
from our compliance, we will give ourselves one more safety net against undue and automatic
influence. So, even authorities who are knowledgeable in their field, will not persuade us until
we get satisfied when their messages represent the facts faithfully (Cialdini, 2007).
Usually people will trust the expertise and truthfulness of authoritarian figures, in order to take
fast decisions instead of collecting information themselves. Professional advertisers can use
authority heuristics in order to reach automatic mode compliance from people (Ramos, 2019).
The principle when it comes to authority is the quality endorsement, which is commonly used
in e-commerce settings. A real world example would be when websites include “trust badges”
which are provided by a third party in order to show a secure transaction. Another example is
when Adidas communicates Lionel Messi’s endorsement for their football shoes, or when a
website communicates an organic standard (Forbes, 2019).
132.3.1.3 Social Proof
Amblee and Bui (2011) describes social proof as a theory in which consumers rely on the
experiences of others and collaboratively share information to draw conclusions and make
decisions. Cialdini (1974) explains that when we are making decisions, it is normal that we are
looking at what other people are doing or have done in these situations Cialdini (2007). If the
majority is favoring a particular idea, we are more likely to follow this idea because we consider
it as more validated and more correct. Cialdini (2007) uses an example to describe social proof
or social validity where a fund-raiser showed homeowners a list of neighbors who had donated
to a local charity significantly increased the frequency of contributions. The greater the length
of the list, the greater the effect. However, social proofing can also backfire and produce the
opposite reaction of what is requested (Cialdini, 2007). According to Roethke, Klumpe, Adam
and Benlian (2020) they found from their study that social influence tactics when it comes to
online retail, had a positive effect on user’s registration when applied to online retail. Hidalgo-
Hidalgo, Jimenez and Lopez-Pintado (2021) also found that specifically overconfident
individuals are more likely to be influenced than other personal characteristics.
2.4 Purchase intention
Purchase intention is the likelihood of customers buying products (Masukujjaman, Alam, Siwar
and Halim, 2021). Lim, Osman, Salahuddin, Romle and Abdullah (2016) Mentioned purchase
intention should not be associated with purchase action, the online purchase intention may
however, have a positive influence on actual online purchasing action. Pradhan, Duraipandian
and Sethi (2016) stated that one's purchase intention arises as a result when the attitude towards
a particular brand arises.
Spears and Singh (2004) defines purchase intention as “an individual's conscious plan to make
an effort to purchase a brand” and the intentions are personal action tendencies which relate to
one's brand. One's intentions are distinct from attitudes, whereas attitudes are summary
evaluations, intentions representing “the person’s motivation in the sense of his or her conscious
plan to carry out a behavior”.
142.5 Summary of theoretical framework
Figure 2. Correlation between influential factors leading to purchase intention
(Source: Illustrated by the authors)
We began the theory chapter by explaining the term Social Media and how different social
media platforms can be used by consumers, brands and social media influencers. The benefits
of using social media as a communication tool were explained and we decided to focus more
on Instagram influencers. Therefore, a short introduction to Instagram was added. Furthermore,
influencer marketing was presented to offer the reader a clear picture of what a social media
influencer is. Persuasion and different approaches to persuasion were introduced and the
authors decided to focus on Cialdini's influence theory. Three of Cialdini's principles were
chosen (Figure 2) to investigate how they influence male followers' purchase intention. The
chosen principles are: authority, social proof and likeability.
153. Method
This chapter describes and discusses the approach the authors have chosen to use, in order to
fulfill the purpose of the report. The chapter includes a description of the work process and the
methods used to collect data. Initially, the purpose and research design are explained and
justified. This is followed by the selection of participants, the collection of empirical data, the
conduct of the interviews and ethical considerations. Furthermore, the method section is
followed by a description of the analysis process. The chapter ends with a critical method
reflection where the method choices are discussed.
3.1 Choice of Subject and pre-understanding
The choice of subject is something which is closely related to what the authors have previous
knowledge about. According to Bell, Bryman and Harley (2018) previously acquired
knowledge is influenced by experience and personal values. The author's previous knowledge
has worked as the grounding base for the decisions which formed the chapters, such as the
method, theory, analysis method and so on. It is therefore relevant to reflect about the author's
knowledge, in order to understand how it affects the research project's subject as its content.
Even though the authors wanted to be as objective as possible throughout the entire process, it
cannot be dismissed that subjectivity, in ways of their own values and interests, have affected
the study to some extent. The authors of this study have a similar background from studying at
the University of Gävle. This has meant that the authors possess similar knowledge about the
subject market. As a result of a joint participation in the course of international business
strategy, with the commitment to business, from a global standpoint, the interest grew. And
with the possibilities of influencer marketing the authors aimed in, searching for more
knowledge for this topic.
As a next step, the authors had to research deeper into previous research in order to understand
the theories and concepts that explained the persuasiveness of influencer marketing. According
to Bell et al (2018) it is beneficial for the authors to read in the specific field of research, to get
a better understanding of the actual knowledge and potential areas to further research. When
we were doing so, we undertook more knowledge about this field of study, and that it needed
further research. This was because of the lack of research and information on male influencers
to male followers.
163.2 Choice of theory presentation of theory and motivation to why
The choice of the persuasion theory is something which we found after reading about the
influencer marketing subject. Some previous studies have used and examined this theory in
their research. We have largely proceeded from this theory, and found it useful to explain what
happens physiologically when male followers are persuaded by an influencer's message.
Furthermore, previous studies highlight the need for the use and applicability of a theoretical
approach, to develop the existing theory within this area. Cialdini's principles of influence have
also been raised as a suggestion to this area, and provides us a better understanding of some of
the backing reasons to how persuasion works. When we further researched this subject we
found two other theories, which we could see were also frequently used in similar research.
These were purchase intentions, and we chose these theories because of their relevance to our
research topic. To implement these theories on the chosen problem formulation have been
somewhat difficult and challenging. This was because of the complexity and interrelationships
between the theories. The chosen theories have been applied to somewhat similar research
studies and they were used, in order to understand and explain the relation between persuasion
and purchase intention.
3.3 Literature search
For this research study we conducted an extensive literature review, in order to gather deep
knowledge about this subject. The literature review was done in order to create a perception
about the current knowledge within this field and what previous studies have examined and
resulted in. This process has enabled us to identify a research gap which this study aims to
fulfill, in order to give a complementary, practical as well as theoretical contribution within this
research field. Bell et al (2018) stated that literature research is one of the most important initial
parts before a research project, but that it is also a vital part throughout the entire research
process. A comprehensive literature research has also worked as our foundation for the research
questions, as much as research design and choice of theories.
17Another important aspect when doing literature research is acknowledged by Bell et al (2018),
they mentioned that the literature research will gather knowledge about which mistakes
previous researchers have made, and in that way it will eliminate the risk of making the same
mistakes once again. The literature research has used Bell et al (2018) as support and with the
purpose of securing its quality and extent. The literature research has primarily been
discontinued from databases which have been provided and given access by the University of
Gävle. These databases used are Google Scholar, Science Direct, EBSCO Business Source
Premier and the University library. These databases have provided us with relevant studies that
are within the business economic studies. We therefore think that these databases are reliable
to find relevant information from. The literature research within the field of influencer
marketing began by being researched relatively broadly. Where we began by reading scientific
articles where researchers have made their own literature reviews within the specific field. From
this literature research we could see that this field is somewhat researched, but mainly on female
consumers and consumers in general and their persuasive behavior, therefore the research gap
in this study. Something that was common to most of these studies was that they referred to
similar studies, which gave us inspiration to search for further knowledge and literature that
could be applied in the study.
In order to find relevant studies to current influencer marketing that are connected to
persuasiveness, we used the following keywords in the mentioned databases: “Persuasion”,
“Influencer marketing”, “Social media”, “Likeability” and “Digital marketing”. It optimized
our search result to show relevant studies in which we collected data in order to design our
theoretical frame of reference. From these keywords, three articles were found that were used
in the problem formulation to describe the research gap. Furthermore, we have also collected
data from research reports that are covering the theories regarding Cialdini's principles of
influence. They have worked as the foundation for the research questions used in our interviews.
In order to gain the understanding of the backing factors to how influencing works. The
availability of various sources of information has given us the possibility to get access from
different angles of approach, which will increase the study’s trustworthiness according to Bell
et al (2018).
183.3.1 Source criticism
Source criticism is the process of critically evaluating the source information. It is a method
often used in scientific research where the person conducting the study has to collect data or
information from various sources, and it is therefore important for the researcher to be certain
that these sources are correct (Thurén 2005).
In order to judge a study’s reliability one has to be source-critical to the literature. Therefore,
has the source-critical thinking permeated the entire research process, because in the end be
able to present something representative with a reliable result. To ensure this, the study's
literature has been constantly evaluated and examined in accordance with the four criteria which
are mentioned by Thurén (2005). It is suggested within the source-critical method there are four
criteria that have to be taken into consideration and these are: Authenticity, Time Relationship,
Independent and freedom of tendency Thurén (2005).
For the criterion of authenticity, it means to review the source for what it claims to be (Thurén,
2005). For this criterion scientific articles, books, reports and examined sources have been used.
The publishers of the articles have also been reviewed closely with the purpose of making sure
the authors have the right knowledge for what the subject area of the study concerns. As we
have previously mentioned, many scientists within this field refer too many of the same sources,
which is also a significant aspect that tells us about its authenticity and relevance. Thurén (2005)
suggests that sources that are new to date are to be preferred, just to secure the information's
relevance and reliability. With the literature review we aimed for articles no older than ten
years with the time span between 2010-2021. This was chosen as an appropriate range in order
to find updated studies within the digital marketing category. The literature in digital marketing
has many articles between the years 2013-2021, which proves to us that there is a big number
of studies within this area and that they are well updated. The assessment of the source’s
authenticity regarding the literature for the theoretical framework has been somewhat different.
For instance, original literature from the 80s until now has been used. And with regards to this
literature framework it has been important for us to go back in the literature, in order to get an
original understanding of its theory, origin and basic assumptions.
19The principle of bias means that the information should be impartial and not affected by
personal interests. Dependence states that the information should not have been affected by
other sources. This could happen when information passes through multiple individuals. For
the researchers to avoid this, researchers should always try to trace back the information to its
original source. Time elapse is the principle that says that a source has a higher credibility the
more recent it is. This is typical for internet sources, where it is important to check when the
information last was updated. Authenticity, which is the last principle, indicates that the source
should be truthful and credible, meaning it should be what it claims to be. It is a common issue
when it comes to internet sources as they might spread false information (Thurén, 2005).
3.4 Research Approach
This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the influential ability of male influencers
on their male followers. The authors have researched male followers of male influencers, in
order to gain a deeper understanding of the gap between male influencer's ability to persuade
their male followers. Jacobsen (2002) explains that a study has two approaches to choose from:
quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The qualitative research approach is used
when researchers focus on words and want to understand different perspectives of specific
individuals, objects or even phenomena (Jacobsen 2002). Bell et al (2018) argues that a
qualitative approach allows the researcher to develop a richer understanding of the
phenomenon. When using a quantitative approach, the researcher wants to quantify the data
that has been collected in order to find relations between variables and further analyze and
present the results statistically (Bell et al, 2018). Qualitative data consists of words, text and
symbols that are characterized by the fact that they describe or represent people, actions and
events in our social reality (Christensen, Engdahl, Grääs and Haglund, 2010). When researchers
carry out a qualitative interpretation and understanding-oriented content analysis, it means that
they analyze the data material based on its qualitative nature based on the meaning and
significance of what the text represents and stands for. This means that researchers have better
opportunities to understand and explain the collected data as well as generate useful results and
insightful conclusions in qualitative content analysis, in contrast to what is possible in
quantitative content analysis (Christensen et al, 2010).
20This study has a qualitative approach, since we wanted to develop a richer understanding of
how male followers were influenced by the persuasive power of male influencers, which would
not have been possible with a quantitative approach. Previous studies within the field of
influencer marketing have mainly been quantitative, focusing on the finding relations between
variables giving a more overarching picture (Sokolova and Kefi, 2019).
3.5 Research Method
According to Bell et al (2018) deductive reasoning is based on an existing theory or a model
and hypotheses are formulated and tested against reality through observations. The results of
the research will show if the hypotheses have any connection to a theory or a model and if they
will be rejected or accepted. Inductive reasoning usually starts with observations and
theories/models are chosen after the finished observations (Figure 3). Observations have an
influence on the choice of theories. Combination of these two classical approaches is called
abductive reasoning (Bell et al, 2018; Eriksson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 1991). As we have
chosen to implement the abductive reasoning approach, we began our work with the
formulation of the theory chapter. This way of relating theory and empiricism in a scientific
work is called the abductive approach. The theoretical framework was adapted as the empirical
data were collected and analyzed. When the theory chapter was finished, we began with
formulating the interview questions for our interviews. After the interviews were carried out,
the collected data from the interviews was compared against the theories collected. Some of the
selected theories were deleted because they were not relevant for the study after the interviews.
An illustration of the abductive research approach is shown in Figure 4.
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