The Impact of Social Media Influencers to The Mabini Academy Senior High

School Students’ Buying Decisions

A Research Presented to the Faculty of

Senior High School Department
The Mabini Academy
Lipa City

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Subject
Practical Research 1

By:

Battad, Jewell Mae D.

Hernandez, Alliah Francine S.
Magundayao, Ron-winona D.
Verzosa, Micah Reign D.

May 2020
 Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
Today, the world in the midst of digitalization, that even marketing of all kinds is

using digital platforms which are basically through, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and

other digital media (Sudha, M. & Sheena, K. 2017). Social media has fundamentally

changed the balance of power between customers and brands, states Wong (2014) from

Forbes magazine. He added that peer recommendations on social media affect

purchasing decisions a lot and that marketing-inspired word of mouth generates more

than twice the sales of paid advertising.

Social media influencers who build social capital act as third-party endorsers who

can shape attitudes through the use of social media (Freberg, Graham, McGaughey,

and Freberg, 2010). For practitioners, the title of influencers is reserved for those who

exert influence over their community of followers, and the term celebrity is used only for

high-profile influencers. Social media influencers (SMIs) currently include many types of

users who have achieved recognition on social media which implies that these content

creators have created a community of followers that transcends well beyond friends and

family (Booth & Matic, 2011). They possess powerful and enormous follower bases in

niche subjects, such as fashion and food.

The behavior of customers typically is often unpredictable. Recognizing how

customers make buying decisions can help marketing managers design appropriate

marketing strategies. When buying products, consumers normally follow the five stages

of the consumer buying decision process: need recognition, information search,

alternative evaluation, purchase decision, and post-purchase behavior (Mullins, Walker

Jr., & Boyd Jr, 2008). As a matter of fact, the consumer may end the process at any time
or may not even make a purchase. Consumer’s progression through these stages may

vary depending on their previous experience, interest, and situation (McDaniel, Lamb, &

Hair Jr., 2008).

In studying and addressing the problem, the researchers can come up to a

conclusion that will benefit the viewers and influencers by helping them realize and

understand how to maximize the use of social media in moderation and in a responsible

way. With this, they will be aware of its two-faced results in order for them to use social

media in an intellectual manner.

The researchers were curious about how to attract teenagers, so they came up

with this study to comprehend the impacts of social media influencers on the buying

preferences of its audience. Teenagers are a fascinating customer category because

they are the future main force of consumption. By studying the decisions, they make as

consumers can be beneficial for companies that are having difficulties reaching their

target group, also helping them to make better marketing plans to attract them.

The purpose of this research is to gain knowledge about how factors of popularity

and credibility of social media influencers have an impact to the senior high school

students of The Mabini Academy in Lipa City, Batangas. This research will study how

different factors impact the buying decisions of teenagers. In addition, this study also

describes the social cognitive theory which includes the influence of social media

influencers on the behavior of its viewers.

Statement of the Problem

The aim of this research is to assess the impact of social media influencers to the
buying decisions of senior high school students in The Mabini Academy. Specifically,

this study answers the following questions:

1. What are the respondent's demographic profile in terms of:

1.1. Interests;

1.2. Age; and

1.3. Sex?

2. What are the effects of social media influencer to the respondents buying

decision?

3. How much impact do young people get from influencers?

4. How do social media influencers generate popularity and credibility

among respondents?

5. What is the recommended course of action that would benefit the

respondents and influencers?

Hypothesis

The researchers used hypothesis in its null form:

There is no significant relationship between the respondents’ demographic profile to their

buying decisions.

Conceptual Framework

The results of this study will tell the impact of social media influencers on The

Mabini Academy senior high school student's preferences and buying choices. The

System Approach Framework was used in this study which contains Input-Process-

Output.
 Input Process Output

Demographic Survey Recommended

profile of Questionnaire course of action
respondents: that would benefit
1.Interests; the respondents
2. Age; and and influencers.
3. Sex Descriptive-
Correlational
Impact of social Research Analysis
media influencer to
buying decisions of
students.

The figure above displays the conceptual framework of the research -the input,

the process undergone, and the output of the study. The research paradigm pertains to

the following sectors:

The fist frame shows the input which contains the demographic profile of the

respondents: endorsers, age, sex and impact of social media influencer to buying

decisions of students;

The second frame shows the process that the researchers will use to conduct the

research. The researchers will use the descriptive-correlational analysis, which includes

the survey questionnaire made by the researchers;

The third frame shows the output that provides the recommended course of

action that would benefit the respondents and influencers.