"Factors That Impact Influencer Marketing" "Factors That Impact Influencer Marketing"

A study on the Factors that Impact Influencer Marketing
A Summer Internship Project Report

On
“Factors that Impact Influencer Marketing”
Submitted to
Under the guidance of

Dr. Nilam Panchal
In partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the Degree of

Master of Business Administrati
Administration (MBA)
Offered By:
Gujarat University
Ahmedabad
Prepared By:
Anmol Anilkumar Nair
Roll No. 119065
MBA Full-time
Batch: 2019-2020
Certificate by Guide
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Certificate by the Company
Page | iii B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

Declaration
I, Anmol Nair, student of B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies,

Ahmedabad, hereby declare that this project titled “A Study of the Factors that Impact
Influencer Marketing”, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award
of the Degree of MBA at the B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies,
Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, is a result of my sincere efforts under the guidance of
my mentor Dr. Nilam Panchal.
The information and data given in the report is authentic to the best of my knowledge.
This report has not been submitted to any other University or Institution for the award
of any degree, diploma, and fellowship or published any time before.
I also declare that all the information collected from various primary and secondary
sources has been duly acknowledged along with this report.
Place: Ahmedabad ________________

Date: September, 2020 ANMOL NAIR
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Acknowledgment
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean”
It is with immense pleasure that I am presenting this report before you. First and
foremost, I would like to show my sincere gratitude to everyone who helped me
throughout my project.
I am thankful to Dr. Nilam Panchal, my Faculty Mentor and Project Guide at the B.K.
School of Professional and Management Studies for her useful insights and essential
guidance throughout my project.
Next, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Ravina Vachhani, HR

Manager, Cosmo Ecosystem Care LLP, and Ms Deepika Shetty, Trainee Mentor,
Cosmo Ecosystem Care LLP, for their constant support and encouragement during the
entire duration of my internship with them.
Last but not the least; I would like to thank Mr. Raj for giving me an opportunity to
work as an intern at the Cosmo Ecosystem Care LLP.
Page | v B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

Executive Summary
The main aim of this report is to understand the factors that have an impact on the
effectiveness of Influencer Marketing. It has been prepared with the objective of
studying the factors that impact influencer marketing.
The study encompasses how various factors impact influencer marketing and
how the consumers perceive this emerging marketing technique to help him/her choose
the product. In order to arrive at an appropriate conclusion that is in line with the
objectives of the study, a primary research was conducted surveying the people who
actively follow and engage with influencers on various social media platforms.
This report starts with a company overview and proceeds to an introduction to the
research topic. It also gives an overview to the rise of Influencer Marketing in India and
the factors that affect it. Various literature reviews were considered for a deeper
understanding into the topic and it aided in the research too. The research methodology
was covered separately in the subsequent chapter. Primary data analysis was conducted
to reach to the conclusion of the research. “Authenticity” was concluded to be the main
factor impacting Influencer Marketing. There are though, other factors too that need to
be considered as has been included in the conclusion.
This report also contains a detailed description of the company – Cosmo Ecosystem
Care LLP and its products and how it is currently using Influencer Marketing to raise
its brand awareness and increase their sales.
The report also entails a description of the internship training and experience, and the
key learning and takeaways from the internship at Cosmo Ecosystem Care LLP.
Page | vi B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

Table of Contents
Certificate by Guide………………………………………………………………....…ii
Certificate by Company………………………………………………………,……....iii
Declaration……………………………………………………...……………….……..iv
Acknowledgement……………………………………………………………….……...v
Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………vi
List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………1
List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………..2
Internship Experience………….………………………………………………………3
Internship Takeaway…………….…………………………………...…………....…...4
Chapter 1: Introduction to Company………………………………………...……….5
Chapter 2: Introduction to Research Topic…………………………………………14
Chapter 3: Theoretical Framework…………………………………………...……..19
Chapter 4: Literature Review…………………………………………………..……21
Chapter 5: Research Methodology………………………………………………..…24
Chapter 6: Data Analysis and Interpretation……………………………………….29
Chapter 7: Findings and Conclusion………………………………………………...43
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………...45
References……………………………………………………………………...………46
Annexure……………………………………………………………………..………..47
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List of Tables
Sr. No. Particulars Page No.

1 Demographic Segmentation 29
2 Frequency Distribution of the Respondents by Age 30
3 Frequency Distribution of Respondents by Gender 31
4 Frequency Distribution of Respondents by Profession 32
List of Figures
Sr. Page
Particulars
No. No.
1 Company Logo 5
2 Hb+ Logo 6
3 Royal Gabat Logo 6
4 Karmic Logo 7
5 FSSAI Logo 7
6 HACCP Logo 7
7 ISO Logo 7
8 Patent Logo 7
9 Awards Received 8
10 Prickly Pear Fruit Nectar 8
11 Moringa Leaf Tablet 9
12 Moringa Oil 9
13 Nutribar 9
14 Stevia Sweetener for Beverages 10
15 Stevia Leaves 10
16 Stevia Fennel 11
17 Stevia Lemongrass/Peach Tea 11
18 Chia Seeds 11
19 Mixed Seeds 11
20 Personal Care Products 12
21 WeHear Hearing Aid 13
22 Types of Influencers 15
23 Pie Chart showing Frequency Distribution of the Respondents by Age 31
24 Pie Chart showing Frequency Distribution of the Respondents by Gender 32
25 Pie Chart showing Frequency Distribution of the Respondents by Profession 33
26 Bar Graph showing the social media platforms used by the Respondents 33
Bar Graph showing the social media platforms used by the Respondents to
27 34
Follow Influencers
28 Bar Graph showing the types of Influencers followed by the Respondents 34
Bar Graph showing the types of Influencers the Respondents Trust for
29 35
Recommendations
30 Pie Chart showing the Respondents’ Trust on Influencer Claim 36
31 Bar graph showing the qualities the respondents look for in an influencer 36
32 Figure showing the brand’s choice of influencers and consumer decision 37
33 Bar chart showing Influencer Recommendation and Buying Decision 38
34 Bar chart showing Consumer Content Preference 38
35 Bar Chart showing modes of Influencer Discovery 39
36 Bar chart showing the Frequency of New Brand/Product Discovery 40
37 Bar chart showing the Consumer Purchase through Influencers 40
38 Bar chart showing Authenticity definition for the consumers 41
39 Bar chart showing Why consumers distrust or stop following influencers 42
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Internship Experience
Internship Role: Influencer Marketing Trainee
Internship Duration: 25th May, 2020 to 20th July, 2020
Internship Training and Assignments:
 For the first two weeks of internship, we were given detailed training
regarding what is influencer marketing, the different types of influencers and
how to approach them.
 The 3rd and 4th week were dedicated to an intensive study of the product
“Hb+”, for which we had to find relevant influencers. Also, an assignment
was given to identify the categories of influencers which are relevant to the
product.
 The 5th and 6th weeks were dedicated to creating an influencer database for
the city assigned to me - Ahmedabad. Data were collected for five categories
of influencers namely, gynaecologists, dieticians, gym trainers, yoga teachers
and fitness gurus in Ahmedabad. The assignment was to collect data for 50
influencers in each category, which was completed.
 The 7th and 8th week were dedicated to building a detailed communication
plan to approach the influencers. From a simple text message to an email to a
call, content was created for each type of influencer in a way that the product
catered to his audience or followers. Also, training was given as to how to
approach them on calls.
 Due to time constraints, it was not possible to approach all the influencers and
convert them to market the product.

Internship Takeaways
Following are the key learning or takeaways from my internship with Cosmo Care
Ecosystem LLP.
 An intense knowledge about influencer marketing and various categories of

influencers was gained.
 Through the assignments, I also learnt how to create a detailed database for
marketing as well as a communication plan.
 The best take away from the internship was having a first-hand experience with
a start-up like Cosmo, where every intern was treated with importance and also a
comfortable learning space was created for us to grow and explore the various
steps in influencer marketing - right from identifying them to approaching them
for marketing.
 I also learnt how to come up with creative solutions for the ever-changing needs
of the consumers and the target market.
 Overall, it was a great experience working with M/s Cosmo Care Ecosystem
LLP. Though there were certain roadblocks owing to the current pandemic, the
learning curve was definitely positive.

Chapter I – Introduction to the Company

1.1. Overview of the Company
(Figure 1: Company Logo)
COSMO Ecosystem Care LLP was founded in 2015 by Mr. Raj Shah, an IT
Engineer- turned Agripreneur (Social Entrepreneur). The primary goal
g of the
company was to solve rural agricultural concerns and to provide the urban
population with scientifically proven and quality assured natural Super foods,
Health Care, Personal Care and Life Care Products.
It is built on an inclusive growth con

concept
cept which focuses on the health, well-
being and life service needs of the people in a smart and sustainable way.
In the rural sector, the company focuses on enhancing farmer knowledge, Non
Non-
GMO seeds and variety development, adoption of organic practice
practices,
s, enriching
the land quality, and providing an assured market and good economy for
farmers.
For its research and formulation, the company focuses on scientific and world-
class standards-compliant
compliant product development, providing value-added
value added products
as per
er the requirement of the industry and conducting nutritional and clinical
research for improvements.
For its food processing, the company focuses on chemical-free

free processing, zero
waste and pollution-free
free processing, world
world-class
class standards quality compliance,
comp
and six sigma, Kaizen, 5 S goal-oriented
goal manufacturing.
For its products, the company focuses on use of 100% natural ingredients, being
compliant with ISO and HACCP regulations, promoting the Indian industries,
and using no artificial colours, flavours or additives and being
vegan and cruelty-free.
free.

1.2. Vision of the Company

Integrating Bharat with India to create a sustainable socio-economic model.
1.3. Mission of the Company

Leveraging technology and grassgrass-root
root innovations to harness the immense
potential
ential in the Indian Rural Economy.
Providing Urban India with healthy food and edible products to enhance the
quality of life.
1.4. Brands of the Company
1.4.1. Hb+
Hb+ is a patented product made up of the cactus fruit, called “Prickly Pear”, and
it helps to boost our haemoglobin level in 30 days.
(Figure 2: Hb+ Logo)
1.4.2. Royal Gabat

Royal Gabat brings rural treasure to your doorstep. It provides 100% natural
healthcare products to make your daily life healthy and tasty.
(Figure 3: Royal Gabat Lo

Logo)

1.4.3. Karmic
Karmic brand revolves around the theory of Karma. It provides personal care
products made from the purest ingredients and 100% virgin, cold-pressed
pressed oils to
balance your mind, body, and soul.
(Figure 4:: Karmic Logo)
1.5. Accreditations
(Figure 5: FSSAI logo) (Figure 6: HACCP logo)
(Figure 7: ISO logo) (Figure 8: Patent logo)

1.6. Awards Received
(Figure 9: Awards Received)
1.7. Categories of Products

1.7.1. Super Foods
Super foods
oods are foods that are thought to be nutritionally dense and thus good
for one's health. Super foods contain a variety of nutrients, such as antioxidants,
healthy fats, fibre and phytochemicals.
The ever-progressing
progressing human race in search of prosperity hashas led to a stressful
life with non-nutritious
nutritious and unhealthy food habits. Our food habits have changed
and evolved with time. The 21st21st-century
century supermoms manage the house, work,
family and society. Dynamic life with busy schedules leads to nutritional
deficiencies
iencies and diseases which have an unpleasant impact on our health.
This is where Super foods come in. Super foods can give the diet a healthy boost
while reducing the risk of heart disease, memory loss, and other health
problems.
The Super foods offered

red by the company are as follows:
a. Prickly Pear Fruit Nectar
(Figure 10: Prickly Pear Fruit Nectar)

Nectar

b. Moringa Leaf Tablet
(Figure 11: Moringa Leaf Tablet)
c. Moringa Oil
(Figure 12: Moringa Oil)
d. NutriBar Powered by Spiritula
(Figure 13: Nutribar powered by Spiritula)

1.7.2. Healthcare Products

Royal Gabat’s motto is to bring to its customers a variety of
desirable, healthy and natural products made from natural ingredients that are
sourced from the hinterlands of India. This is its way of providing employment
opportunities and giving sustainable income to the needy in rural areas. The aim
is to connect the urban masses to their rural counterparts by sharing the ‘Healthy
Treasure.’ Most of the food we normally consume comprises high amounts of
oil, salt and sugar. Consumption of such items in large quantities hampers good
health. Thus, the need to be cautious about sweeteners and oils to be used for
cooking applications is very high. Royal Gabat aims to bring to you a variety of
consumables that are part of healthy and tasty food habits.
The healthcare products provided by the company are:
a. Stevia Sweetener for Beverages
(Figure 14: Stevia Sweetner for Beverages)
b. Stevia Leaves
(Figure 15: Stevia Leaves)

c. Stevia Fennel
(Figure 16: Stevia Fennel)
d. Stevia Lemongrass/Peach Tea
(Figure 17: Stevia Lemongrass/Peach Tea)
e. Chia Seeds
(Figure 18: Chia Seeds)
f. Mixed Seeds
(Figure 19: Mixed Seeds)

1.7.3. Personal Care Products

This range includes one hundred per cent Cold-Pressed, Extra Virgin Essential
Oils to balance the mind, body, and soul. KARMIC Skin Care and Massage Oil
for a soft and deeply nourishing body massage. KARMIC Face Care Oil helps to
keep the face look young and take off all the facial stress that is added
throughout the day. KARMIC Hair Care Oil aids in a relaxing head massage as
well as to nourish the scalp and support healthy hair growth. There are also
other cold-pressed oils like Jojoba, Moringa, Sweet Almond, Walnut, Flaxseed,
Coconut, Sesame, etc., to nourish from the within or just apply on the body for
skin and muscular nourishment. All the products are handcrafted unlike the
normally available industrially manufactured products. The molecular size of
KARMIC oils is smaller than the actual skin pores. Hence, there sticky feel after
applying it is avoided and there is 100% absorption. No mineral oil or parabens
are used in the preparation of these oils.
(Figure 20: Personal Care Products)
1.7.4. Life Care Products
The company believes that technological advancement is always to

help the mankind and not the other way round. It tries to bring a techno-savvy
solution to make life easier and safer.
WeHear is developing products using bone conduction technology. In this

technology, the sound waves are converted into vibrations and these vibrations
are passed to the cochlea (part of the body which converts vibrations into
electrical signals) through the skull. So basically, in this technology,
one does not need ears to hear as the whole ear is bypassed in this process, so
this technology is being used to develop top-notch headphones and hearing-aid
products.

(Figure 21: WeCare Hearing Aid)

Chapter 2 – Introduction to Research Topic

2.1. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is basically the collaboration of social media influencers with
brands that leverage the former’s popularity and fan following to endorse their products
or increase brand exposure. Hence, the brands build partnerships with influencers to get
their brand message to reach a wider audience.
The rise in the engagement at social media platforms is increasing by the day. Hence,
along with conventional marketing through advertising on televisions and print media,
brands have started exploring and embracing the one platform through which they can
now reach almost anybody - The Digital World. Hence, the basic idea behind Influencer
Marketing is that by engaging with influencers across different social media platforms,
they will relay the brand messages to their already strong network of followers,
thus exposing the brand to a huge audience.
For example, when we see our favourite YouTuber talking about a certain product from
a certain brand, there is a chance that that particular product is placed by a brand to
increase brand awareness or simply to market a new product or service that they have
launched. There is a chance that when one wants to buy a product in that category, they
remember that their favourite influencer talked about this particular product and might
even end up buying it. This is exactly how Influencer Marketing works.
It’s the kind of slow-and-steady approach as social media and content marketing, where
your campaign isn’t about directly selling the brand. It’s about demonstrating the brand
authority, credibility, and thought leadership within the industry.
2.2. Influencer
Influencers are people who have the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others
because of his/her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his/her audience.
They also have a following in a distinct niche, with whom he/she actively engages. The
size of the following depends on the size of his/her topic of the niche.
Even though anyone can be an influencer, what make them influential are their large
followings on the web and different social media platforms.
In many cases, the audience or followers of these influencers do not care much about
the brand. Rather, they care about the opinion of these influencers they follow.
This is because they are not just viral celebrities, but rather people who’ve spent time
building their own brand and cultivating their audience. Hence, an influencer is as
protective of his followers as they are of the influencer. This is why the audience
connects more to them and trust them.

2.3. Types of Influencers

The four major classifications of influencers are as follows:
Influencers
Mega- Macro- Micro- Nano-
Influencer Influencer Influencer Influencer

s
(Figure 22: Types of Influencers)
2.3.1. Mega-Influencers: These social media influencers have over a million followers
on their social media accounts. They are often referred to as “Celebrities.” This
category normally consists of Bollywood celebrities, TV actors, sportsmen,
famous athletes, models or even very famous content creators. They normally
have a diverse audience with varied interests. When doing influencer marketing
with them, the endorsements are run on the celebrity’s fame and is normally
well-received by the public. They also have the highest reach compared to all
other types of influencers. But engaging with these types of influencers comes
with a steep price tag and not all brands are able to afford them.
2.3.2. Macro-Influencers: They have followers between 100K and 1M. These are
normally social media celebrities who gained popularity due to their exceptional
content. These can be YouTubers, Stand-up Artists, etc. They connect with their
followers through the diverse content they create. For example, Prajakta Kohli,
the creator of Mostly Sane, started out small, but with her exceptional content
turned into a macro influencer and is now a mega influencer with more than 2M
followers. Macro-influencers are a great alternative to mega-influencers as they
normally have a higher engagement rate as compared to the mega-influencers
since these influencers generally interact with their audiences very actively.
2.3.3. Micro-Influencers: These are people with about 10K to 100K followers on their
social media accounts and are normally experts in their domain. They are also

called Industry Experts. This type of marketing is one of the safest types of
marketing as these followers have a strong command over their niche and
engagement rates are also quite high in many cases.
2.3.4. Nano-Influencers: These types of influencers have a following of less than

10,000. These types of influencers normally have an influence over their local
community. Even though their reach is low, they have a tight-knit community
with very high engagement rates. Nano-Influencers can be anyone - the local
doctors, specialists, teachers/professors, and even household members/family.
2.4. Rise of Influencer Marketing in India

The ambit of influencer marketing is growing positively. According to the India
Influence Report 2019 by Zefmo Media, about 65% marketers and strategists
shared that influencer marketing helped in increasing brand awareness and
recall; 50% of the respondents also agreed that it is effective in managing
(brand) reputation and sentiments while 47% felt it was effective in reaching out
and influencing the new target audience. In 2018, while 92%
marketers/strategists were expected to launch at least one influencer campaign,
the new report reveals that the popularity of influencer marketing has
considerably increased in 2019 with 94% marketers/strategists finding it more
effective and 85% continuously exploring innovative ways to collaborate with
social media influencers.
The new findings also indicate that 76% of marketers/strategists are looking to
increase their budget allocation on influencer marketing campaigns this year
compared to 62% last year. Some reasons for this are as follows:
1. Increase in the Use of Social Media: Most of the brands nowadays try to leave
a mark in the digital world by their presence. They not only have their own
social media accounts with a strong digital marketing team behind it to increase
engagement, but they also try to target the influencers on social media to
increase their reach. As the number of users as well as the amount of time they
spend on social media increases, it becomes necessary to target these sets of
users through social media itself. Influencer Marketing through social media
also lets the brands have control over the type of audience they want to capture
based on their demographic characteristics unlike traditional platforms like
Television or newspapers where they have to advertise to the masses and not a
specific group.
2. The Rise of Content-Based Marketing: Nowadays, just marketing a brand or

product is not enough. Brands today try to get across a message in line with their
core values to reach their target audience. Also, as consumer awareness has

increased as a result of increased connectivity, consumers have communities

online that protect them from bad brands. Hence, in most cases, they know
which brand is just trying to sell them a product and which brand is trying to
make their life easier.
3. Consumer-Centric Marketing: Consumer is the “King” nowadays. We are past

those days when consumers will simply buy products that are advertised. They
want to be valued. They want to be heard. Also, with the internet, they have the
resources to search for a particular product before making a purchase.
4. People Trust Influencers: Nowadays, social media influencers have a very loyal
audience or followers, as they build this audience through their sheer hard work
and skills. They have command over a niche industry like food, health, fitness,
beauty, travel, etc. This particular niche attracts a niche audience that starts
trusting the brand choices that the influencer makes. Hence, if an influencer
recommends something, there is a chance that his/her followers will at least
consider buying the product when they have a similar need or if nothing else,
they will at least check the product thus increasing brand awareness. Rather
than the brand directly telling the consumer to buy a particular product, if it
comes from someone they trust, like their favourite influencer, they will at least
give it a thought rather than disregarding it altogether.
2.5. Types of Influencer Marketing Campaigns

Following are eight different types of influencer marketing campaigns that are
used to build brand awareness:
1. Host Giveaways: These are very popular on social media platforms

as they are focused on mutual benefits. They guarantee high amounts of
social actions like follow, like, share, retweet and comment. In this, the
influencer asks the audience to like/comment on a particular post or hold
a contest after which a winner is selected and they get the winning prize
which is normally a gift /product/voucher/hamper of that particular
brand.
2. Social Media Takeover: This is used to increase the brand exposure and
offer interesting contents to the audience. This basically means allowing
a social media influencer to navigate the brand promotion on social
media platforms of the brand. The influencer creates contents for the
social media accounts of the brand.

3. Affiliate Marketing: In this type of marketing, the influencer partners

with a brand. They will promote a product or service online. This is done
by providing the link to a particular brand on their bio or post. When
someone makes a purchase through that link, the influencer is paid a
small commission. Hence, this type of marketing benefits the brand as
well as the influencer. In this type of marketing, the influencer actively
promotes the product and tries to create more and more content to keep
the audience engaged.
4. Sponsored Social Media Content: In this, the influencer creates the

content to market a brand or product on his/her social media account and
gets paid for it. Normally, the brand provides the set of guidelines to
follow as to the type of content that has to be created.
5. Gifts: In this, a particular brand or company sends gifts to the influencer

hoping to get free publicity. Normally, the influencers, when they receive
the gifts, create contents in the form of videos or pictures of the
unwrapping, which is basically free marketing. Sometimes, if they like
the product, they might even end up recommending it to their followers.
6. Sponsored Blog Posts: Blogs are one of the most trusted sources of
information online. Hence, brands approach famous bloggers to write
about their product or service or brand in their blogs. The bloggers get
paid in return for creating the written content.
7. Guest Blogging: This is a very effective way of collaborating with

influencers. In this, the brand either asks the blogger to create written
content which they post on their own website or social media platforms.
Another way of doing this is that the brand sends their posts or articles to
the bloggers so that the bloggers post it on their own sites or blogs.
8. Brand Ambassador Programs: These are normally influencers who use

the brand’s products and adore it to such an extent that they are ready to
promote it. In this case, the brand does not have to pursue the influencer
much. The brand ambassador shares images, videos, posts, and articles
related to the brand.

Chapter 3 – Theoretical Framework
 Ambassador: A brand ambassador is defined as a social media user who

consistently promotes a brand’s image, products, or services. In general,
brand ambassadors leverage their social prowess to boost brand awareness
and embody the values and missions of a brand. Hence, to have a brand
ambassador means to allow an influencer to be the face of your brand and
product over time.
 Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing is an advertising model in which the

brand compensates the influencers to generate traffic or leads to the brand’s
products and services. The influencers are affiliates, and the commission fee
incentivizes them to find ways to promote the brand they are affiliated with.
 Authenticity: Authenticity in terms of Influencer Marketing is when the

claims made by a particular influencer regarding a brand or product are true,
we can say that the influencer is authentic.
 Call-To-Action: A call to action (CTA) refers to the next step an influencer

wants his/her audience or followers to take. For example, the CTA can have a
direct link to sales.
 Campaign: Influencer Marketing campaigns promote products through

different platforms of social media, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter,
etc.
 Click-Through Rate: In Influencer Marketing, click-through rate or CTR is a

metric that measures the number of clicks the influencers receive on their
posts/links per number of impressions.
 Credibility: When an influencer is credible, it means he is trustworthy or

convincing. This is possible because the influencer has knowledge about
his/her niche domain and hence they are convincing to the audience.
 Conversion: A conversion occurs when a visitor to the website of the brand

completes the desired goal, such as filling out a form or making a purchase.
The percentage of total visitors that convert is called your conversion rate.
 Engagement Rate: Engagement rates are metrics that track how

actively involved with the content posted by the influencer his/her audience
is. Engaged consumers interact with brands through likes, comments, and
social sharing.
 Expertise: An expert is simply someone who has contributed to the industry

body of knowledge in his or her profession.

 Giveaway: A giveaway is a product on which a logo or other marketing

message is imprinted. The purpose of the item is to increase brand awareness
in front of its target audience. Sometimes, influencers host giveaways of
particular products of the brand they are promoting in order to increase
awareness and engagement.
 Likeability: An influencer with this attribute has a positive image in front of

his/her audience. Hence, this makes his/her recommendations and relationship
with the brand more appealing.
 Platform: This means any social media-related service, application or

platform, including any provided by Facebook, Inc., Twitter Inc., Google Inc.,
LinkedIn Corporation or any of their respective affiliates.
 Reach: An influencer’s reach is the number of people who potentially see the
content. It’s the size of the influencer’s audience (followers), plus the number
of people who see the content through search results or recommendations.
 Recommendation: The trusted opinions or reviews of a particular brand by an

influencer are called a recommendation. The recommendation of an
influencer can influence the purchasing decision of a consumer.

Chapter 4 – Literature Review
Slavica Cicvaric Kostic, Arsenije Ivanovic and Milan Okanovic, in their paper titled
“Influencer Marketing in a Social Media Context”, examined the trend of Influencer
Marketing as a social media concept. It tries to explain the concept of influencer
marketing in a marketing concept known as word of mouth and by setting the same
concept in the digital era and in a world connected by social media. They conducted a
secondary research to meet their objectives. The research showed that “a great number
of millennial consumers are influenced by the recommendations of their peers in buying
decisions, and projections are that in the next few years, influencers will become a vital
staple in marketing in a social media context”. The paper further went on to classify
various influencers in different categories to help the brands choose influencers for
marketing their brands who align with the core values of the brands.
Sofie Biaudet, in her paper titled “Influencer Marketing as a Marketing Tool – The
Process of Creating an Influencer Marketing Campaign on Instagram”, conducted a
research to understand why companies should use influencer marketing as a marketing
tool and to know the process of creating an influencer marketing campaign on
Instagram. It was a qualitative study based on a semi-structured interview with the Co-
founder and CEO of the Finnish influencer marketing agency Monochrome to get a
deeper understanding in the subject. The results of the study show that “ influencer
marketing on Instagram can be described as a logical process, and that the built in level
of trust between influencer and reader is essentially impossible for a brand to build
alone with the consumer, which is a very strong argument for answering why a
company should use influencer marketing as a marketing tool”.
Morgan Glucksman, in his study titled “The Rise of Social Media Influencer
Marketing on Lifestyle Branding: A Case Study of Lucie Fink”, conducted pentadic
analysis as well as qualitative content analyses of posts by social media influencers. The
study revealed that “the use of social media influencer marketing in public relations
initiatives has broken the wall between the consumer and the brand, changing the way
the two interact”. For conducting the study, the author examined examples of
influencers from Instagram and YouTube, and then pentadic analysis was conducted on
Instagram to examine the strategies that influencers appear to use when posting content
and content analysis was conducted, and content analysis of YouTube videos was done
to examine how social media influencers engage with their audience members as well as
the techniques that they appear to use to advertise via YouTube.
Siti Nurfadila and Setyo Riyanto in their paper “Impact of Influencers in Consumer
Decision Process: The Fashion Industry”, studied to explore the influencer marketing
techniques used by fashion industries and also the impact of influencers on the
consumers buying decision process in the fashion industry. The results of the research
indicate that social media can have a significant impact on how young women behave

after reading a positive comment on a purchase, as they enjoy not only having a liable
source telling them their opinions on the products and having a source of information,
but also that they enjoy reading texts by someone they relate to.
Gil Appel, Lauren Grewal, Rhonda Hadi and Andrew T. Stephen in the paper “The
future of social media in marketing”, drew on academic research, discussions with
industry leaders, and popular discourse, and identified nine themes, organized by
predicted imminence; that they believe will meaningfully shape the future of social
media through three lenses: consumer, industry, and public policy. They conclude that
“If nothing else, it is vitally important that we better understand social media since it
has become highly culturally relevant, a dominant form of communication and
expression, a major media type used by companies for advertising and other forms of
communication, and even has geopolitical ramifications”.
Helena Alves, Cristina Fernandes and Mario Raposo, in the paper “Social Media
Marketing: A Literature Review and Implications”, carried out content analysis and
systemized articles on Social Media Marketing in the Web of Science Database. Forty-
four studies were analysed in accordance with a variation on the systematic review
approach, involving synthesis- and interpretation-based assessment. The results
demonstrate how most of the studies analysed focus on the consumer perspective in
terms of usage, share, and influence of social media on consumer decisions, and
perceptions. They concluded that “the majority of studies have hitherto focused either
on analysing the consumer perspective on social media marketing in an attempt to
perceive how they react to these means or on how companies are able to extract the
maximum possible value from recourse to such channels for managing their
relationships with clients”.
Vivek Bajpai, Dr. Sanjay Pandey and Mrs. Shweta Shriwas in their paper “Social
Media Marketing: Strategies & Its Impact”, emphasized on the strategies that can
take social media marketing to the next level. They stated that as social media is
increasingly available to a large number of people, increased communication for
organizations fosters brand awareness and often, improved customer service. Also,
social media serves as a relatively inexpensive platform for organizations to implement
marketing campaigns. They concluded that “creating a basic social media presence is
easy enough, getting your community to actually do something is more difficult”.
Lisichkova, Nadezhda and Othman, Zeina in the paper “The Impact of Influencers on
Online Purchase Intent”, explore two areas - influencers in influencer contemporary
marketing and online purchase intent. Hence, the purpose of this study was to explore
the features that an influencer possesses or should possess and their impact on online
purchase intent for consumers. They concluded that “Authenticity is amongst the most
significant features that has an impact on whether the interviewees will listen to the
influencers. The other features of significance are trustworthiness and credibility,
competence and expertise, legitimacy and honesty”.

Miglė ČERNIKOVAITĖ, in the paper “The Impact of Influencer Marketing on

Consumer Buying Behaviour in Social Networks”, tried to analyse the effects that
influencer marketing has on consumer behaviour by determining which partnership
opportunities are most relevant. To conduct this study, the theoretical analysis of
scientific literature and quantitative statistical analysis of empirical research results was
done. The research in Lithuania has shown that before making a decision to purchase a
product or a service, most respondents are actively seeking information in social
networks by reading other customers' feedback. Moreover, the survey reveals that
recommendations, comments, shared information about certain brands by Influencers
are the most important factors in changing buying behaviour.
Anshul Gupta, in his paper, “Factors affecting influencer marketing campaigns

among start-up firms”, tried to analyse the authenticity of influencer marketing
content, method of selection of influencer for the promotional impact and to determine
different platforms used by Influencer and their popularity in promotional aspects. He
concluded that “that influencer marketing strategy plays an important role for any
organization”. It was also deduced that content authenticity plays a significant role in
the purchase decision of the consumers.

Chapter 5 – Research Methodology
5.1. Introduction
This research was conducted to study “The Various Factors that Affect
Influencer Marketing”. As the world goes digital, the conventional/traditional
methods of marketing are no longer enough. Hence, more and more brands are
opting for influencer marketing to drive their brand message to their targeted
audience and to increase their brand awareness. But there are various factors that
contribute to the success of such campaigns. This study is an attempt
to understand the factors that have an impact on influencer marketing. The
sample size for the study was taken to be 150. The study is focused on the
people between the age group of 18-45, focusing more on the age group 18-35,
as they are comparatively observed to be more active across social media
platforms. The survey was conducted by rolling out a questionnaire to the
respondents to avoid personal contact with them owing to the current pandemic.
This questionnaire was prepared after doing an extensive literature review of
secondary data available from articles and journals. It is assumed that the
respondents have completely understood the survey questions and answered
them truthfully to the best of their knowledge. The type of sampling taken is
Random non-probability based Sampling.
5.2. Detailed Problem Statement

As more and more brands look towards Influencer Marketing, which is already
on a rise in India, there is still scepticism about how effective this type of
marketing is. There are various factors that lead to the failure of this type of
marketing. Some of such factors that put off a consumer’s interest in this type of
marketing are as follows:
1. Commercialization of Influencer Marketing: Influencer marketing

nowadays has become so commercialized that the lines between sponsor
sorted content and authentic recommendations are blurred. Also, buyers are
smart enough to comprehend that influencers may be endorsing products for
the lure of free goodies or monetary incentives.
2. The authenticity of the Influencers: As influencers, nowadays, just to

become famous rapidly, include fake followers in their list, and also many
times recommend a product just for monetary benefits, the authenticity of
influencers has come into question. People nowadays are not very trusting as
more and more influencers are getting trapped in the vicious cycle of
commercialization and fame. Many people also believe that the more the
number of followers an influencer has, the less authentic is the influencer in
his/her recommendations.

3. Becoming Social Media Celebrities: Many times, it happens that even

genuine influencers who create credible content are not trusted by their
followers after they reach a certain amount of fame or popularity. As the
nano or micro-influencers turn into mega or macro-influencers, their
engagement and personal touch with the audience decreases. They become
the prey of scepticism. Hence, sometimes even fame works negatively for
the influencers.
4. More Engagement, Fewer Sales: In this type of marketing, even if

everything goes right, sometimes it is not enough. For example, a brand
might choose a perfect influencer, who engages the audience very frequently
and has a good following. But this does not mean that the sale of the
products of that particular brand will increase or that consumers will start
buying it just because the influencer recommended it. Hence, good
engagement does not necessarily mean the sales of a particular brand will
increase. It might, it might not. The ultimate power rests with the consumer.
5. Consumers trust influencers less when there is a variety of choices for a

product: Consumers rely on influencer recommendations to make choices
about product quality and purchases. It is even more prominent now with the
prevalence of influencers on social media platforms. The problem is, when
there is a wide variety of the same product, consumers question if a positive
recommendation is based on quality or personal preferences.
6. Sponsored content is not authentic: Sponsored content raises many doubts

in a consumer’s mind. They feel that because the content posted by the
influencer is paid for by the brand, the recommendation is not authentic.
They think that the influencer is recommending that a particular brand or
product only for the sake of earning revenue, which might or may not be
true.
5.3. Rationale behind the Research
Influencer Marketing has provided brands with authentic opportunities to drive

their brand message to the target audience. By leveraging the creative content
and genuine audience from an influencer, a brand can reach new consumers and
cultivate loyalty. Hence, one can say that influencer marketing has emerged as
an effective mode of communication because of the personal touch it provides
with the target audience through their favourite influencers.

With the growth of multilingual content and highly engaging platforms like
YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, a brand can communicate with a large
number of target audiences digitally. Also, since the amount of time people
spend on social media is increasing, this form of marketing is inevitable.
Even though it is a fact that people trust genuine opinions and recommendations,
many times, influencer marketing does not increase the sales of a brand or
product. The maximum influencer marketing can do for a brand is build brand
awareness.
Hence there are various factors contributing to the effectiveness of influencer

marketing for brands, one of the main factors being consumer perception of the
whole concept of influencer marketing. Hence, to understand influencer
marketing it is necessary to study these factors that impact it.
5.4. Research Question

Influencer Marketing has been the strategy every brand is eyeing to gain
customers for the past few years. It has become an important form of marketing
as the world goes digital and more and more connected. People value authentic
content over anything else, even in marketing.
What are the factors that influence influencer marketing? What kind of
influencers do the consumers trust or follow more? Is influencer marketing
really as effective as it seems?
These are some of the questions that the research tries to answer. The questions
were selected after a thorough literature review and are assumed to be truly
answered by the respondents after understanding them.
5.5. Objectives of the Study

● To study which type of influencers are trusted more by the consumers
● To study the factors that impact influencer marketing
● To study which social media platforms are preferred by the respondents to
follow influencers
● How effective is influencer marketing in increasing brand awareness?
5.6. Research Design
Research design is basically a structure for research methods and instruments

chosen by researchers to address different components of research in a logical

manner, thereby ensuring to effectively address the research problem. It is a

framework or blueprint for conducting the study, it describes the process
involved in obtaining the necessary information to provide a solution to a
specified problem.
In order to study the objectives previously defined, a primary as well as a

secondary research was done. For the primary research, a survey was conducted
with the help of questionnaires for a sample size of 150 people within the age
group of 18-45.
Sampling Frame
The following sampling frame was used to conduct this research.
Population: Individuals use social media platforms to stay connected and who
follow influencers and actively engage with them.
Sampling Frame: This study was conducted for a sample in the age group of 18
to 45 assuming that they are the most engaging audience on social media. This
assumption was based by closely studying the engagement on the social media
platforms of certain influencers.
Sample Size: The actual sample size for the questionnaire was taken to be 150.
But because certain discrepancies take place while collecting data like
repetitions, the data was collected for 160 respondents out of which 150 were
considered for conducting the study.
Sampling Method:Non-Probability based convenience sampling was used for

selecting the respondents for the research.
5.7. Data Collection Methods

This call is for defining the target population to be surveyed. In this research, the
sampling unit was the people who actively follow influencers and engage with
them. The data were collected through the questionnaire as we oriented our
research on primary data. Other aspects of collecting data such as interviews,
focus group discussion, case study and other methods were not possible due to
the current pandemic. Hence, to avoid physical contact of any kind, the
questionnaire was designed and shared with the target groups through social
media platforms to get answers for further research for the study. In particular, a
desirable amount of responses from our respondents was received. The
secondary information has been collected from various website articles and E-
journals and also by monitoring the social media platforms of some influencers.

5.8. Limitations of the Research

The limitations of this research can be attributed to various factors including the
design of the questionnaire or due to lack of physical interviews owing to the
current situations. Some of the limitations observed during the course of the
research are as follows:
 Most of the respondents are between the age group of 18 and 24. Hence, it is a
demographic limitation and can lead to biases.
 Since nearly half of the population of India consists of youth, it is not possible to
take the research conducted on this sample as universal. There might be certain
changes in opinions due to various reasons.
 Not all respondents are attentive, conscious, and may not feel encouraged to
provide accurate, honest answers while answering to the question asked in the
questionnaire and can affect the nature of the study.
 There is a possibility that not all respondents are aware of everything that is
asked in the questionnaire. There might be some discrepancies regarding their
complete awareness.
 Surveys with closed-ended questions may have a lower validity rate than other
question types. Moreover, from limited options, only the question has to be
answered limiting the choice of the answer for the respondents.
5.9. Scope for Future
In this research, a study was conducted to understand the various factors that
impact influencer marketing. Many different adaptations, tests, and experiments
have been left for the future due to lack of time (i.e., Interview, Case study,
focus group discussion are usually very time consuming, requiring even days to
finish a single run). Future work concerns deeper analysis of particular
mechanisms, new proposals to try different methods, or simply curiosity.
 Fortunately, it was possible to get answers from different demographic and

geographic sections of the country even if the data collected are not sufficient
for a better understanding of the subject. Hence the subject involves a broader
analysis of the topic in order to obtain a simple and accurate outcome.
 The same research can be conducted with a larger sample, as owing to certain
constrictions, the sample size kept for this study is quite small.
 Open-ended questions can be asked to the respondents to get a better

understanding of their thoughts about the subject.

Chapter 6 - Data Analysis and Interpretation
6.1. Characteristics of The Sample (Demographic Segmentation)

The Population is comprised of users of social media platforms who followed
social media influencers as defined in the similar literature review. The
population of this study are the people who follow influencers on various social
media platforms of various parts of India. The survey was conducted for 150
respondents. The respondents belonged to various demographic classes.
Demographic
Category Frequency Percentage
variables
18-24 122 81.30%
25-35 22 14.70%
Age 36-45 6 4%
>45 0 0%
Total 150 100%
Male 87 58%
Female 63 42%
Gender
Others 0 0%
Total 150 100%
Matriculation 0 0%
Diploma/Higher Secondary 6 4%
Educational
Qualification Degree/Graduation 76 50.70%
Masters/Postgraduate/Ph.D. 68 45.30%

Total 150 100%
Student 92 61.30%
Government Employee 4 2.70%
Private Employee 39 26%

Profession
Self-Employed 6 4%
Others 9 6%
Total 150 100%
<3,00,000 92 61.30%
3,00,000-5,00,000 26 17.30%
Annual 5,00,000-10,00,000 23 15.30%

Income
More than 10,00,000 9 6%
Total 150 100%
(Table 1: Demographic Segmentation)
6.1.1. Age of the Respondents
Age Frequency Percentage
18-24 122 81.30%
25-35 22 14.70%
35-45 6 6%
>45 0 0%
Total 150
(Table 2: Frequency Distribution of the Respondents by Age)

(Figure 23:: Pie Chart showing Frequency Distribution of Respondents by Age)
From the above chart, it can be observed th

that
at a majority of the respondents were
in the age group of 18
18-24,
24, whereas people above the age of 45 were excluded
from the study. This is because, from the literature review and secondary data
collected, it was observed that people within this age group are
are more active on
social media platforms and also more likely to follow influencers on various
social media platforms.
6.1.2. Gender of the Respondents
Gender Frequency Percentage
Male 87 58%
Female 63 42%
Others 0 0%
Total 150 100%
(Table 3: Frequency Dist

Distribution of Respondents by Gender)

(Figure 24:: Pie Chart showing Frequency Distribution of the Respondents by Gender)
Gender categorization is another demographic tool that was used to understand

the respondents more closely. As seen in the figure abov
above,
e, the number of male
respondents is higher than the number of female respondents. But the survey
was conducted in an unbiased manner and the high number of male respondents
is more because of the random sample data collected.
6.1.3. Profession of the Respondent

Respondents
Profession Frequency Percentage
Student 92 61.30%
Government
Employee 4 2.70%
Private Employee 39 26%
Self-Employed
Employed 6 4%
Others 9 6%
Total 150 100%
(Table 4: Frequency Distribution of Respondents by Profession)

(Figure 25:: Pie Chart showing

showing Frequency Distribution of the Respondents by
Profession)
As seen from the figure above, the respondents are mostly students. This
is because the study was targeted towards the youth as they are the most
active users of social media platforms and also ac
actively
tively engage with the
influencers.
6.2. Social Media Platforms Used by the Respondents
(Figure 26:: Bar Graph showing the social media platforms used by the Respondents)

From the data collected, it is evident that most of the respondents use Instagram,
Facebook
book and YouTube regularly. This data was collected in order to determine
how many respondents were active on different social media platforms and how
many of them followed influencers across different platforms.
6.3. Social Media Platforms Used to Follow Infl

Influencers
(Figure 27:: Bar Graph showing the social media platforms used by the Respondents to
Follow Influencers)
From the data collected, it can be observed that media-driven

media driven social platforms
are the most common for the respondents to follow influencers. Instagram is the
most popular social media platform to follow influencers, followed by YouTube
and Facebook. This can be because Instagram offers a good balance between
images and videos and can hence deliver a robust experience.
6.4. Types of Influencers Foll

Followed by the Respondents
(Figure 28:: Bar Graph showing the types of Influencers followed by the Respondents)

We can see that a majority of the respondents follow mega influencers and
macro influencers. This can be because; this category majorly consists of high-
end celebrities and hence is very glamorous even when it comes to social media.
6.5. Types of Influencers Trusted by the Respondents for

Recommendations
(Figure 29:: Bar Graph showing the types of Influencers the Respondents Trust for
Recommendations)
Even though most of the respondents follow more mega and macro influencers
on social media platforms, the trust factor among the respondents for these are
not very high. In fact, it can be seen that nano
nano-influencers
influencers are trusted far more.
This can be due to various factors like authenticity, sponsored content or just the
credibility of these influencers as they have become major household names and
hence are paid hefty sums for brand endorsements.

6.6. Trust on Influencer Claim
(Figure 30:: Pie Chart showing

showi the Respondents’ Trust on Influencer Claim)
From the data collected, it can be observed that 100 out of 150 respondents are
not very sure how trustworthy or authentic the claims of the influencers are. This
means that a majority of the respondents are nnotot very sure about the authenticity
of the influencer’s claims and hence this can be a major factor that impacts this
type of marketing. It also means that, since they have not disregarded the
influencers completely, there is still the possibility of turni
turning
ng them into positive
consumers by a change in the style of influencer marketing.
6.7. What do the Respondents look for in an Influencer?
(Figure 31:: Bar graph showing the qualities the respondents looks for in an
influencer)

Expertise, trustworthiness and credibility are the qualities that the respondents
rank high in influencers. This is also because, with the world getting more and
more connected, the consumers guard themselves against bad companies with
the help of their online communities. Hence, they are
are not gullible and are not
likely to heed to a recommendation just because an influencer with a high
number of followers recommended it.
6.8. Influencer vs. Buying Decision
(Figure 32:: Figure showing the brand’s choice of influencers and consumer decision)
As may be seen from the chart above, the majority of the respondents either are
not entirely affected by the choice of influencers selected by a brand or are not
affected to a particular level. Hence, it can be observed that loyal consumers will
follow a brand
rand irrespective of their choice of influencers. Hence, we can say that
the choice of influencers is not a major factor affecting Influencer Marketing.

6.9. Influencer Recommendations and Buying Decisions
(Figure 33:: Bar chart showing Influencer Recomme

Recommendation
ndation and Buying Decision)
The chart above shows that more than half of the respondents do not buy a
product just because their favourite influencer recommended it. This shows that
even though they trust a particular influencer, the influencer is not the
th only
reason why they will buy the product. Rather, the respondents like to make an
informed decision when it comes to buying products.
6.10. Consumer Content Preference
(Figure 34:: Bar chart showing Consumer Content Preference)

These data confirm the previo

previous
us data analysis that a majority of the respondents
prefer Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to follow the influencers, as 74 out of
150 respondents prefer watching videos and 44 prefer looking at images. While
all the social media platforms do provide video content, Instagram offers a
perfect blend of both video as well as picture content which is why most of the
respondents prefer Instagram. Hence, the type of content created can also play a
role in Influencer Marketing for raising brand awareness.
6.11. Influencer
cer Discovery
(Figure 35:: Bar Chart showing modes of Influencer Discovery)
Even though more than half of the respondents said they discovered new
influencers through social media recommendations, there are still quite a few of
the respondents who discover
discover influencers through family and friends. Hence, it
can be said that family and friends are a trusted source to find new influencers.

6.12. New Brand/Product Discovery
(Figure 36:: Bar chart showing the Frequency of New Brand/Product Discovery)
Raising brand
and awareness is one of the major reasons why companies opt for
Influencer Marketing. From the data collected it was found that even though 61
respondents rarely found about a new brand through influencers, 48 and 37
respondents are said to have found out about a new brand on a monthly and
weekly basis respectively.
6.13. Consumer Purchase Through Influencers
(Figure 37:: Bar chart showing the Consumer Purchase through Influencers)

Once the influencer builds a connection with his/her audience, the consumers
have little reservations about shopping through an influencer’s page. From the
data collected it was found that more than half of the respondents (111 out of
150) have made a purchase by clicking on a link provided by an influencer.
6.14. Authenticityy Definition According to the Respondents
(Figure 38:: Bar chart showing Authenticity definition for the consumers)
About 40 respondents said that authenticity comes from an influencer when they
provide something of value to them. For 37 respondents authenticity is when the
core values of the influencers align with their own core values. But for a lot of
the respondents (58), authenticity comes when an influencer is an expert in the
domain.

6.15. When Consumers Distrust or Stop Following Influencers
(Figure 39:: Bar chart showing w

why
hy consumers distrust or stop following influencers)
From the data collected it was observed that most of the respondents lose their
trust in influencers and stop following them when the posts of influencers do not
align withth their core values or when they post too much sponsored content.
Respondents also stop following an influencer when there is a change in the
quality of the content or simply because they lose interest over time.

Chapter 7 – Findings and Conclusion
7.1. Findings
 Instagram, Facebook and Youtube remain the most used social media platforms.
Hence, these platforms cannot be ignored when a brand is trying to raise brand
awareness through influencers. Also, other platforms like Twitter are also
growing in India and if used correctly, can turn out to be a goldmine for
Influencer Marketing.
 Even though most of the respondents follow Mega-Influencers more, they are
not able to trust them. When looking for recommendations, the consumers turn
to micro or nano-influencers, which can be because these influencers build their
audience trust bit by bit or maybe because they post less of sponsored content.
 Though the consumers turn to influencers for recommendations, it does not

always mean that they will buy or consume the product. This is because even
though, they might look for recommendations, a consumer will not buy a
product without researching about it first just because their favourite influencer
recommended it.
 Trust, expertise and credibility rank high for the audience when it comes to an
influencer. High number of followers can sometimes be a disadvantage because
consumers might feel that having high number of followers makes an influencer
lose her or his credibility or authenticity.
 Vidoes and images are the best way to capture the attention of the audience.
Also, the content created by the influencer should be of good quality and
relevant to grab the attention of the consumers. Also, the content generated
should align with the core values of the influencer as well as his or her
following.
7.2. Conclusion
Influencers continue to drive success for brands investing in this marketing strategy.
Even though it is still not taken to be a major marketing strategy, influencer marketing
has a lot of potential for growth in the coming years. As the world goes digital and
hence more and more get connected, influencer marketing will become one of the most
sought-after marketing strategies.

From the study it can be concluded that “Authenticity” is one major factor that can be a
game-changer for Influencer Marketing. For the consumers to trust in a brand, they
should also be able to trust in the claims made by the influencers about the brand.
Another major factor was Influencer Expertise in the domain they are talking about. A
lot of consumers trust influencers if they are experts in that particular field. It makes
their claims more credible and authentic to the consumers. Other factors that impact
influencer marketing are credibility of the influencer, the type of content they post
(videos and images are the most preferred forms), the amount of sponsored posts
posted, the quality of the content posted and the core values of the influencer.
Having said that, working with influencers can bring a unique connection with
consumers for brands and influencer marketing is here to stay with many brands trying
to build their online presence through loyal communities.

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18,followed%20by%205%25%20on%20Sharechat.
6. https://letsinfluence.io/growth-of-influencer-marketing-in-india/
7. https://www.talkwalker.com/case-studies/the-state-of-influencer-marketing-in-
india-2019
8. https://www.researchgate.net/
9. https://www.academia.edu/Documents/in/Websites
10. https://www.scribd.com/

Annexure
Questionnaire for study of “A Study of the Factors that Impact Influencer

Marketing”:
Basic Information of the Respondent(Personal Details)
1. Name of the Respondent
2. Gender
a. Male
b. Female
c. Prefer not to say
3. Age of the Respondent

a. 18-24
b. 25-30
c. 35-45
d. >45
4. Educational Qualification of the Respondent

a. Matriculation
b. Diploma/Higher Secondary
c. Degree/Graduation
d. Masters/Post Graduation/Ph.D
5. Occupation of the Respondent

a. Student
b. Government Employee
c. Private Employee
d. Self-Employed
e. Other
6. Salary Range(Annual)
a. <3,00,000
b. 3,00,000-5,00,000
c. 5,00,000-10,00,000
d. More than 10,00,000
7. Which of the following social media platforms do you use?

a. Instagram
b. Facebook
c. Twitter
d. Other

Survey Questions(Main research-based questions)
8. Which types of influencers do you follow?

a. Mega Influencers(e.g. Bollywood celebrities, sportsperson, etc)
b. Macro Influencers(e.g. Mithila Parker, Komal Pandey, Kenny Sebastian,
Prajakta Kohli, etc)
c. Micro Influencers(e.g. Followers between 50,000 to 1,00,000 )
d. Nano Influencers(e.g. Doctors, Nutritionists, Gym Trainers )
9. For choosing a new a product, which kind of influencer will you trust more for
recommendations?
a. Mega Influencers(e.g. Bollywood celebrities, sportsperson, etc)
b. Macro Influencers(e.g. Mithila Parker, Komal Pandey, Kenny Sebastian,
Prajakta Kohli, etc)
c. Micro Influencers(e.g. Followers between 50,000 to 1,00,000 )
d. Nano Influencers(e.g. Doctors, Nutritionists, Gym Trainers )
10. On which platforms do you follow the influencers?

a. Instagram
b. Youtube
c. Facebook
d. Twitter
e. Other
11. What factors affect your choice of influencers?

a. Trustworthiness
b. Expertise in that particular domain
c. Credibility
d. Likeability
e. High no. of followers on social media
12. What kind of content attracts you?

a. Images
b. Videos
c. Written Content(Blogs, articles, etc)
13. Do you believe that more the popularity of the influencer and the no. of
followers on social media, less the authenticity of his/her recommendations?
a. Yes
b. No
14. How often do you buy products recommended by an influencer?

a. Very Often
b. Sometimes
c. Rarely
15. Have you ever bought a product just because your favorite influencer
recommended it?

a. Yes
b. No
16. Does the choice influencer used by a brand affect your buying decision?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Maybe
17. How do you find new influencers?

a. Social media recommendations
b. Family and friends
c. Giveaways
18. How often do you discover a new brand or product through the influencers you
follow?
a. Daily
b. Weekly
c. Monthly
d. Never
19. How often do you buy products by clicking on the link provided by the
influencer
a. Very Often
b. Sometimes
c. Rarely
d. Never
20. What does the authenticity of influencers mean to you?

a. When they provide something of value
b. When the core values of the influencer align with yours
c. When they are an expert on the topic
d. When they are passionate about what they recommend
21. Why do you stop following a particular influencer?

a. Lose interest over time
b. When their post does not align with their core values
c. When they post too many sponsored contents
d. A change in the quality of posts

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A study on the Factors that Impact Influencer Marketing

A Summer Internship Project Report

“Factors that Impact Influencer Marketing”

Under the guidance of

In partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the Degree of

Page | ii B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

Certificate by the Company

Page | iii B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

I, Anmol Nair, student of B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies,

Place: Ahmedabad ________________

Page | iv B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

Next, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Ravina Vachhani, HR

Page | v B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

Page | vi B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

Chapter 1: Introduction to Company………………………………………...……….5

Chapter 2: Introduction to Research Topic…………………………………………14

Chapter 3: Theoretical Framework…………………………………………...……..19

Chapter 4: Literature Review…………………………………………………..……21

Chapter 5: Research Methodology………………………………………………..…24

Chapter 6: Data Analysis and Interpretation……………………………………….29

Chapter 7: Findings and Conclusion………………………………………………...43

Page | vii B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

Sr. No. Particulars Page No.

10 Prickly Pear Fruit Nectar 8

11 Moringa Leaf Tablet 9

14 Stevia Sweetener for Beverages 10

17 Stevia Lemongrass/Peach Tea 11

20 Personal Care Products 12

21 WeHear Hearing Aid 13

23 Pie Chart showing Frequency Distribution of the Respondents by Age 31

24 Pie Chart showing Frequency Distribution of the Respondents by Gender 32

25 Pie Chart showing Frequency Distribution of the Respondents by Profession 33

28 Bar Graph showing the types of Influencers followed by the Respondents 34

30 Pie Chart showing the Respondents’ Trust on Influencer Claim 36

32 Figure showing the brand’s choice of influencers and consumer decision 37

33 Bar chart showing Influencer Recommendation and Buying Decision 38

34 Bar chart showing Consumer Content Preference 38

35 Bar Chart showing modes of Influencer Discovery 39

36 Bar chart showing the Frequency of New Brand/Product Discovery 40

37 Bar chart showing the Consumer Purchase through Influencers 40

38 Bar chart showing Authenticity definition for the consumers 41

39 Bar chart showing Why consumers distrust or stop following influencers 42

Page | 2 B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

Internship Duration: 25th May, 2020 to 20th July, 2020

Internship Training and Assignments:

Page | 3 B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

 An intense knowledge about influencer marketing and various categories of

Page | 4 B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

Chapter I – Introduction to the Company

(Figure 1: Company Logo)

It is built on an inclusive growth con

For its food processing, the company focuses on chemical-free

Page | 5 B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

1.2. Vision of the Company

1.3. Mission of the Company

1.4. Brands of the Company

(Figure 2: Hb+ Logo)

1.4.2. Royal Gabat

(Figure 3: Royal Gabat Lo

Page | 6 B.K. School of Professional and Management Studies

(Figure 4:: Karmic Logo)

(Figure 5: FSSAI logo) (Figure 6: HACCP logo)