Toronto Metropolitan University
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Instagram, influencers, and native advertising: examining follower engagement with influencer content

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posted on 2022-10-20, 15:33 authored by Ahmed Minhas
This Master of Professional Communication Major Research Paper (MRP) aims to examine whether Instagram influencer engagement levels have been negatively impacted by the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) regulations requiring social media influencers, brands, and marketers, to visibly disclose their partnerships. The FTC's regulations were enacted within the context of native advertising, with concern that consumers were unable to distinguish between genuine influencer content and sponsored content. Due to this research paper's role as a pilot study, the literature review outlines the concepts of native advertising, micro-celebrities, the Instafamous, social media influencers, and electronic word of mouth (eWOM). A quantitative content analysis was conducted using 20 samples (each) from two Instagram influencers within the niches of travel and menswear. The result of this pilot study shows that the presence of sponsorship disclosure and overt product advertisement (including product placement) in influencer content has a negative impact on engagement

History

Language

eng

Degree

  • Master of Professional Communication

Program

  • Professional Communication

Granting Institution

Ryerson University

LAC Thesis Type

  • MRP

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    Professional Communication (Theses)

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