Nowadays brands collaborate with social media influencers in order to promote products or services, and they use them as part of their strategies. Influencers can, through their social media accounts, reach large amounts of individuals, are able to raise brand awareness, and also affect purchase decisions. Consumers are interested in their product endorsements and recommendations, because they perceive them as credible and reliable individuals, to whom they feel connected to. Social media influencers who post beauty related content specifically on Instagram, are one of the most powerful niches of the platform. Furthermore, it is a very common practice for this type of influencers to endorse make-up products in their Instagram profile, and share their suggestions and experiences with their audience. The purpose of this research is to explore the ways that young Greek women perceive high-end make-up product endorsements that are made by beauty social media influencers on Instagram. More specifically, the research focuses on the perceived value and the perceived credibility of the high-end make-up product endorsements, as well as the perceived value of the endorsed high-end make-up products. The method used for this research was qualitative indepth interviews with 12 young Greek women aged between 18 and 35 years old and followers of Greek beauty influencers. After collecting the data, thematic analysis was conducted in order to analyze them and identify themes or patterns that are related to the research questions. The findings indicate that young women find practices such as make-up product reviews, tutorials, or testing videos and product launches announcements valuable in the high-end make-up product endorsements. Additionally, when it comes to the perceived credibility of the endorsements, honesty, transparency, experience and expertise, relatability and spontaneity are perceived in a more positive way. Furthermore, the perceived value of the endorsed high-end make-up products includes characteristics such as the product’s quality, the offered experience, and packaging. Finally, the theoretical and social implications of this study are presented, along with the limitations and suggestions for future research.

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T. de la Hera
hdl.handle.net/2105/50028
Media & Business
Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication

M. Georgaki Kondyli. (2019, June 24). Beauty influencers and high-end make-up product endorsements A qualitative research in high-end product endorsements by beauty social media influencers through the eyes of young Greek female Instagram users. Media & Business. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2105/50028