The Effect of 20s Korean Female Consumers’ Self-Concept Clarity on Social Media Marketing of Beauty Products

Abstract

With the increasing emphasis on social media presence in brands' marketing mix, brands are increasingly turning to social media influencers (SMI) to function as intermediaries for the brand and its products online. This study aims to analyze and identify the relationship between consumers and interactions with SMI and brands on Instagram, and how this translates to susceptibility to social media marketing. Specifically, this study looks at the differences between high and low self-concept clarity (SCC) individuals and their evaluations of SMI and brand contents. A 2 x 2 factorial study with an accompanying survey and image treatments will test respondents SCC, self-congruence, source credibility, brand attitude, and purchase intention to chart different SCC respondents susceptibility to SMI contents. While not all hypotheses were supported, the study found support for the impacts of SCC and image type on the consumers reported self-congruence. This information can be useful in the managerial application of SMI marketing, as self-congruence often mediates which brands and products a consumer is willing to purchase. Thus this study begins to bridge the gap in the existing literature on SCC mediating role in consumer behavior, into the expanding SMI marketing sphere.;본 연구는 인스타그램에서 소비자, 소셜미디어 인플루엔서 (Social Media Influencer - SMI), 브랜드 간의 관계를 조사했다. SMI 마케팅에 대한 민감성을 측정하기 위해, 자기 개념 명확성(SCC)이 높거나 낮은 응답자들의 SMI 또는 브랜드 콘텐츠에 대한 평가를 조사했다. 결과가 가설을 전체적으로 뒷받침하지는 못했지만, 여전히 흥미로운 발견을 볼 수 있었다: 1) 소비자의 자기 일치성에 대한 이미지 및 SCC의 영향을 증명 하고 2) 소비자의 브랜드 자세 및 구매 의도에 대한 이미지의 영향을 증명 했다. 따라서, 이 연구는 소셜 미디어에 대한 미래의 소비자 행동 연구가 어떻게 확장될 수 있는지 흥미로운 통찰을 제공했다.