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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES DISSERTATION / FINAL YEAR PROJECT SUBMISSION COVERSHEET Dissertations / Final Year Projects MUST be submitted online via Blackboard Learn under the relevant modular block course page and by TWO bound hard copies to the Taught Programmes Office. Student Number: Dissertation Module Code:

MG3119

Dissertation Supervisor

I confirm that I understand a complete submission of coursework is by one electronic copy of my assignment via Blackboard Learn. I understand that assignments must be submitted by the deadline in order to achieve an uncapped grade. Separate guidelines apply to reassessed work. Please see the Coursework Submission Policy for details. Any coursework or examined submission for assessment where plagiarism, collusion or any form of cheating is suspected will be dealt with according to the University processes which are detailed in Senate Regulation 6. You can access information about plagiarism here. The University regulations on plagiarism apply to published as well as unpublished work, collusion and the plagiarism of the work of other students. Please ensure that you fully understand what constitutes plagiarism before you submit your work. I confirm that I have read and understood the guidance on plagiarism. I also confirm that I have neither plagiarised in this coursework, nor allowed my own work to be plagiarised. The submission of this coversheet is confirmation that you have read and understood the above statements. A selection of dissertations may be put on Blackboard Learn to be read by other students. I hereby consent to my dissertation being published on the Department’s Taught Programme Office organisation on Blackboard Learn, for teaching and research purposes. YES/NO (Delete as appropriate)

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INVESTIGATING THE ADVERTISING PRACTICES OF INSTAGRAM BLOGGERS AND THEIR EFFECT ON FEMALE CONSUMERS’ BUYING DECISIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

BSc International Business Brunel Business School Supervisor:

Word Count: 8000 words Submission: 8 th March 2017 Acknowledgment

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First, I would like to thank Allah (s.w.t) for giving me the strength and capability to complete this research. I would also like to thank my supervisor, for her guidance and support throughout this project. Her dedication to her students and encouragement is truly inspirational. I was lucky to be paired with a supervisor who motivated me to aspire to achieve my potential. I would like to dedicate this research to my mother. I would not have been able to complete my research without her unconditional love, support and prayers. Furthermore, to my sister, thank you for inspiring me to fulfil my dreams and always being there for me. I am lucky to have been able to share my university life with you.

I

would

also

like

to

thank

for

believing

in

my

capabilities and being my confidant. I am also thankful for having

wonderful

friends,

who

constantly

guided,

supported and helped me stay focused through this study.

Lastly, I am thankful to all the participants of this study for allowing me to fulfil my objectives by sacrificing their time and honestly sharing their views.

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Abstract The advancement of technology has altered the methods in which consumers seek information. Social media applications such as Instagram have enabled bloggers to influence purchase decisions, lifestyle, trends and even taste. Bloggers are defined as individuals who create brand awareness through their posts, share their experiences and how they combine beauty and fashion. Moreover, bloggers are a unique intersection between of a ‘regular’ person and celebrity, this is due to their ability to influence their followers and at the same time relate to the experience. Bloggers have the ability to influence consumer buying decision through advertising. However, they publish photographs with an expensive taste and maintain their facades . Hence, bloggers have proven to be successful since most of them have turned their hobbies into real businesses by acting as representatives However, having an influence is far more than having a lot of followers. It is about the relationship between the influencer and the followers combine with the credibility of the influencer. There is a gap in past literature focuses on the western world when discussing social media and its influences. There is a gap in literature regarding the rapid growth of activity in social media and increase in number of bloggers in the Middle East. This study examines not only the perceptions about social media influencer marketing, but also the credibility of the influencers. It will further examine the blogger factors which influence consumers’ buying decision process at each stage. The aim of this study is to identify the influence of bloggers on women’s’ buying behaviour in the Middle East.

Table of Content

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES...............................................................1 DISSERTATION / FINAL YEAR PROJECT SUBMISSION COVERSHEET...........................................1 STUDENT NUMBER:......................................................................................................................1 DISSERTATION MODULE CODE:.......................................................................................................1 DISSERTATION SUPERVISOR.............................................................................................................1 ACKNOWLEDGMENT..............................................................................................................2 ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................4 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................8 1.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................8 1.2 RESEARCH BACKGROUND..................................................................................................8 1.2.1 Electronic Word of Mouth..........................................................................................8 1.2.2 Instagram...................................................................................................................8 1.2.3 Online Bloggers..........................................................................................................9 1.2.4 Consumer buying behaviour.....................................................................................10 1.3 PROBLEM STATEMENT............................................................................................................10 1.4 RESEARCH AIM.....................................................................................................................10 1.5 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES...........................................................................................................11 1.6 RESEARCH SYNOPSIS..............................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW...........................................................................................13 2.1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................13 2.2 SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES (SNS)...........................................................................................13 2.2.1 Blogging in the Middle East......................................................................................13 2.2.2 Instagram: a social media marketing tool................................................................14 2.3 ELECTRONIC WORD OF MOUTH..............................................................................................14 2.4 BLOGGERS: THE NEW ONLINE INFLUENCERS................................................................................15 2.4.1 Source credibility theory...........................................................................................16 2.5 CONSUMER BUYING DECISION-MAKING PROCESS.........................................................................16 2.6 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK.....................................................................................................18 2.6.1 Theoretical development..........................................................................................19 2.6.2 Proposed Conceptual Framework.............................................................................19 2.6 RESEARCH GAP....................................................................................................................20 2.8 CHAPTER SUMMARY..............................................................................................................21 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY................................................................................22 3.1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................22 3.1.1 Positivism vs. Interpretivism.....................................................................................22 3.1.2 Deductive vs. Inductive.............................................................................................22 3.2 RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY..........................................................................................................22 3.3 RESEARCH APPROACH............................................................................................................23 3.4 RESEARCH METHODS............................................................................................................24 3.4.1 Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research.......................................................................24 3.4.2 Sampling Method.....................................................................................................24 3.4.3 Semi-structured interviews.......................................................................................25 3.4.4 Survey.......................................................................................................................27 3.4.5 Alternative Research Methods.................................................................................27 3.5 DATA ANALYSIS.....................................................................................................................27

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3.6 PILOT STUDY........................................................................................................................28 3.7 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS......................................................................................................29 3.8 LIMITATIONS........................................................................................................................29 3.9 CHAPTER SUMMARY..............................................................................................................30 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION...............................................................................31 4.1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................31 4.2 SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS...............................................................................................31 4.2.1 Theme 1: Bloggers' Instagram activity.....................................................................31 4.2.2 Theme 2: Source Credibility Theory..........................................................................31 4.2.3 Theme 3: Advertising on Instagram..........................................................................33 4.3 SURVEY...............................................................................................................................34 4.3.1 Demographic Data...................................................................................................35 4.3.2 Instagram usage information...................................................................................38 4.3.3 Consumers’ buying decision process.........................................................................41 4.3.4 Consumers’ perception of bloggers advertising habits.............................................45 4.4 DISCUSSION.........................................................................................................................47 4.5 CHAPTER SUMMARY..............................................................................................................47 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS............................................48 5.1 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................48 5.2 PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS.......................................................................................................49 5.3 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS..........................................................................................................49 5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH...................................................................50 CHAPTER 6: REFERENCES.......................................................................................................51 CHAPTER 7: APPENDICES.......................................................................................................59 APPENDIX 1: ETHICAL APPROVAL LETTER........................................................................................59 APPENDIX 2: PARTICIPATION INFORMATION SHEET (SURVEY)..............................................................59 APPENDIX 3: SURVEY QUESTIONS..................................................................................................62 APPENDIX 4: PARTICIPATION INFORMATION SHEET (INTERVIEW)..........................................................72 APPENDIX 5: CONSENT FORM.......................................................................................................73 APPENDIX 6: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (ENGLISH)...............................................................................74 APPENDIX 7: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (ARABIC)................................................................................74 APPENDIX 8: SAMPLE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (ARABIC)....................................................................75 APPENDIX 9: SAMPLE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (ENGLISH)..................................................................79 APPENDIX 10: CERTIFICATE OF TRANSLATION...................................................................................82 APPENDIX 11: RESPONDENTS’ COMMENT ON SURVEY QUESTION NUMBER 11.......................................83 APPENDIX 12: RESPONDENTS’ COMMENT ON SURVEY QUESTION NUMBER 12.......................................84 APPENDIX 13: RESPONDENTS’ COMMENTS ON SURVEY QUESTION NUMBER 13......................................86

List of Figures and Tables Figure TABLE 1.1 RESEARCH SYNOPSIS 13.........................................................................................................7 TABLE 2.1 THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT 20............................................................................................7 TABLE 3.1: INTERVIEWEE PARTICIPANT ’S DETAILS 27.............................................................................7 TABLE 4.1 PARTICIPANTS DETAILED RESPONSE TO Q10 43......................................................................7 TABLE 4.2 BUYING DECISION PROCESS AND RESPONSES 44......................................................................7 FIGURE 1.1 WORLDWIDE MOBILE INTERNET ADVERTISING REVENUE OF INSTAGRAM FROM 2015 TO 2017...................................................................................................................................................9

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FIGURE 2.1 STAGES OF THE CONSUMER BUYING DECISION PROCESS.......................................................17 FIGURE 2.1 FACTORS INFLUENCE CONSUMERS’ BUYING DECISION PROCESS.......................................19 FIGURE 3.1: CONCURRENT DESIGN (A)......................................................................................................23 FIGURE 3.2: RESEARCH ONION MODEL......................................................................................................23 FIGURE 3.2 SIX PHASES OF THEMATIC ANALYSIS.......................................................................................28 FIGURE 3.3: PILOT STUDY.........................................................................................................................28 FIGURE 4.1 PARTICIPANTS’ GENDER..........................................................................................................35 FIGURE 4.2 PARTICIPANTS’ AGE GROUP.....................................................................................................35 FIGURE 4.3 PARTICIPANTS’ GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION..................................................................................36 FIGURE 4.4 PARTICIPANTS’ EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS......................................................................37 FIGURE 4.5 PARTICIPANTS’ INSTAGRAM USAGE.........................................................................................38 FIGURE 4.6 PARTICIPANTS’ FOLLOWING LOCAL CELEBRITIES OR BLOGGERS ON INSTAGRAM....................38 FIGURE 4.7 NUMBER OF INSTAGRAM CELEBRITIES OR BLOGGERS PARTICIPANTS FOLLOW.........................38 FIGURE 4.8 INSTAGRAM BLOGGER CREDIBILITY........................................................................................40 FIGURE 4.9 COMPARISON BETWEEN BLOGGERS AND SPECIALISTS............................................................41 FIGURE 4.10 PARTICIPANTS RESPONSE IN RELATION TO CONSUMER BUYING DECISION PROCESS...............41 FIGURE 4.11 PARTICIPANTS’ EXPERIENCE AFTER USING BLOGGER ADVERTISED PRODUCTS (POST-PURCHASE EVALUATION)....................................................................................................................................44 FIGURE 4.12 ARE BLOGGERS PAID TO ADVERTISE?....................................................................................45 FIGURE 4.13 PARTICIPANTS’ PERCEPTION ON A BLOGGER’S CREDIBILITY.............................................46

Table TABLE 1.1 RESEARCH SYNOPSIS................................................................................................12 TABLE 2.1 THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT...................................................................................19 TABLE 3.1: INTERVIEWEE PARTICIPANT’S DETAILS....................................................................25 TABLE 4.1 PARTICIPANTS DETAILED RESPONSE TO Q10..............................................................42 TABLE 4.2 BUYING DECISION PROCESS AND RESPONSES............................................................43

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Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Introduction This study will investigate how influential online bloggers on the Instagram are on the consumers buying decision. This section will give an overview on electronic word of mouth and online bloggers, and the influence of their advertising practices on female consumers’ buying decision. This is followed by a problem statements and research justification. Finally, research aim and objectives along with the chapter synopsis.

1.2 Research Background 1.2.1 Electronic Word of Mouth The advancement of technology has altered the methods in which consumers seek information (Lu et al., 2014). Consumers online can share photos, opinions, and experiences. Moreover, it has given companies the opportunity to benefit from Electronic Word of Mouth communications (Trusov et al., 2009; cited in Cakim, 2010). Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is described as “any positive or negat...