The Role of Influencer Marketing in Shaping Brand Image and Purchase-Related Attitudes among Online Consumers
Keywords:
Influencer Marketing, Brand Image, Digital Branding, Influencer Credibility, Content Authenticity, Consumer EngagementAbstract
Influencer marketing has become one of the most transformative strategies in modern digital branding. As brands increasingly shift toward social platforms, influencers serve as intermediaries who communicate brand narratives, build trust, and shape consumer perceptions. This research explores the role of influencer marketing in shaping brand image, supported by an expanded review of literature, conceptual frameworks, and qualitative secondary analysis. It investigates how influencer credibility, content authenticity, audience engagement, and platform dynamics contribute to brand associations. The study concludes that influencers significantly affect brand image formation, especially among younger digital-native consumers, and provides recommendations for organizations to build sustainable influencer strategies.
References
Abidin, C. (2016). “Aren’t these just young, rich women doing vain things online?” Influencer selfies as subversive frivolity. Social Media + Society, 2(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305116641342
Casaló, L. V., Flavián, M., & Ibáñez-Sánchez, S. (2018). Influencers on Instagram: Antecedents and consequences of opinion leadership. Journal of Business Research, 117, 510–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.005
De Veirman, M., Cauberghe, V., & Hudders, L. (2017). Marketing through Instagram influencers: The impact of the number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude. International Journal of Advertising, 36(5), 798–828. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2017.1348035
Djafarova, E., & Rushworth, C. (2017). Exploring the credibility of online celebrities’ Instagram profiles in influencing the purchase decisions of young female users. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.009
Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501
Ki, C.-W. C., Cuevas, L. M., Chong, S. M., & Lim, H. S. (2020). Influencer marketing: Social media influencers as human brands attaching to followers and yielding positive marketing results. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 54, 102133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.102133
Schouten, A. P., Janssen, L., & Verspaget, M. (2020). Celebrity vs. micro-influencer endorsements in advertising: The role of persuasion knowledge. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 20(2), 96–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2020.1768361
Shaikh, S. A., & Jagirdar, A. H. (2026). Beyond AI dependence: Pedagogical approaches to strengthen student reasoning and analytical skills. In S. Khan & P. Pringuet (Eds.), Empowering learners with AI: Strategies, ethics, and frameworks (Chapter 8, pp. 1–16). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-7386-7.ch008
Shaikh, S. A. (2024). Empowering Gen Z and Gen Alpha: A comprehensive approach to cultivating future leaders. In Futuristic Trends in Management (IIP Series, Vol. 3, Book 9, Part 2, Chapter 2). IIP Series. https://doi.org/10.58532/V3BHMA9P2CH2
Chougle, Z. S., & Shaikh, S. (2022). To understand the impact of Ayurvedic health-care business & its importance during COVID-19 with special reference to “Patanjali Products”. In Proceedings of the National Conference on Sustainability of Business during COVID-19, IJCRT, 10(1),
Bhagat, P. H., & Shaikh, S. A. (2025). Managing health care in the digital world: A comparative analysis on customers using health care services in Mumbai suburbs and Pune city. IJCRT. Registration ID: IJCRT_216557.
Downloads
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
