Influenciando o consumo

: uma pesquisa sobre o marketing desenvolvido nas redes sociais

Abstract

We live in a world undergoing constant transformation. Individuals spend several hours glued to a screen, scrolling from one social media platform to another. It is often said that “children seem to have been born attached to a smartphone”, so why we do not use this for our benefit? Nowadays, it is asserted that the “key element” to the success of any business lies in new technologies, and it is undeniable that social media is intrinsically linked to this context. Considering that the human being is centering its life around the online realm, and that business, from small enterprises to huge corporations, have profiles on digital platforms, why not look at the development of marketing strategies on social media platforms as something positive? As the society adapts to a virtual reality, it Is imperative to recognize the significant impact that an assertive presence on social media platforms might have on brand awareness, recognition, and sales. The figure of an influencer, or content creator, is recognized, worldwide, as a legitimate profession. An individual can be a doctor, a lawyer, a bricklayer, or an influencer. This job influences all of us directly or indirectly, establishing new trends or “resurrecting” old ones. We are talking about people who operate on worldwide platforms and with their actions can impact on a global scale. Therefore, one cannot express how limiting it would be, for a marketer, to disregard the possibilities offered by the influencer marketing. To be “in”, we must live in the moment, absorbing all the current trends. These trends are shown to us by content creators, daily, on their platforms. Some may claim that they do not use social media at all or question the relevance of giving attention to what others do. However, despite such comments, the reality is that, at the end of the day, directly or indirectly, we are confronted and influenced by our surroundings. As social beings, humans enrich how they present themselves, think, and act based on their perception of the environment they are insert. When we observe someone adopting a specific action or acquiring a certain object, even without notice, we are prone to develop a certain reaction. This phenomenon is what we call influence. The aforementioned points were present on a limited scale. Now, when we consider content creators, who wield widespread their influence, it is undeniable that these individuals have the capacity to cause an impact on wider scale. In this study, our purpose is to understand what influencer marketing, developed by these individuals entails. More precisely, we will investigate if utilizing this kind of strategies, on two of the most prominent platforms today (Instagram and TikTok) is an effective complementary resource for marketers in the contemporary. Following the above, our study aims to determine whether influencer marketing is capable of positively influence the marketing, as a whole (is “in”) or if is not a useful tool for a business promotion strategy (is “out”).

Date of Award	28 Mar 2025
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	João Confraria (Supervisor)