The Role of Digital Influencers in the Diffusion of New Products

Year 2018, Issue: 30, 119 - 141, 28.12.2018

Deniz Maden

https://doi.org/10.31123/akil.465923

Cited By: 4

Abstract

Social
media created an entirely new type of influencers and changed the way for
generating, collecting and sharing information and how people contribute to
content. These influencers are called the “digital influencers” and they
represent new type of opinion leaders with a huge potential of network and
influential power over consumers. Their growing power is leading them to be
gradually included in brand communication strategies with the aim of
transmitting brand messages to target consumers.

In
particular, many brands benefit from the huge influential power of this new
group of opinion leaders for new product entries. This paper explains how
digital influencers take place in diffusing brand messages for new product
entries from the perspective of the ‘diffusion of innovations theory’ with an
investigation directed to digital fashion influencers’ Instagram posts for new
product entries. The research is a descriptive study and that utilize quantitative
content analysis. Through an investigation of the verbal and visual texts of
Instagram posts, this research seeks to understand the diffusion of new
products through digital influencers. 

Keywords

Social media, brand communication, digital influencers, diffusion of innovations, new product entries

The Role of Digital Influencers in the Diffusion of New Products

Abstract

Sosyal medya tamamen yeni bir
‘etkileyen’ grubu yaratmış, bilginin oluşum, erişim ve paylaşımını ve bireylerin
içerik üretimine katılım şeklini değiştirmiştir. Bu yeni etkileyen grubu,
“dijital etkileyenler” olarak adlandırılmakta, yüksek ağ potansiyelleri ve
tüketicileri etkileme güçleri ile yeni bir fikir lideri grubunu temsil
etmektedir. Dijital etkileyenlerin artan güçleri, giderek daha fazla markanın
iletişim stratejilerinde, marka mesajlarının tüketicilere iletilmesi için kullanımlarını
arttırmaktadır.

Birçok marka, bu yeni fikir lideri
grubunun etki gücünden yeni ürün girişleri için faydalanmaktadır. Bu
araştırmada dijital etkileyenlerin yeni ürün girişi sürecinde mesaj yayılımında
nasıl bir rol aldığı, “yeniliklerin yayılımı” kuramı perspektifinden ve dijital
moda etkileyenlerinin yeni ürün girişlerine yönelik Instagram paylaşımları
aracılığıyla incelenmektedir. Bu betimsel araştırmada nicel içerik analizinden
yararlanılmıştır. Araştırmada, dijital etkileyenler aracılığıyla yeni ürünlerin
yayılımı, sözlü ve görsel metinler aracılığıyla analiz edilmiştir. 

Keywords

Sosyal medya, marka iletişimi, dijital etkileyenler, yeniliklerin yayılımı, yeni ürün girişleri, Social media, brand communication, digital influencers, diffusion of innovations, new product entries

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