Influencer Marketing to Youth: The Impact of Instagram Influencer on Healthy Food Choices Among Youth

Abstract

Healthy food choices have become a trend among youth as they are more concerned about their health. The increasing role of social media in affecting the behavioural change of today's society can be seen as social media has become an integral part of most people worldwide. The rise of influencer marketing on social media platforms is affecting the consumer's eating behaviour. However, previous studies have shown contradictory results regarding influencers' impact on youth's healthy eating behaviour. Scholars suggest that Instagram has a definitive effect in encouraging healthy eating behaviour among youth, but there is a lack of research that mainly focuses on Instagram's influencer marketing and its impact on eating behaviour. This study aims to focus on the roles of influencer marketing on Instagram in influencing youth's healthy eating behaviour. The Healthy Food Promotion Model is reviewed to explain the underlying mechanism of healthy food promotion. A qualitative research method was applied to collect the data. Intensive interviews were conducted with six Instagram users in Malaysia via Zoom Meeting. The study concludes that Instagram influencer marketing plays a vital role in influencing the healthy eating behaviour of youth. Future researchers are advised to conduct longitudinal studies on this research to adapt it to the continuous evolution of social media platforms. It is also to explore other possibilities of social media influencer marketing in influencing youth's healthy eating behaviour.