Unveiling the Power of Instagram Influencer Marketing: Exploring its Influence on Purchase Intentions and eWOM with Celebrity Endorsement as Mediator

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of Instagram influencer marketing on consumers' purchase intentions and electronic word of mouth (eWOM), with celebrity endorsement mediating. The study utilized an online questionnaire with 318 respondents on a social media platform, employing structural equation modelling to examine direct and indirect relationships between the constructs. The research focused on Pakistani social media sites and tested seven hypotheses. The study found a positive relationship between Instagram influencer marketing and purchase intention, eWOM, with celebrity endorsement as a significant positive mediator. The study contributes to the existing literature on marketing through influencers by examining the impact of influencer marketing on various constructs, such as customer purchase intention, endorser credibility, and eWOM. The study sheds light on how influencers generate eWOM through the mediating effect of celebrity endorsement, a topic that has received limited attention in previous studies.