Abstract:
Influencer marketing has become a well-known and commonly used method
in today's social media-driven marketing environment. Influencer marketing and
lifestyle branding must be used effectively, which requires an understanding of
consumer perceptions. The purpose of this thesis was to examine how Turkish
consumers perceive influencer marketing and assess its impact on brands.
A thorough description of influencer marketing and lifestyle branding are
given in the literature review section, which also emphasizes the function of social
media influencers as go-betweens for customers and businesses. It examines how
influencers create brand attitudes and the mechanics of trust within this marketing
technique, showing influencer marketing as a contemporary version of word-of-mouth
marketing.
An inductive pre-survey investigation was carried out to determine the
subject's relevance and importance in order to narrow the research topic. People's
opinions regarding influencers were obtained during this initial phase, which helped
to create the framework for the study. Following that, survey questions were used to
gather information from 600 respondents, fusing quantitative and qualitative factors.
According to the study's findings, influencer marketing has improved customers'
opinions of brands. It has aided in creating a feeling of connection and individuality
for brands. The lack of customer confidence in influencer marketing is a striking
discovery, though. The relationship between lifestyle branding and influencer
marketing has a favorable effect on consumers' entire social media experiences, and
consumers view influencers as helpful resources during the purchasing process. The
results of qualitative research go deeper into the problems with trust, highlighting the
iv
difficulties influencers and businesses have in successfully interacting with their target
markets
