Microcelebrities

Abstract

Traditionally, celebrities advertised the brands on mass media, and this influenced the purchase of the brands. The usage of smart phones and the penetration of internet have resulted in the advertisement of brands by micro celebrities. This study would help us to understand the influence of micro celebrities on purchase intention of brands and would also study the mediating effect of brand engagement in self-concept and brand expected value. The study was conducted among 205 followers of Indian micro celebrities in social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. The followers for the study were selected based on the snowball sampling technique. The results revealed that the perceived influence of micro celebrities had influence on brand engagement in self-concept, brand expected value, and purchase intention. The study highlighted that micro celebrities suggest brands to followers which leads to greater connection to the brand and the attractiveness of the brand increases which in turn would lead to recommendation of the brand by the followers.