JURNAL STUDI KOMUNIKASI

Volume 5 Ed 3, November 2021 Page 551 - 568

The impact of social media influencers

purchase intention in the Philippines

Jerico John G. Dalangin1 2*), James M.B. McArthur3,

Jan Benedict M. Salvador2, Angelika B. Bismonte2
De La Salle University
1

2401 Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines

2
De La Salle Araneta University
03 Victoneta Avenue, Potreto, Malabon, Metro Manila, Philippines
3
University of Denver
2199 S University Blvd, Denver, CO 80208, United States of America
Email: jerico.dalangin@dlsau.edu.ph, Phone +63 2 8330 9128

How to Cite This Article: Dalangin,

J.J.G, McArthur, J.M.B., Salvador, Received: 04-04-2021,
J.B.M., Bismonte, A.B. (2021). The Revision: 12-07-2021,
impact of social media influencers Acceptance: 06-09-2021,
purchase intention in the Philippines. Published online: 20-11-2021
Jurnal Studi Komunikasi, 5(3). doi:
10.25139/jsk.v5i3.3708

Abstract The study aims to determine consumers' perception of the advertising

efficacy of social media influencers regarding their purchase intention. The researcher
believes that specific strategies and skills should be customised to attract consumers'
buying intention for an influencer to be effective across social media. The study
adopted the "social media influencer questionnaire" developed by Xin Jean Lim. It is
an organised questionnaire designed to assess and analyse the effectiveness of social
media influencers connected to consumers' purchase intention. A total of 200
respondents from NCR, Metro Manila, participate in this study, with 129 female
participants, 71 male participants and mostly from 18 to 24 years old. The respondents'
assessment implies that an influencer who establishes most of their honesty and is
trustworthy can change consumers' behaviour and purchase intention. Attractiveness
and relationships with the product are seen to be also adequate. The respondents'
assessment also implies that there is an optimistic and agreeable attitude towards the
different advertising efficacy of an influencer for the purchase intention of consumers.
Furthermore, there is a significant relationship between the advertising effectiveness
and purchase intention of consumers. Female respondents have a higher perception of
social media influencers than male respondents because women use the internet more
often.

Keywords: social media; influencer; buying intention; consumer behaviour;

advertising
*)
Corresponding Author

ISSN: 2549-7294 (Print), 2549-7626 (Online)

Jurnal Studi Komunikasi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
The impact of social media influencers purchase intention in the Philippines. - doi: 10.25139/jsk.v5i3.3708
Dalangin, J.J.G.

INTRODUCTION
The internet is known to be the fastest-growing medium used by
many companies as a marketing tool. Most consumers use different
social media platforms to talk, share, study, create content and
publicity. (Frost & Strauss, 2016; Mason et al., 2021). The emergence
of social media transforms the communication between companies and
consumers, where the latter compare prices of products, check for
coupons, discounts and deals, search for product information to help
them know the better products, and look up opinions and reviews of
other people about the products (Coco & Eckert, 2020; Nielsen, 2016;
Pick, 2021). The rise of social media also made way to the beginning of
the social media influencer era, to which they affect the perceptions of
consumers, as well as their lives (Canhoto et al., 2015; Octaviana &
Susilo, 2021; Shayaa et al., 2018).
There is a social media platform that shifts places and blurs the line
between aspirational and informative use. Social media influencers use
the platforms for advertising to online followers with product information
and ads (Vrontis et al., 2021; Wellman, 2020; Ye et al., 2021; Zhou et
al., 2021). In the marketing mix, endorsement and advertising are
created by businesses to inform, encourage, boost, and promote their
products to people (Haenlein et al., 2020). It is essential to build and
achieve a good reputation and goals towards consumer expectations and
satisfaction.
In the past years, influencers marked themselves as potential
endorsers of the new generation with the help of buzzwords which
produce a variety of meanings that capture and attract the mindset of
social media users (Legendre & Baker, 2021). Compared to other
marketing strategies concerning promotion, such as celebrity endorsers
(Bennett et al., 2021; Cocker et al., 2021; Talavera, 2015). In fact,
influencer marketing is the most cost-effective, budget-friendly and
efficient marketing strategy when it comes to trends that never
disappear.
According to Cohen (2018), more than 500,000 videos were
watched by users in the whole world on YouTube, Facebook, and Netflix.
The shift in the entertainment world and the loss of power of traditional
media channels of marketers all over the world fall into a pit. As more
people start turning and being influenced by peer endorsements,
influencer marketing, and authentic opinions and reviews, it is necessary
to find less conspicuous recommendations and more effective
alternatives to promotion (Hamilton et al., 2021; Lovitt, 2020).
Businesses are welcoming social media influencers with millions of
followers in their social media accounts as their brand ambassadors to
promote their goods to their followers and other customers
(Tapinfluence, 2017).
Social media has been the most used on the internet, not just for
communication but also its others evolution through the years. The
transformation has gotten to new changes that people became addicted

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to in such social media influencers (Michelle & Susilo, 2021). Many

businesses see that the changes are an excellent opportunity to use for
their products. So with research and development, they can find social
media influencers fit for their product and who can easily connect and
get the consumers' attention (Kapitan et al., 2021). As researchers who
also use social media, we want to test and find how influencers affect
consumers. This study seeks to understand the capabilities an influencer
has to the decision making of consumers by assessing their credibility
and attractiveness, how they build connections and how they transfer
the message to the product to their target consumer.
Also, Social learning theory has been seen in some marketing
studies to understand the consumption behaviour of consumers with
celebrities, advertisers, et (Bandura & Walters, 1963; North & Kotzé,
2001). Makgosa (2010), revealed that the theory of social learning could
influence and understand the impact of celebrities on customer
consumer behaviours. Social learning theory proposed as a contextual
basis for understanding how influential social media influencers are since
these influencers represent third-party advocates who can change
consumer perspective, thinking and deciding power (Drummond et al.,
2020; Naraine et al., 2021).
Nowadays, consumers prefer to trust content generated by
influencers and hold them more credible and honest than the ones the
sellers are producing (Jonas, 2010). Many brands have used influencers
for their social media marketing because consumers learn to recognise
them as a source that is attractive and persuasive that cannot be
resisted.
Source credibility began in 1960 which researchers are measuring
and examining the credibility of endorsers to provide a reliable and valid
scale of results. It is broadly utilised to analyse the effectiveness of an
endorsement (Taghipoorreyneh & De Run, 2016). According to
Goldsmith (2000), a credible, trustworthy, and reliable endorser or
influencer positively affects consumers' perception. Credibility comprises
trustworthiness and expertise, influencers score higher in
trustworthiness (Verhellen et al., 2013), and appear more
knowledgeable and relatable at explaining (Berger & Keller, 2016).
Information presented and used by a reliable source has impacted
consumer beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and opinions (Wang et al.,
2017).
Expertise is the first aspect, and it was defined as being professional
in a certain level to which communicators recognised the source as
credible information. It allows the quantity of knowledge a credible
source had about the product endorsed. In sports, expertise is defined
as the extent of the athlete's performance (Hovland et al., 1953). On
the other hand, Ohanian (1991) refers to trustworthiness as providing
information honestly and reliably to build consumers trust or confidence
towards the influencer. According to Stevens et al., (2003), endorsers
that can affect consumers' changing attitudes are more trustworthy than

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Dalangin, J.J.G.

those who are not. Source trustworthiness was correlated with source
expertise. They found an endorser whom both have expertise and
trustworthiness are the most influential on the level of attitude change
(McGinnies & Ward, 1980).
Influencers are becoming an essential source of credibility because
they get people to talk about the products and impact the brand's sales.
According to Conick (2016), through influencers as promotional
subjects, brands can find success in peer endorsements. An influencer's
credibility is enhanced to get the attention of consumers who seek to
find informative recommendations.
Consumers nowadays tend to trust influencers who generate user
content like reviews, tweeting, posting and even unboxing compared to
celebrities who generate producer content like commercials and
billboards. Influencers are more likely to express their thoughts and
communicate their positive and negative experiences about the product,
attracting consumer attention. Influencers like YouTubers share their
beliefs and ideas in full disclosure and without economically driven
purpose wherein they show sincerity and honesty to attract their viewers
(MacKinnon, 2012). Through creativity, passion and being attractive,
social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram have become the
source of digital and social influencers (Lieber, 2014).
According to Baker & Churchill Jr (1977), attractiveness is an
additional measurement that plays a vital role in the perception of the
viewer and purchase intention. The essence of attractiveness is to show
the traits of social media influencers for them to be recognised and
accepted by consumers. Physical attributes or traits of the subject
compromise attractiveness (Erdogan, 1999). Attractive endorsers are
primarily acceptable in the viewer's eye and more influential in positively
impacting and considering it a practical endorsement (Joseph, 1982).
Source attractiveness has an immediate effect on the effectiveness of
the endorsement, depending on how it is represented (McGuire, 1985).
According to Kahle & Homer (1985), the product match-up is a fit
between the characteristics of the endorser of the product in order to
create an effective advertising campaign. Product match-up measures
how an influencer is relatable with the product. Being an influencer,
building a relationship and connection with the product is the most
fundamental thing to do to persuade and attract customers to lead in
purchase intention. Social media influencers distinguish in a brand made
as a part of social media marketing (Zietek, 2016).
Furthermore, the relevant connection of influencers and products
are emphasised by identifying and recognising an influencer that fits and
exemplifies the brand. It must instil the significance in products and
services, as that action portrays affects consumers' trust and positive
influences on consumers' purchase decisions (Liengpradit et al., 2014).
Meaning transfer explains the process and methods used when the
endorser is used for advertising the product (Langmeyer & Walker,
1991). It focuses and illustrates a perceived image and message set in

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the consumer's mind; afterwards, the message is passed to the product.

In order for the product to transfer meaning to the customer, the
customer decides whether to purchase.
Purchase intention is the central topic studied in marketing subjects.
It is the chance of consumers in purchasing a product. Intentions are
visualised as potential predictors intended for future outcomes
(Vineyard, 2014). With constant purchasing decisions and numerous
options every day, consumers must cope with the best options.
According to Hosein (2012), the concept of purchase intention can
be modified to use cognitive behaviour to determine how a person
intends to purchase a specific product. People are rational beings who
make decisions based on what is available (Dash et al., 2021).
Intentions result from a particular behaviour. Therefore, consumers
purchase intention is into their behaviour, perception and attitude
towards the persuasion, experience, and preference that a product or
advertisement has to make their purchase decision (Chi et al., 2011).
The study of Lim et al., (2017) entitled "The Impact of Social Media
Influencers on the Purchase Intent and Mediation Effect of Customer
Attitude 2017" was designed to observe and carry out an investigation
about the effectiveness of the social media influencer. It focuses on the
variables such as source attractiveness, credibility, meaning transfer
and product match-up of social media influencers. It aims to mediate
the variables into the customer attitude of consumers and find if it
affects the consumers' purchase intention.
The study conducted by Fred (2015) entitled "Examining
Endorsement and Viewership Effects on the Source Credibility of
YouTubers 2015" assesses the significant impact of brand recognition
and popularity on presuming source reputation through experience,
trustworthiness and beauty of YouTubers. This study also determines
whether the viewership effects YouTubers perception of their "vlogs".
The study conducted by Laksamana (2018) entitled "Impact of
Social Media Marketing on Purchase Intention and Brand Loyalty:
Evidence from Indonesia's Banking Industry 2018" aims to identify the
impact of social media marketing using social media influencers towards
the formation of purchase intention and brand loyalty to consumers.
A study conducted by Lê Giang Nam (2018) entitled "Impact of
social media Influencer marketing on the consumer at Ho Chi Minh City
2018" aimed to find whether the relevance between influencer and
product, the quality content, the trust of influencer, and the involvement
of consumers affect consumers purchasing intention and attitude
towards the product endorsed by influencers.
In the study of Lisichkova & Othman (2017) entitled "The Impact of
Influencers on Online Purchase Intent 2017", they sought to examine
and analyse the features that an influencer possesses and should have
to affect consumers' online purchase intentions. A study conducted by
Abreu (2019) entitled "Social Media Micro-Influencer Marketing and
purchasing intention of Millennials: the role of Perceived Authenticity and

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Dalangin, J.J.G.

Trust 2019" aims to identify whether the perceived genuineness of an

influencer and trust in social media micro-influencer affects the purchase
intention of millennials.
Social media influencers affect consumers' perspectives and
intention to purchase. It influences the mind and attitudes of consumers.
With the research studies mentioned above, different techniques and
methods are used to determine the impact or effectiveness of influencers
on consumers' purchasing intention. Ideas of (Goldsmith et al., 2000;
Ohanian, 1991; Kamins & Gupta, 1994) were foreseen to create a new
way to evaluate the effectiveness or impact of one topic. Lim et al.,
(2017) use Bandura & Walters (1963) concepts to find the relationship
of variables. Abreu (2019), similarly wants to find purchase intention,
but he just needs Ohanian's authenticity and trust to understand his
study. The studies of Lim et al., (2017); Probstnerová (2018); Abreu
(2019); Lisichkova & Othman (2017); Lê Giang Nam (2018), Laksamana
(2018); Fred (2015) and our study has the same objective, to identify
how social media influencer or marketing influence the purchase
intention of consumers. Nevertheless, each study has a different
interpretation and process to determine its goal. Such findings are
studied to be the backbone of this study, and understanding each
problem needs to be sought.

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework

Source: Author Processing Data (2021)

The conceptual framework (Figure 1) depicts the connection of

independent to dependent variables. It compromises the different
advertising effectiveness of social media influencers, namely the source
credibility, source attractiveness, product match-up, and meaning
transfer, to determine its relationship regarding the purchase intention.
Credible influencers have been seen as professionals and seem to
be convincing in using their social media accounts Aaker (1992), to
which they are capable of driving consumer attitudes and buying
intentions. Ohanian (1991) found a significant relationship of expertise
between attitude and intention to purchase by customers. According to

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Erdogan (1999), trustworthiness is the endorser's self-respect, belief,

and honesty. It is said that an endorser who has a highly trustworthiness
and expertise towards his or her viewers and followers will lead to a
better approval of the message transmitted (Metzger et al., 2003). An
influencer's credibility improves consumer attitudes that boost the
consumer's purchase intention (Briñol et al., 2004).
Source Attractiveness is another crucial factor to measure the
effectiveness of social media influencers. Endorsers with attractive
features such as elegant, beautiful, or classy can lead to an optimistic
attitude, especially their purchase intention (Till & Busler, 2000). Many
people see attractive endorsers as one of the factors why they are
buying the endorsed product. Social media influencers with a pleasing
appearance and who can get along with the latest trend tend to capture
followers' attention, which can stimulate positive belief in the consumer
and result in buying the product.
According to Kamins & Gupta (1994), product match-up should be
the ideal to produce a positive result towards the approved brand. A
match-up between endorsers and business is a critical strategy to be
made in order to fulfil the purchasing goal (Shimp, 2003). Usually, an
ideal fit between social media influencers and businesses can maximise
promotional performance and affect consumers' purchasing to buying
purposes (Park & Lin, 2020; Schouten et al., 2020).
Meaning transfer can exhibit the correlation between customer
attitude and purchase intention and exert a positive relationship (Peetz
et al., 2004). According to McCracken (1989), meaning transfer means
the effectiveness of the endorser, often relying on its ability to convey
the product. According to Goldsmith et al., (2000), as long as the
endorser can transfer an image to a specific product, it drives a positive
feeling and purchases intention to the consumers (Shan et al., 2020).

METHODOLOGY
The research aims to determine consumers' perception of the
advertising efficacy of social media influencers concerning their
purchase intention. The study focused on products that are endorsed
either on YouTube or Instagram by influencers. The study will use a
quantitative descriptive design in analysing the effectiveness of each
collected data. Descriptive research design is one of the most used
designs by researchers, for it observes and describes the behaviour of
the respondents without influencing them (GutCheck, 2018). The study
was conducted in Metro Manila. Researchers choose to conduct the study
in Metro Manila because of the number of populations, resulting in a
higher possibility of selecting respondents. Researchers believe that
Metro Manila has many respondents spending their time with social
media and watching these influencers.
According to Faul et al., (2007), the minimum sample size expected
for this study as G-Power software was 129 samples. However, 200
respondents will cover and support the study to minimise errors in

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Dalangin, J.J.G.

completing questionnaires and collecting data. Researchers believe that

200 respondents will be enough to assess and analyse the process of
the study and come up with the best interpretation. Respondents were
selected at their most convenient time. However, to be considered
respondents, they should be using the internet and watching influencers
on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook to provide the necessary answers
for the study.
The study uses a purposive sampling method in selecting
respondents. The purposive sampling method lets the researchers
decide what needs to be done and identifies the respondents who can
and are willing to participate and provide information based on
knowledge and experience (Bernard, 2017; Lewis & Sheppard, 2006).
The study will adopt the "social media influencer questionnaire"
developed by Lim et al., (2017). It is an organised questionnaire
designed to assess and analyse the effectiveness of social media
influencers connected to consumers' purchase intention. The study will
use a 5-point Likert scale because this is commonly associated with
surveys and used in a wide variety of settings. According to Jamieson
(2004), typically in a Likert scale, there are five categories of response
namely 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 2 = agree, and
1 = strongly agree. In the first section of the questionnaire, the
respondents will be asked to their designated demographic profile. In
the second section, respondents will be asked with the help of different
study variables about advertising effectiveness. Both factors shall be
evaluated based on validated measurements. Based on the study
conducted by Lim et al., (2017), the Cronbach alpha for the variables
such as source credibility is (α=0.89) for the expertise and (α=0.92) for
trustworthiness, source attractiveness is (α=0.88), product match-up is
(α=0.85), meaning transfer is (α=0.83), consumer attitude is (α=0.87),
and purchase intention is (α=0.92).
The researchers will find respondents that use social media and
watch vlogs or shared videos and photos by influencers around National
Capital Regioni, Metro Manila, the Philippines. The researcher will then
provide the instrument to the respondents chosen using purposive
sampling through a google survey form. The instrument will be
disseminated online at the convenience of the respondents.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Demographic Findings
The first demographic shows the percentage of respondents as to
age. One hundred thirty respondents were 18 to 24 years old, 48 were
25 to 34 years old, and 22 were 35 and older. According to Clement
(2019), most internet users are 18 to 29 years old, composed of young
and adult people. Additionally, according to Fallows (2005), 86% of
women ages 18-29 are online, compared with 80% of men.
The second demographic shows the percentage of respondents as
to. There are 129 female respondents and 71 male respondents who

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answered our instrument. According to Hargittai & Walejko (2008),

males use the internet more than girls for those activities that require
technical skills such as job searching and e-banking. However, several
researchers have found that women tend to be more online than men
for social purposes (Fallows, 2005). Additionally, based on the study
conducted by Facebook, females use their app most with 54% than
males with 46%.
The third demographic shows the percentage of respondents as to
civil. One hundred fifty-eight respondents were single, and 42
respondents were married. According to Clement (2019), most internet
users are married because of their work, job, and appointments.
Nevertheless, in the majority, single people use the internet more
because online dating persists. Additionally, according to Fallows
(2005), unmarried men are more likely to be internet users than
unmarried women. 62% of unmarried men, compared with 56% of
unmarried women, go online. Married women are slightly more likely to
be online than married men. 75% of married women and 72% of married
men go online.
The fourth demographic shows the percentage of respondents as to
income. There were 120 respondents whose income ranged from 1 to
15,000, 33 respondents whose income were 15,001 to 30,000, 31
respondents whose income were 30,001 to 45,000, 12 respondents
whose income were 45,001 to 60,000, and 4 respondents whose income
were 60,001 up. According to Marasigan (2016), because of the ongoing
global digital revolution, internet access is no longer for rich people. It
has also been seen in those SIM Cards that offer "Internet Data" using
their Mobile loads.
This chapter summarises results, interpretations, analysis, and
representation of the study "The Effectiveness of Social Media Influencer
on the Purchase Intention of Consumers" based on the gathered data
from the respondents.

Level of consumers' perception of the effectiveness of social

media influencers
Table 2 shows the level of consumers' perception of the
effectiveness of social media influencers. Source Credibility reveals the
highest mean level (M=3.53), followed by Product Match Up (M=3.45).
In comparison, Source Attractiveness (M=3.44), and Meaning Transfer,
got the same mean level (M=3.44). These results show that consumers
consider social media influencers' integrity, sincerity, and positive
characteristics. Respondents also consider the relationship that an
influencer builds with their product. According to Stevens et al., (2003),
influencers that can affect consumers' changing attitudes are more
trustworthy and experts than those who are not. It means that social
media influencers' honesty in giving information based on facts,
knowledge about the product, whether it is safe and worth buying, and
experience on using it, whether it is practical, makes an influencer very

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Dalangin, J.J.G.

credible. McGinnies & Ward (1980) found that endorsers whom both
have expertise and trustworthiness are the most influential on the level
of attitude change. Having credibility as an influencer is more to be
persuasive for consumers. An influencer's credibility improves consumer
attitudes that boost the consumer's purchase intention (Briñol et al.,
2004). Then, the rest advertising model will follow.

Table 2. Level of consumers' perception of the effectiveness of social media

influencers
Advertising Effectiveness Mean Std. Deviation Descriptive
Model Rating
Source Credibility 3.53 .90 Agree
*Source Credibility - 3.51 .96 Agree
Expertise
*Source Credibility - 3.52 .98 Agree
Trustworthiness
*Source Credibility -Overall 3.51 1.09 Agree
Source Attractiveness 3.44 .93 Neutral
Product Match Up 3.45 .94 Neutral
Meaning Transfer 3.44 1.11 Neutral
Source: Data Processed by Author (2021)

Effectiveness of social media influencers on the purchase

intention of consumers
Table 3 shows the effectiveness of social media influencers on the
purchase intention of consumers. Overall, the respondents' assessment
implies that there is an optimistic and agreeable attitude towards the
different advertising efficacy of an influencer for the purchase intention
of consumers.

Table 3. Effectiveness of social media influencers on the purchase intention of

consumers

Purchase Intention Mean Std. Deviation Descriptive

Rating

Item 1 4.32 1.52 Neutral

Item 2 4.63 1.49 Slightly Agree
Item 3 4.365 1.53 Neutral
Item 4 3.51 1.09 Neutral
Overall 4.57 1.38 Slightly Agree
Source: Data Processed by Author (2021)

Purchase intention has links with the actual behaviour of

consumers, who are rational beings that make decisions based on the
information presented to them. Therefore, a consumer's purchase
intentions relate to his behaviour, perception and attitude and serve as
a great predictor of the actual buying behaviour (Brown et al., 2003).
For example, if a consumer feels that any other motive is given rather

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than the recommendation and personal influencer experience,

consumers are likely to trust it rather than the source credibility.
Therefore, having a positive consumer attitude towards the consumers
or having a mutual bond with the consumers by getting to know each
other rather than recommendation posts as a tendency to believe in and
trust the source is much more effective (Lu et al., 2014), since
consumers do not always look at the credibility of the influencer. They
also take the advice of their friends and family on what to do before
going on a purchase.

The significant relationship between advertising effectiveness

and purchase intention among consumers

Table 4. The significant relationship between advertising effectiveness and purchase

intention among consumers
ADVERTISING PURCHASE INTENTION
Item 1 Overall
EFFECTIVENESS MODEL ltem1 Item 3 Item 4
*Source Pearson .552" .577” .595” .626"
Credibility - Correlatio .000 .534” .ooo
Expertise n p-value Reject .000 .000 .000 Reject
decision Reject Reiect
Reiect
*Source Pearson .568" .595” .620” .642”
Credibility- Correlatio .000 .537'" .000
Trustworthines n p-value Reject .000 .000 .000 Reject
s decision Reject Reject
Reject
*Source Pearson .518" .532” .529” ,590”
Credibility- Correlatio .000 .514” .000
Overall n p-value Reject .000 .000 .000 Reject
decision Reject Reject
Reject
Source Pearson .605" .610” .618” .556” .666”
Credibility Correlatio .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
n p-value Reject Reject Reject Reject Reject
decision
Source Pearson .609" .630” .652” .601” .704”
Attractiveness Correlatio .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
n p-value Reject Reject Reject Reject Reject
decision
Product Match Pearson .534" .546” .531” .530: .600”
Up Correlatio .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
n p-value Reject Reject Reject Reject Reject
decision
Meaning Pearson .404" .482” .388” .477”
Transfer Correlatio .000 .412” .000
n p-value Reject .000 .000 .000 Reject
decision Reject Reject
Reject
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)
Source: Data Processing by Author (2021)

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Table 4 shows the significant relationship between advertising

effectiveness and purchase intention among consumers. All models of
advertising effectiveness presented to have a significant positive
relationship with the consumers' product purchase intention. Source
Credibility (r=0.666, p=0.000), in other words, influencers who always
tend to support their customers can make a considerable influence and
impression towards consumers buying decisions. Source Attractiveness
(r=0.704, p=0.000), a cent and attractive content will enhance
consumers trust in conveyed information. Product Match-up (r=0.600,
p=0.000), in other words, the excellent relationship between an
influencer and a product has a remarkable effect on consumer intention
to purchase. Meaning transfer (r=0.477, p=0.000) indicates that
consumers who are often involved in knowledge about the product and
considering an acquaintance and influencer recommendations will be
easier affected by word-of-mouth on social media than others.
The result implies that when the level of consumers' perception of
the advertising effectiveness of social influencers increases, the
purchase intention of consumers to buy the product they also promote
increases. Likewise, when they recognised that the advertising
effectiveness of these social media influencers weakened, their intention
to purchase their product also weakened and reduced. Such intentions
result from a specific behaviour exploited by the consumer. Therefore,
consumers purchase intention is into their behaviour, perception and
attitude towards the persuasion, experience, and preference that a
product or advertisement has to make their purchase decision (Chi et
al., 2011).
This study aims to determine consumers' perception of the
advertising efficacy of social media influencers concerning their
purchase intention(Hamilton et al., 2021; Kusumasondjaja & Tjiptono,
2019; Probstnerová, 2018). Total respondents of the study were 200,
with 129 females and 71 males, the majority of whom were 18 to 24
years old and were single. The respondents' assessment implies that the
advertising effectiveness, namely, source credibility, source
attractiveness, product match up, and meaning transfer, positively
affects their purchase intention. The respondents' assessment also
implies that social media influencers affect consumers' purchase
intention. The overall assessment of advertising effectiveness shows
that the respondents imply that the source credibility of an influencer
has the most impact on their purchase intention. There is a significant
relationship between the advertising effectiveness and purchase
intention of consumers.

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ISSN: 2549-7294 (Print), 2549-7626 (Online)

CONCLUSION
In this study, we, therefore, conclude that social media influencers
are effective in the purchase intention of consumers, for the fact that
most consumers measure the effectiveness of the influencer by their
honesty on what a particular product offers, their trustworthiness in how
they speak and give facts, and their attractiveness in terms of giving a
sense of similarity to their viewers. Age and sex are also important
because most consumers and viewers from these demographics follow
and support credible influencers. Furthermore, the relationship between
an influencer and the product is also effective, especially when a famous
influencer is using a particular product, consumers also had because of
purchasing that product. It could further denote that the transfer of the
message or meaning between the influencer and the product is
perceived to be effective so that the consumers decide to purchase the
product.
The author also concludes that an influencer communicates and
persuades people to be influential and can change consumer behaviour
and actions towards a product. The influencer's innate honesty,
trustworthiness and relatability, has been perceived to be the primary
source of impact to consumers whether to purchase a particular product
or not. If a social media influencer has weak credibility, is not attractive,
and does not portray a relationship with the product, consumers might
likely ignore these social media influencers, and at worst, are bashing
them online. Apart from the influencer's honesty and trustworthiness,
feedbacks in the comment section are also considered to measure the
credibility of influencers since most viewers state their opinion
optimistically or the other way around. In other words, they used the
comment section to make sure whether the influencer is honest in
reviewing the product or if some commentators have the same thoughts
about the product and influencer credibility.
These are the following recommendations to be an effective
influencer to consumers. Influencers should maintain being honest and
trustworthy because consumers are more particular when it comes to
credible influencers. Influencers should create new innovative ways of
promoting their products online or create new persuading videos that
capture the interest of consumers because researchers notice that every
influencer tends to come up with the trend. It is highly effective if an
influencer creates its own and original content. Influencers should
consider the consumers' feedback because, with this, they can examine
and observe what is lacking from them and fix it. They should always
read the comments because most of the feedback is written there.
Influencers should maintain calm when reading bash comments,
especially to new influencers. Remaining to be polite also counts.
Influencers should become not just endorse products, create vlogs,
entertain people; instead, they should also inspire their fans. Influencers
should use accurate and precise words in promoting a particular product
in their video, for this will be the criteria of the viewers to know if it is

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Dalangin, J.J.G.

effective. Influencers should avoid the "Clickbait" term in YouTube that

will cause the viewers not to trust the influencers. Influencers should do
their job as a part of their passion, love and willingness.
To all future researchers, this study will be used as a guide intended
for their thesis or dissertation if their subject is somewhat related to our
study. It will guide them to understand better how effective a social
media influencer is in consumers' purchase intention. The study will help
businesses know the most effective way and strategy to use in producing
a good and effective way of promoting their business through
influencers. It will help their business grow and give an idea of the
consumer's perspective on influencers and how it affects them. To
consumers, the study will help the consumers know the importance of
influencers in today's generation and how businesses use these
influencers as a way of promoting a particular brand.

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i
NCR: National Capital Region: Metropolitan Regional among the Capital of the Philippines. Sometimes
shorten with Metro Manila. NCR is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in
the Philippines. It is composed of 16 cities: the city of Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati,
Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, Taguig, and
Valenzuela, as well as the municipality of Pateros. The region encompasses an area of 619.57 square
kilometers (239.22 sq mi) and a population of 13,484,462 as of 2020.

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