Influencer-Based Commercial Advertising and Its Impact on Users’ Purchase Motivation: A Model for Social Media Networks
Keywords:
Social Media, Commercial Advertising, Celebrities, Purchase MotivationAbstract
This study was conducted with the aim of presenting a model for commercial advertising on celebrity accounts on social media platforms and examining their impact on users’ purchase motivation. Adopting a qualitative and exploratory strategy, the research employed the grounded theory method, with data collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The qualitative participants included 15 managers, professionals, experts, and researchers in the field of social media advertising in Iraq during 2023–2024, selected using purposive sampling. The findings were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding, resulting in a model comprising six core axial codes: causal conditions (technological factors including innovative interactive experiences, boundary dissolution, emerging technologies, and alignment of needs), contextual conditions (online competencies such as online feedback, bilateral online connections, features of online advertising, and online behavioral traits), intervening conditions (influencer commitments including professional integrity, sensationalist advertising, and user respect; and online limiting factors such as filtering, privacy, and normativity), strategies (strategic account management involving social bond reinforcement, structured account content, and targeted advertising; along with account compliance management including online integration, online stickiness, and situational awareness), outcomes (consumer cognitive development involving satisfaction, compliance, and brand awareness; and consumer attitude development including persuasion, perceived competence, and social capital reinforcement), and a core category defined as the influencer advertising model, which encompasses justice orientation, honesty orientation, commitment-based approach, expertise, social interaction, and convergence. The findings demonstrate that influencers have emerged as highly influential actors in the business and marketing landscape on social media, and the proposed model may serve as a practical framework for corporate advertising strategies in Iraq, contributing significantly to the nation’s economic development.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Mugheeth Saad Alwan Al-Khafaji (Author); Siamak Korang Beheshti; Haider Falah Zaeid Almashkheel, Mojtaba Aghajani (Author)
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