Exploring the role of celebrities' instagram accounts in changing the behaviour of consumers: case study of Kuwait

Abstract

This study explores the credibility criteria and brand personality of celebrities’ Instagram accounts within the context of Kuwait. In order to explore this issue, this study adopts Ohanian’s (1990) model and Aakar’s (1997) model for studying credibility criteria and brand personality; respectively. Regarding methodology, primary data were collected through focus groups and interviews with fans and Small Medium Enterprises’ managers who follow celebrities’ accounts. Furthermore, secondary data were carried out by approaching different corporate websites specialising in social media celebrities. The findings of this study indicate that there are distinctive taxonomies for the celebrities’ accounts (i.e. sincerity, competence, sophisticated, excitement, and ruggedness). This is compatible with the Aaker’s Model. Moreover, the findings indicate that followers of the Instagram accounts (i.e. SMEs and fans) are motivated by the attitudes and behaviour of the account holders who reflects Ohanian criteria of credibility (i.e. expertise, attractiveness, and trustworthiness). Regarding practical contribution, this study has developed a new model to investigate the potential relationships between ads produced by different celebrity accounts and the audience motivations to purchase. The main limitation of this study relates to the inability to generalise the findings without undermining their trustworthiness.