Research Questions

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

QUESTION #1: Have you ever purchased something after seeing it on instagram or other forms of social media?

Respondent #1: Yes, I have definitely purchased something after seeing it on social media because they either advertised it well or had great reviews in the comments and a good instagram page to promote themselves in a positive way.

Respondent #2: Yes, seeing multiple people having this item influenced me to want to have it.

Respondent #3: Yes, I do this all the time!

QUESTION #2: Are you more likely to purchase something after seeing a celebrity or influencer post about it?

Respondent #1: No, not always because I know that sometimes they only promote it because they are getting paid to. If I see that they are actually using it and love it then that is a different story

Respondent #2: Yes, it makes it more appealing.

Respondent #3: Yes, I want to have what the celebrity has and I know it’s “cool” if they have it.

QUESTION #3: Would you be willing to pay more for a product just because it is celebrity endorsed or falls within a current and popular trend?

Respondent #1: Yes possibly, if i see people love it and it is a new trend that actually works I would be willing to pay more for it.

Respondent #2: No, unless it's something I REALLY want.

Respondent #3: Yes, I would.

REFLECTION:

In regards to the type/appearance relationship of the questions I asked, I received pretty much the responses I expected and was not surprised by the type/engagement relationship of the responses. To explain, the questions start off very broad, and each one got more and more specific. Because of the broad nature of the first question, all three of my respondents answered "yes". On the other hand, due to the more specific criteria of the second and third questions, I received more varied responses.  I created these questions in order to get an idea of the effects that social media endorsements have on the success of a product. Being a marketing management major, this topic is very intriguing to me and can also be deemed helpful in the future of my career. However, there may be some bias in the responses due to people being embarrassed to admit that they would pay more for something just because a celebrity has it because some may consider this shallow. In addition, all three of my respondents were college students and are much more exposed to the current and popular trends than someone who is older and not as exposed to these factors. Another factor that may influence someone's response to these questions is their previous experience with purchasing items off of social media advertisements and endorsements. Many of these endorsements may seem unreliable because it is known that they are paid to show off these products and usually aren't just using them by choice.