Parasocial Relationship Influence On Covergirl Buying Intentions: Trust And Loyalty From SMI And Celebrity Endorsements

Advancements in technology have shifted the ways in which advertisers communicate with consumers. Social media has gained a large presence in the marketing strategies of many companies, especially makeup brands. Makeup and beauty companies have realized that the most effective way to sell their product is to show consumers how it fits into the lives of real people. So, these brands have turned to celebrities and social media influencers (SMI) to show off the actual use of the products through social media and content creation. It is hypothesized that consumers are likely to trust promotions by SMI and celebrities because of the parasocial relationships they might have with them. The purpose of this study would be to compare the intention of the participants to buy the makeup product after viewing each type of advertisement: traditional print, social media influencer produced content, or celebrity endorsed advertisements.