Influencer Marketing and Consumer Engagement: The Role of Food Experts in Shaping Attitudes Towards Organic Products (Published)
The Covid-19 pandemic has spurred a consumer trend toward embracing healthier lifestyles and diets. Leveraging primary studies centered on influencer marketing and its influence on consumer behavior, this study aims to scrutinize and evaluate the effect of Food Expert Influencers on consumers’ attitudes towards organic products. Our conceptual model, utilizing the theory of social comparison, contributes to formulating hypotheses based on which specific characteristics of Food Expert Influencers are capable of influencing and impacting consumer behavior towards organic foods. On the basis of survey data collected from 306 respondents, structural equation modeling was employed to test our hypotheses and measure the proposed conceptual model. The results indicated that influencers’ sexual orientation, appealing lifestyle, specialized knowledge in a particular domain, personal traits like beauty or sex appeal, and their follower count exert a considerable influence on consumer behavior, notably fostering positive attitudes towards organic products. These findings hold substantial theoretical implications, offering crucial insights for marketing strategies in the organic food products sector, as well as for corporate social responsibility. They underscore the importance of carefully selecting influencers who resonate with the target demographics and can forge authentic connections with them. Moreover, the results suggest that harnessing the credibility of Food Experts of Influence (FEIs) can influence consumer behavior and potentially bolster the sales of organic products.
Keywords: COVID-19, Consumer Behavior, biological products, influencer marketing, social comparison theory
Influence of Covid-19 on Advertising Practice in South East, Nigeria (Published)
This study investigated how Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic influenced advertising practice in South East, Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design and focus group discussion. A sample size of 287 was drawn from the entire population using the Taro Yamani formula. The study was anchored on the economic recovery theory and AIDA advertising model. Data were collected using structural questionnaire and focus group discussion, and were analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Findings show that COVID-19 negatively affected advertising practice in South-East Nigeria. It further recommends that advertising practitioners in South-East Nigeria should evolve more local contents approach in the packaging and dissemination of advertising messages in order to stimulate interest in advertising and overturn the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on advertising practice zone. Advertising practitioners and agencies in South East Nigeria should also adjust or reduce the cost of advertising to enable companies raise the level of adverting in the post-COVID-19 era.
Agbodo, J A (2022) Influence of Covid-19 on Advertising Practice in South East, Nigeria, British Journal of Marketing Studies, Vol. 10, Issue 5, pp.,11-27
Keywords: Advertising, COVID-19, Influence, South East Nigeria, practice
E-Food Commerce, Nutrition Economics and Consumer Behaviour: Before And After Covid-19 (Published)
Consumer behaviors and purchases are complex concepts and strongly influenced by personal, psychological, sociocultural and environmental factors. This paper proposed an innovative comprehensive consumer behavior framework for use as a logical tool that assists in planning for local and national food programs aimed at complex socioeconomic, environmental and public health problems such as COVID-19. The progress of the Internet of things and the social media reported here provides a platform for accelerated actions that could have major positive implications for public health nutrition in the post COVID-19 world.
Keywords: COVID-19, Consumer Behavior, digital food systems, e-food commerce, nutrition economics, public health nutrition