Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Professor, Department of Business Management, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
2 PhD Student of Business Administration, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
Abstract
Abstract
Sustainable marketing harnesses the power of social media as a technology tool, facilitating direct interactions between consumers and the potential influence on their beliefs and behavior. Influencers generate both organic and sponsored content across social media platforms. Despite the significance of sustainable marketing in production and consumption, this study seeks to enrich the existing academic discourse on the subject. By delving into a more intricate analysis and accurate examination, the research will focus on sustainable marketing within the social media environment, particularly through influencers. Sustainable marketing is emphasized as a process that involves sharing information about products and services, their applications, and fostering mindset transformations among consumers. The primary objective of this study is to propose a model for sustainable marketing by leveraging the influence of social media. This research aims to address the question of how social media influencers impact sustainable marketing. Consequently, the study seeks to offer a descriptive model that effectively utilizes influencer-based marketing within the context of social media. The research approach adopted for the study is qualitative, employing the theoretic method, and drawing upon Strauss and Corbin's database or the grounded theory approach. The research's statistical population includes experts in the fields of marketing management, sustainable marketing, social media, and influencers.
In the context of this research, a series of interviews were conducted with a total of 13 experts and marketers specializing in sustainability and social media as well as influencers. The process of conducting these interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achievable, focusing on the development of a sustainable marketing model grounded in influencer-based strategies within the realm of social media. The main objective of these interviews was to identify the primary factors that underpin sustainable marketing influenced by influencers operating on social media platforms. The research employed the systematic methodology developed by Strauss and Corbin for its data analysis. This approach consists of three major phases: open coding, central coding, and selective coding.
To ascertain the credibility of the interview utilizing the intra-subject agreement or two-coders method, an expert who possessed comprehensive knowledge in rapport with the subject matter of this research was enlisted as a research partner, functioning as a coder. To construct a paradigmatic model, as the ultimate objective of the grounded theory method, which is based on Strauss and Corbin's approach, it is necessary to analyze three consecutive levels of conditions, interactions, and consequences. These levels encompass causal factors, background conditions, and intervening variables. Through the data analysis process, three primary categories, seven subcategories, and 35 concepts, or open codes, emerged as key elements within the causal factors of the sustainable marketing model based on social media influencers. The principal categories of causal factors were identified as content competences, interaction competences, and influencing capabilities.
Based on the analysis of the collected data, two main categories, four subcategories, and 21 concepts, or open codes, were delineated as the key elements constituting the background conditions of the sustainable marketing model grounded in social media influencers. Analyzing the data yielded two primary categories for the intervening factors of the sustainable marketing model grounded in social media influencers: (1) influencers' prominence and (2) social solidarity. This analysis resulted in the identification of 2 main categories, 4 subcategories, and 23 concepts or open codes.
The primary categories of interfering conditions for the sustainable marketing model based on influencers in social media are identified as (1) influencers' personal branding and (2) restrictions in controlling the content they exhibit or advertise, particularly within social media contexts.
The analysis of the data led to the identification of two primary categories, four subcategories, and 29 concepts or open codes, constituting the strategies of the sustainable marketing model grounded in social media influencers. Based on the analysis of data, the sustainable marketing model, reliant on influencers in the social media paradigm, was found to incorporate two principal strategies: marketing mix reorientation and online networking. In terms of the consequences of this model, three main categories were identified through this analysis: creating self-sustaining forces, inclusive value creation, and a sustainable identity. Within these main categories, 7 subcategories and 39 concepts or open codes were distinguished.
As per the findings, a sustainable marketing paradigm model grounded in influencers on social media has been presented, which comprises the following categories: (1) causal conditions encompassing content competencies, interaction competences, and the potential to sway opinions; (2) background conditions, i.e. the authority of influencers and their social networks; (3) intervening conditions that encompass the influencers' personal branding and the constraints in handling the content they showcase; (4) strategies, which are twofold and entail marketing mix reorientation and online networking; finally, the outcomes of this model were divided into three categories, namely (1) cultivating self-sustaining forces
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