CHAPTER I

Introduction

Background of the Study

In the present time, the international virtual community has been increasing in its

number of participants and contributors. Particularly in social media, the engagement

online has been growing as each hour passes. With this, the marketing industry developed

a strategy to take advantage of the technological advancements, to keep up with the

changes, and to capture and continuously hold the attention of the dynamic audience –

Influencer Marketing. The marketers across the globe devised this strategy this to better

connect with their current and potential customers. They maximized the use of social

media as a platform by collaborating with content creators rather than by just merely

placing the more traditional advertisements. However, as influencer marketing is a

relatively new concept, the clients – the companies themselves, are having some

hesitations with regards to adapting and using the strategy for their own businesses.

Social media influencers have a special role to play between the brand and the

customers. To the brand, the role of a social media influencer is to have it introduced to

the customers and feature the products the brand offers or inform the public of what the

company does. To the customers who are the influencer’s followers, the influencer helps

by giving a review of the brand and/or its products s that they may have a better idea and

appreciate the product prior to making a purchase. Declared as “the social media capital

of the world,” there is a lot of potential for influencer marketing here in the Philippines

for as of this year, the country has reached 67 million internet users. However, as it is in

the international scene, most brands in the Philippines are not getting onboard with
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influencer marketing because of the uncertainties that come along with it. The question as

to how the customers will view the brand once reached through influencer marketing still

arises.

Colourette Cosmetics is a local makeup brand that advocates women

empowerment and is breaking stereotypes when it comes to beauty. Their campaign

slogan, “Be It,” encourages women to express and present themselves the way they want

to, confidently. Colourette Cosmetics is known to tie-up with social media influencers

such as vloggers, celebrities, ad Instagram personalities who believe in and live out the

same advocacy as theirs. They have been extensively using influencer marketing to

promote their products and carry out the message of diversity in beauty. Their most recent

collaboration is with the famous transwoman, Angeline King, and her spouse, a model

mentor and a fashion lifestyle host, Joey Mead King. The two influencers have their own

makeup line under Colourette called “Colourette x The Kings.” This was released back in

June 2018, which is just in time for as it is the Pride Month of the LGBT community.

Although some of Colourette Cosmetics’ success could be attributed to its

advertising campaigns, the amount of the contribution of influencer marketing as a

marketing strategy is not known for sure since the customer reach through this form of

marketing is not easy to quantify. It is difficult to know the level of brand awareness this

strategy produces and therefore, the measure of the return on investment from this is hard

to determine as well. Moreover, the view of people who have come across Colourette

Cosmetics through a feature of an influencer can still be unclear. Consequently, the

results of using influencer marketing as a marketing strategy can be vague.

 3

Colourette Cosmetics has come a long way from when it was first founded. From

just operating online before, the business has expanded and started to have more and

more stalls in and out of Metro Manila. Their products have become well-known not just

in the Philippines but in other parts of the world as well. With this, the study could be of

help to Colourette’s top management and marketing team in determining whether

influencer marketing is still the best option for them. Through this study, they could have

a better idea on customers’ perception on this strategy and on its effects to the brand.

Other brands may benefit as well by using this analysis on Colourette Cosmetics’

business. Furthermore, reconciling the customer positioning on the brand advertised

through influencer marketing and their response, put on paper, may be of aid to

Colourette and to others interested in employing the said strategy.

Statement of the Problem

The study determines the perception and response of Colourette Cosmetics’

customers toward its use of influencer marketing. Specifically, it aims to answer the

following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Customer type;

1.2 Age;

1.3 Educational attainment;

1.4 Occupation;

1.5 Income level;

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1.6 Social media accounts used; and

1.7 Medium where brand was discovered?

2. How do the customers perceive influencer marketing as a strategy for Colourette

Cosmetics in terms of its impact on:

2.1 Brand awareness – customer reach;

2.2 Brand relevance – suitability to target market;

2.3 Brand equity – customers’ view of the brand; and

2.4 Brand purchase?

3. How do the customers respond to Colourette Cosmetics’ influencer marketing in

terms of its:

3.1 Reliability;

3.2 Appeal; and

3.3 Relatability?

4. Is there a significant relationship between the customers’ perception and response

on influencer marketing as a company strategy for Colourette Cosmetics?

Significance of the Study

The researchers believe that the study is significant to the following groups of

people and institutions:

 5

Managers of Colourette Cosmetics. The study helps Colourette Cosmetics

gauge the impact of influencer marketing to their brand so that they may decide whether

to keep using this marketing strategy as they are expanding the company.

Advertisers. This study provides them more information so they may consider

incorporating influencer marketing on their future advertising campaigns and that they

may recommend the strategy to their clients.

Social Media Influencers. With the help of this study, more brands will be

interested in partnering with social media influencers to promote products. More partners

for them means that they get to continue producing quality content and giving valuable

suggestions to their audiences.

Customers/Social Media Users. Through this study they may be exposed to a

better, more interactive way of advertising. They will also be presented with products that

are more in line with their preferences since they will get to know brands that are trusted

by who they follow on social media.

Marketing Students. This study helps students to fully understand influencer

marketing and its effects to customers’ perception and response so that they may be

knowledgeable on this new marketing strategy, and that they may become more creative

individuals who will contribute greatly to the marketing industry.

Future Researchers. The results and data derived from this study help future

researchers as they may serve as supplementary resource to their own research.

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Scope and Limitation of the Study

The study will only cover the perception and response of customers on influencer

marketing as a marketing strategy for Colourette Cosmetics. Consumer perception will be

assessed in terms of its impact on brand awareness, brand relevance, brand equity, and

profitability. Customers’ response on the other hand, will be evaluated based on how

customers respond to the adaptation of influencer marketing in the company in terms of

reliability, appeal, and relatability. The researchers will primarily focus on the effects of

influencer marketing to the perception and response of the customers on Colourette

Cosmetics as a brand and its use of the said marketing strategy itself.

The researchers will use a questionnaire to assess the customers’ perception and

response of 50 respondents. The selected respondents will be the customers of Colourette

Cosmetics who have visited the company’s physical store in SM City North EDSA,

Quezon City. The study will be conducted from June 2018 to April 2019.
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CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature and Studies

The researchers gathered data from relevant sources that were found pertinent to

the study conducted. A number of articles, studies, books, journals, and websites were

explored to gain further understanding on influencer marketing and its effects to

customers’ perception and response. These materials helped greatly in achieving the

objectives set for the research.

Local Literature

Viray (2018) recognized that over the past few years, the Philippines has been

making great strides in embracing various digital marketing innovations, showing no

signs of slowing down. All these are driven by the growing internet and social media

usage in the country. Filipinos spend an average of 9 hours on the internet and 4 hours

and 17 minutes on social media every day, the most in the world. Consumers have

become more technology-savvy than ever, and their needs are constantly changing.

Brands must be able to keep up with such challenges. They need solid strategies for their

digital marketing campaigns to remain relevant to their target market.

Further, Osorio (2017) said that social media continues to dominate, but content

marketing, influencer marketing, and sponsored content are on the rise. Brands view

social media both paid and organic as the most effective digital channel for marketing,

due to the high number of active users, the enormous amount of time users spend using

the channel, and cost efficiency. Social media in the Philippines are used for searching

and purchasing products or services by nearly a third of the population, with Facebook as

the priority medium.

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Apart from Facebook and Google Search advertising, the next key digital medium

that delivers undervalued ROI is influencer marketing. Even though it is one of the

trickiest strategies to master, it can potentially deliver fantastic return on ad spend (Ople,

2017).

Moral (2016) noted that today, it seems brands believe that social media, through

microblogging sites like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, are most effective in reaching

target consumers—such that social-media animals are the new fixtures at hot-ticket

events, product launches and parties. Most, if not all, international brands require at least

one influencer at an event. There is always a budget specified for engaging influencers,

either to simply grace the event and post, or to host it.

Ferrer (2017) mentioned that social media influence will not only improve the

way a brand is seen by consumers, it will also help get qualified leads since it is forging

connections with people who are genuinely interested in the brand and actually like and

use the product or service offered.

Dizon (2015) explained that an influencer is a well-connected person who is

regarded as influential and in the know. He or she is someone who can be looked up to

for advice, direction and knowledge. With this, it can be surmised that influencers have

many faces. They can be journalists, academics, industry analysts, professional advisors,

celebrities and individual brand advocates. In the Philippines, however, the practice is

largely limited to that of celebrities and bloggers with a large social-media following who

function mainly as brand ambassadors.

Nisay (2016) said that brands must view influencers not as channels where they

can dump their promos or ads onto, but rather as content partners. An authentic
 9

connection between the brand and the influencer is a major factor that should determine

tie-ups.

Angco (2017) revealed that Filipino influencers, unlike in any other countries, are

more emotional and keen. Emotional in such a way that they would really want to

connect with their followers through the communication that they’ll be posting, they

would want to foster and harbor trust and brand equity, so I can say that most, if not all,

of the local influencers here in the country value the essence of creating real content by

promoting a campaign/ product that is truly close to their hearts and not just because they

are getting paid.

Foreign Literature

Belch & Belch (2012) emphasized that the rapid growth of the internet and social

media is changing the nature of how companies do business and the ways they

communicate with consumers. Every day, more consumers are searching the internet’s

worldwide web and nearly every marketer is making the web an integral part of their

marketing communications, as well as their overall business strategies.

Hamman (2013) observed that consumers want information that comes from like-

minded people they trust. They want first-hand information about how peers made

purchase decisions and what their experience was with relevant products and services. A

recommendation from a peer online about a product has more influence than a banner ad

or product review on a brand's website.

Further, Mokubela (2016) stated that consumers now expect brands to talk with

them rather than at them. Influencer marketing presents an advantageous opportunity for

brands to leverage the power of word-of-mouth at scale through personalities that

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consumers already follow and admire. Brands can strategically partner with the right

personalities to spark organic conversations and seduce their followers. He explained that

a bombardment of advertisements gives rise to a new term - "banner blindness" - which

happens when consumers unconsciously tune out ads.

As the volume of data available increases online, the more consumers want

specific information aligned with their unique needs. Working with influencers is a way

for brands to reach people whose interests and demographics represent a highly qualified

consumer (Hamman, 2013).

Moreover, Bennet et al (2011) recognized that relevancy and timing are key

factors in gaining the attention of social networking sites users. If a company can

engage consumers, they will choose to listen to the messages that are being conveyed and

potentially pass these messages on to others. As social networking sites are built on

relationships, companies should work to achieve just that - a relationship with

their consumer. This relationship would see the company 'pull' consumers in rather than

'push' messages on them.

Bell (2016) discovered that the key to a successful influencer marketing campaign

doesn’t lie with throwing wads of cash at online superstars. It lies in finding well

respected, industry-relevant online influencers with smaller, highly engaged audiences.

The reason why relevance tops reach is simple: To be a relevant influencer, one has to

have expertise and subject-matter credibility, as well as well developed, solid

relationships with the majority of one’s followers. Because of these relationships, and

especially if you’ve targeted your influencer correctly, you not only gain the influencer’s
 11

receptive audience, you gain that audience’s audience as well. In fact, the best influencers

won’t work with a brand unless the opportunity is relevant to their followers.

To add to that, Smith (2016) pointed out that in today's world, building consumer

trust through branding, marketing and public relations is paramount. One very effective

and strategic way for brands to gain the trust of their consumers is to align with

influencers - those that have a prominent and trusted voice, share values, lifestyle, and

have credibility within the social space.

Mathew (2018) realized that unlike most marketing strategies, influencer

marketing requires a high level of trust between a brand and a third party. Although

influencers are often required to sign lawful contracts, the care of the brand's reputation is

essentially in their keeping. A brand must be sure the influencer’s content aligns with

their overall image. The use of uncanny or offensive content could have negative

consequences on the brand's reputation. This is especially important when working with

young influencers who may lack maturity and professionalism.

The theme of trust comes up over and over again when speaking of influencer

marketing, and there’s reason for that. People have learned that commercials lie and stars

paid to promote things they don’t necessarily care about (Cobain, 2017).

In line with this, Del Rowe (2018) proved that a lack of trust in

traditional marketing methods and the media in general as a reason for marketers to work

with influencers. Traditional marketing, in many cases is an unwanted interruption and

suffers from an inherent lack of trust among consumers because it has been manufactured

by the company. This perceived lack of authenticity contrasts with word of mouth. Thus,

the trust between influencers and their audiences is invaluable to marketers. And,
 12

regardless of how companies choose to work with influencers, few would dispute they

have become essential to today's marketing.

Further, Lee (2017) stated that influencer marketing has expanded exponentially

over the past several years. As such, the industry has evolved from a promising marketing

tactic to an essential part of many marketing budgets. Today it’s a leading priority of huge

conglomerates and startups and small business alike.

Fisher (2018) said leveraging an influencer’s audience is an effective way to get a

brand’s name recognized, but the real value comes from converting potential leads into

viable leads, and hopefully into future customers. By actively learning and gathering

information about an influencer’s audience, a brand can target them for conversion. By

collecting data, marketers give themselves new and valuable information about who their

buyer personas are and what they want from a brand.

A point Brown, Fiorella (2013) made has to be considered, the consumer’s

familial situation is a key disrupter to a marketer’s brand messaging and call to action.

Personal situational factors are typically dictated by proximity, intimacy, and nature of

the consumers’ personal relationships. For example, a woman who is the mother of three

young children makes purchase decisions differently than a woman without children. If

the three children, for example, are grown and off to college instead of young and at

home, purchase decisions take a different form yet again. Thousands of women may

actively follow a popular Mommy-blogger, reading and even commenting on her every

post. Yet, for example, when the blogger recommends a particular game system, the age

and sex of the reader’s children will dramatically impact her decision to purchase that

product or not. If a business’ audience is mothers, simply broadcasting recommendations

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to all of them through popular bloggers without an understanding of their personal

situational factors will miss the mark with most of them.

Local Studies

Amabao (2011) mentioned that the benefits of social interaction seem endless

with the advancements of communications online. With the complexity of information

available on the internet, there are new possibilities for people to communicate on global

networks. There is the ability to aggregate different information streams. Social

networking sites have been proven to be perfect platforms for communications.

Arcebal et al. (2017) pointed out than in an ever more complex retail

environment, customer engagement is essential but also challenging. Thus, retailers must

shift from a linear marketing approach of one-way communication to a value exchange

model in which there is a two-way mutual dialogue and benefit-sharing between provider

and consumer. The use of social media interaction allows brands to receive both positive

and negative feedback from their customers, as well as determining what media platforms

work well for them.

In a study conducted by Bagang et al. (2017), it was found out that the use of

social media sites helps in maintaining brand loyalty. Majority of their respondents

agreed that communicating, presenting, and advertising through social media are

effective.

Furthermore, Palma (2016) suggested that marketers see social networking

platforms as a significant venue for their marketing activities because they are accessible

and convenient. The possibility of engaging the customers which could link to a
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sustainable and competitive advantage has become a lot easier in the advent of these

platforms.

Nowadays, the market keeps on changing and it is becoming a problem for some

companies to cope (Durana, 2014). Companies need to develop or formulate results better

than before to be able to compete and have a competitive advantage against other

organizations within the industry. In order to do so, proper managing and analyzing of

information is needed to immediately respond to the changing needs.

Moreover, according to the study of Concepcion (2016), retailers and businesses

are scrambling to adjust to the particular tastes of this generation. He reiterated that

attention is a necessary ingredient for effective advertising. The market for consumer

attention has become so competitive that attention can be regarded as a currency. The

attention span of an average millennial now rests at 8 seconds. Cementing what this data

means for retailers and advertisers, it is asserted that the true scarce commodity of the

near future will be human attention. It is definite that consumer attention has many

tangible effects on advertising.

Foreign Studies

Over the last half-century, word-of-mouth communication has moved from a

phenomenon to a controllable marketing tool that enhances the flow of communication

within the marketplace. Consumer behavior researchers understand the importance it

plays in strengthening and even surpassing conventional marketing strategies (Cal, 2003).

According to Woods (2016), one of the main benefits of using influencer

marketing is the reach and engagement it can garner. Influencers are “who the consumers

are looking at," and when they amplify a brand’s message via a virtual word of mouth, it
 15

can effectively influence potential buyers to take action. While it is known that

influencers receive compensation for their endorsement, they are able to remain a trusted

and authentic source to their followers. The application of a product into a real life

entices their followers to view the product favorably, since it is used by someone they

admire, trust, and can relate to.

Furthermore Fadhila (2018) reiterated this saying that integrating influencer

marketing into a brand’s marketing strategy allows the brand to reach, and to advertise

products or services directly to its target consumers through people—or in this case,

influencers—that these target consumers already follow and trust. Matters such as

transparency and authenticity are significant in influencer marketing strategy. The

audience of an influencer expects that the content shared by the influencer to be relevant,

creative and based on true facts—or in other words, authentic. Transparency, on the other

hand, means that influencers are honest about everything, including, whether they get

paid to post content or not. These two topics are essential to generate trust and credibility.

Because of the integration of digital advertising such as influencer marketing has

become more and more apparent today, Rautio (2012) suggested that comprehensive and

profound online and social data analysis skills have become increasingly important.

Staying updated on the newest advertising and campaign trends, latest social media

platforms, analytics tools and technology in general has become a central part of a

marketing professionals’ daily work.

The study of Biaudet (2017) proved that if a company cannot measure the success

of its influencer marketing practice, it cannot improve it. Because of this, it’s important to

measure and demonstrate the results of the practice and being able to optimize strategies
 16

to get it to the next level. There is no actual data on influence, which means explicit data

that tells precisely who influenced whom, at what time, where it happened and how it

happened. Thus, how influencer marketing ROI is measured depends on the objective,

what the goal for the campaign is. If the campaign is growth-oriented and the goal is to

get more visibility, a company’s ROI is the number of new potential customers who

become aware of the brand through the campaign. If the goal is Engagement, a valuable

metric is the cost-per-engagement (CPE) measured in terms of dollars spent per “like”,

comment, or interaction such as video views, shares or clicks. Additionally, the fact that

you cannot be in 100% control of a marketing message produced by an influencer on

social media, and this is something that a company using influencer marketing should

acknowledge.

Rautio (2012) mentioned that while social media as a channel and a data insight

tool is of salient importance, metrics and measurements need to consider marketing ROI

more holistically. For successful social media marketing, hence, strategy and

measurements need to go hand in hand. And nevertheless, understanding the value that

social media provides to the company and the brand is salient and significant.

Relevance of Related Literatures and Studies to the Current Study

The researchers gathered various related literature and studies from local and

foreign writers and authors. The researchers used these to define influencer marketing

and identify its effects to consumer perception and response.

There is a growing social media usage in the country (Viray, 2018), and Belch &

Belch (2012) and Durana (2014) say that this is changing the nature of how companies do
 17

business. Businesses are scrambling to adjust to the particular tastes of this generation

(Concepcion, 2016).

According to Ferrer (2017) and Bagang et al. (2017), advertising through social

media is effective and it helps get qualified leads since it is forging connections with

people who are genuinely interested in the brand. Moral (2016), Amabao (2011), and

Osorio (2017) noted that brands believe social media to be most effective digital channel

in reaching target consumers, for social networking sites have been proven to be perfect

platforms for communications. And because of this, the integration of digital advertising

such as influencer marketing has become more apparent today (Rautio, 2012).

Arcebal et al. (2017) and Mokubela (2016) pointed out the expectation of

consumers for brands to talk with them, so there must be a shift from a one-way

communication to a value exchange model in which there is a two-way mutual dialogue

between provider and consumer. According to Woods (2016) and (Cal, 2003), influencers

amplify a brand’s message via a virtual word of mouth, for it is controllable marketing

tool that strengthens and even surpasses conventional marketing strategies.

As explained by Dizon (2015), an influencer is a well-connected person who can

be looked up to for advice, direction and knowledge. With this, Nisay (2016) says brands

must view influencers not as channels but rather as content partners, for as recognized by

Bennet et al (2011), social networking sites are built on relationships. A relevant

influencer has to have developed, solid relationships, as well as expertise and subject-

matter credibility (Bell, 2016).

Hamman (2013) observed that consumers want information that comes from like-

minded people they trust. In line with this, Cobain (2017) states that the theme of trust
 18

always comes up when speaking of influencer marketing. Transparency and authenticity

are significant in influencer marketing strategy (Fadhila, 2018). Moreover, Angco (2017)

found out that Filipino influencers really want to connect with their followers, and foster

trust.

Fisher (2018) suggested that by actively learning about an influencer’s audience, a

brand can target them for conversion. Brown, Fiorella (2013) expounded on that, saying

that simply broadcasting recommendations to the audience without an understanding of

their personal situational factors will miss the mark in brand messaging.

Ople (2017) revealed that influencer marketing delivers an undervalued ROI and

that it can potentially deliver fantastic return on ad spend. How influencer marketing ROI

is measured depends on the objective, and there is a need to measure it more holistically

(Biaudet, 2017, Rautio, 2012)

Lee (2017) stated that influencer marketing has expanded exponentially over the

past several years. And regardless of how companies choose to work with influencers,

few would dispute they have become essential to today's marketing (Del Rowe, 2018).

Using these related literatures and studies, it can be inferred that most brands

perceive influencer marketing as a strategy that will help them thrive in their respective

industries, for it is one of the most effective marketing tools in today’s digital age.

Various authors prove that customers receive influencer marketing positively, as it is

more reliable compared to the more conventional marketing methods due to the

transparency and authenticity ingrained in the nature of the practice.

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Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework presents the flow of the study to be performed. The

study will use the system approach which comprises of three major stages namely; input,

process, and output.

The input consists of the following: customer type, age, educational attainment,

occupation, income level, social media accounts used, and medium where brand was

discovered. It includes brand awareness: customer reach, brand relevance: sustainability

to target market, brand equity: customer’s view of the brand, and profitability. It also

contains reliability, appeal, and relatability.

On the other side, the process includes determining the demographic profile of the

respondents, describing how customers perceive the use of influencer marketing strategy

on Colourette Cosmetics, determining the response of customers to Colourette Cosmetics’

influencer marketing, and statistical treatment and analysis of data.

The output will be a development plan on the advertising campaigns and strategy of

the company.
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INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

-Demographic profile of the -Determine the demographic

respondents: profile of the respondents.

1.1 Customer type

1.2 Age
1.3 Educational
attainment
1.4 Occupation -Describe customer
15 Income level perception on influencer
1.6 Social media accounts marketing as a company
used Strategy for Colourette -Development Plan on the
1.7 Medium where brand Cosmetics. Advertising Campaigns and
was discovered Strategy of the Company

-Customer perception on
influencer marketing as a
company strategy for
Colourette Cosmetics:
-Determine Customer
2.1 Brand Awareness: Response to Colourette
Customer Reach Cosmetics’ Influencer
2.2 Brand Relevance: Marketing.
Sustainability to Target
Market
2.3 Brand Equity:
Customer’s View of the
Brand
2.4 Brand Purchase

-Customer response to -Statistical Treatment and

Colourette Cosmetics’ Analysis of Data
influencer marketing:

3.1 Reliability
3.2 Appeal
3.3 Relatability

Feedback
Figure 1. Research Paradigm

Research Hypothesis
 21

The researchers will be guided by the null hypothesis that there is no significant

relationship between the customers’ perception and response on influencer marketing as a

company strategy for Colourette Cosmetics.

Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms are operationally defined:

Advertisers. Those that conceptualize and implement marketing strategy planned

for a company.

Brand Awareness. The customer reach of a brand – the consciousness or extent

of familiarity a customer holds toward the attributes or qualities that make up a particular

brand especially because of the marketing that it does.

Brand Equity. The customers’ view of the brand and its value.

Brand Relevance. The suitability of the company’s products and advertising to

its target market.

Collaboration. A business partnership between brands and individuals.

Customers. The ones who are buying products.

Customers’ Perception. A consumer’s impression towards Colourette Cosmetics,

its offerings, and/or a marketing strategy it employs.

Customers’ Response. An action a consumer does as a response to what

Colourette Cosmetics did, it may be in a form of a feedback, an impulse to buy, and the

like.

Cosmetics. Products that are used to enhance or alter the facial appearance.

Deliver. On this study, this term is pertaining to how the productswere introduced

or have been marketed.

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Expertise. Knowledge of an influencer on a certain product.

Influencer Marketing. A marketing strategy in which a brand does a

collaboration with a social media influencer so that it may reach its potential customers

through them, instead of directly addressing advertisements to the target market.

Managers. Those who oversee and manage the whole business. They decide on

key elements of operations and approves plans for marketing.

Profitability. The state or condition of yielding a financial profit or gain.

Reliability. The quality of being trustworthy or of performing consistently well.

Relatability. Having a casual or logical connection to the brand.

Social Media. Applications that enable users to share information and content

online, building a virtual community.

Social Media Influencers. Online contributors such as vloggers, Instagram

personalities, and artists who have gained a substantial amount of followers on any social

media platform because of the content they produce.

Social Media Users. People who have one or more social media account/s. They

may be current or potential customers for the brand.

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CHAPTER III

Methodology

Research Design

The study employed the descriptive method of research using the questionnaire in

gathering the respondents’ assessment on how do they perceive influencer marketing as a

strategy for Colourette Cosmetics in terms of its impact. According to Aquino (2010),

descriptive research method is fact-finding with adequate interpretation. The descriptive

method is something more beyond just data gathering. The true meaning of the data

collected should be reported from the point of view of the objectives and the basic

assumption of the project under way. This follows logically after careful classification of

data.

This method and technique is adopted due to the appropriateness of the problem

postulated of the study. This approach collects a large amount of data for detailed

analysis, thus this will provide a snapshot on how customers perceive and respond to the

strategy of influencer marketing of Colourette Cosmetics.

Population and Sample

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The researchers used the purposive sampling for gathering data. The study is

limited to customers of Colourette Cosmetics who have visited the company’s physical

store in SM City North EDSA, Quezon City. The purposive sampling can be very useful

in situations where there is a need to reach a targeted sample quickly, and where sampling

for proportionality is not the main concern.

According to Crossman (2018), a purposive sample is a non-probability sample that

is selected based on characteristics of a population and the objective of the study.

Purposive sampling is also known as judgmental, selective, or subjective sampling. A

major advantage of this type of sampling is that it is easier to make generalizations about

a sample compared to a random sample where not all participants have the characteristics

needed for the topic being studied.

Research Locale

The study will be conducted in SM City North EDSA, Quezon City where the

selected customers of Colourette Cosmetics are present.

Method or Procedure

In this part of the study, research-related activities were performed by the

researchers for data gathering to offer some possible solutions to the problem. The

following steps are:

1. Preparing and constructing of the questionnaires that will be a tool for obtaining

details in data collection. These questionnaires will be distributed to the customers

of Colourette Cosmetics.
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2. Revision of questionnaires if there are mistakes and unnecessary questions.

Separation of the questionnaires into two parts that will be answered according to

their demographic profile which consists of their Age, Educational attainment,

Occupation, Income level and Social media accounts, while the last part will

contain questions assessing the perception and response of customers on the

influencer marketing of Colourette Cosmetics.

3. Distribution of surveys and questionnaires inside of SM City North EDSA or

TriNoma Mall that will be the source of data to be collected.

4. Retrieving data that will be systematized and be used for analysis.

Instruments

The survey questionnaire is chosen by the researchers as a data collection

instrument for this study. The questionnaire included a variety of questions that will

consist of 2 sections. Section A determines the demographic profile of the respondents

which includes Customer type, Age, Educational attainment, Occupation, Income level,

Social media accounts used, and Medium where brand was discovered. Section B aims to

assess the perception of customers on the influencer marketing of Colourette Cosmetics

in terms of its Brand awareness, Brand relevance, Brand equity, and Profitability, and

their response in terms of Reliability, Appeal and Relatability.

Statistical Treatment of Data

The data gathered were tabulated and calculated in accordance with the purpose

of the study. The responses for each item were categorized based on the specific problems
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raised. To develop the interpretation and presentation of the results, the researchers used

the following statistical treatment of data:

1. Frequency and Percentage

Presented the actual response of the respondents according to certain

variables such as customer type, age, educational attainment, occupation, income

level, social media accounts used, and medium where brand was discovered.

Item was computed by dividing it with the total number of respondents

who participated in the survey.

Formula : P = __f__ x 100

Where : P = percentage

f = Number of responses for every item

N = total number of cases or respondents

2. Weighted Mean

To determine the average response of the different options provided in the

various parts of the survey questionnaire. The method is used in conjunction with

the Likert Scale.

Formula : WM = ∑ (w1f1 + w2f2…+wnfn)

Where : WM = weighted mean

f1 = frequency of first cell

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w1 = weight of first cell

f2 = frequency of second cell

w2 = weight of second cell

N = number of cases

Likert Scale

Accurately measures the degree to which respondents agree or disagree to

statements given.

Scale Range Verbal Interpretation Symbol

4 3.26 – 4.00 Strongly Agree SA

3 2.51 – 3.25 Agree A

2 1.76 – 2.5 Disagree DA

1 1.01 – 1.75 Strongly Disagree SDA

3. Correlation Ratio
The researchers used the correlation ratio to determine the significant

relationship between the level of satisfaction and work values of the two groups

of respondents.
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Formula :

Where : n = number of ordered pairs

xi = value of independent t variable
yi = value of dependent variable