Social Media is Having a Direct Influence on The Purchasing Intention and Decision of Teenage

Customers towards Unhealthy (Food and Beverage) Products

Name of Student

Institution Affiliation

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 SOCIAL MEDIA IS HAVING A DIRECT INFLUENCE ON THE PURCHASING

INTENTION AND DECISION OF TEENAGE CUSTOMERS TOWARDS UNHEALTHY

(FOOD AND BEVERAGE) PRODUCTS

1.0 Introduction

Social media platforms such as Facebook were initially developed for people to share their photos

with family members, and friends. However, their evolution has seen them become one of the most

effective marketing tools that are used by businesses to influence the purchasing decisions of their

targeted customers. The social media platforms provide businesses with different ways that they can

use to interact with their customers. For instance in Facebook businesses can have official pages

where they post daily updates in relation to their products and services(Pew Research Center, 2015).

The targeted customers can follow or like these pages to receive these updates. They can also share

what is posted in these pages to their family, and friends, comment, and even directly chat with the

personnel of these businesses on matters concerning the products, and services that they are selling.

In addition to that, businesses can hire social media influencers’ to post the messages that they

want to reach their targeted customers on a regular basis. The reason for this is that the content which

they post will normally have a large impact or effect on the purchasing decisions of a majority of the

potential customers who follow them on a regular basis on these social media platforms. For instance,

if a social media influencer shares a post on his, or her Instagram page on how he or she had a good

experience when using a product, or service from a certain business it will highly likely increase the

number of sales of that product or service. Also, most of the customers will base their purchasing

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decision or intent of purchase on the reviews that they find online of a certain product or service.

According to the 2015 PWC retail survey, it showed that approximately 45% of the global respondents

stated that reading reviews and respondent comments on various products and services influenced

their shopping behavior(Pew Research Center, 2015).

The digital age has also been marked by an increase in access to information by teenagers globally.

A majority of adolescents spend most of their time online. According to the Pew Research center

(2015), it stated that 92% of teenagers in the United States report being online on a daily basis. It also

stated that 56% of them access the internet several times a day, and 24% are constantly online. The

most popular sites that they visit our Facebook (71%), Instagram (53%), Snapchat (41%), and Twitter

(33%)(Pew Research Center, 2015). It is also important to point out that another social networking

platform that is increasingly becoming popular among teenagers is the YouTube. This is an interactive

video-sharing site that allows users to upload their own videos to any content, and be able to receive

feedback.

The emergence and increasing popularity of the social media platform as a marketing instrument

have changed or revolutionized the dynamics of marketing. Teenagers who were once considered to

be passive recipients of advertising content have now become active participants in terms of

co-creation and also dissemination of these marketing messages. It is important to point out that a

majority of the consumers ( even the ones that are considered to be rational when making purchasing

decisions) will normally be influenced by the emotions, or recommendations of their peers(Baskerville

et al., 2015). When one factor in the aspect of peer pressure which is particularly rampant among the

teenagers then it is easier to see how the social media can influence and impact the purchasing

decision of teenage customers.

In this paper, it will highlight how the social media is being used by companies that sell unhealthy

products (food and beverages) to target and influence the purchasing decision of teenagers. It will also

point out that even though the social media platform is increasingly becoming popular it is a highly

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unregulated advertising or marketing instrument that these companies can take advantage of in order

to increase their sales volumes by negatively impacting the purchasing decision of the teenage

customers. It will also be important to illustrate the negative impact of the social media on the health

and also decision making of the teenagers who are exposed to the different marketing strategies by

these companies. Based on their popularity especially among the youth, both corporate brands, and

small businesses can use them to target, and also engage a young audience in unprecedented ways.

Although there have been previous studies to show the positive, and negative influence of the

traditional media, there has been little research to illustrate the impact or influence of the social media

on the youth or teenagers.

1.1 Background of the Study

Technological advancement, and globalization has affected the way people interact on a

regular basis, and also how business is conducted. The creation, and advancement of the different

social media platforms has revolutionized the way companies market their products, and interact with

their customers (Campbell et al., 2011). In the past ( before the inception of social media) businesses

used to promote their services by creating advertisements that were showcased in the different

mainstream, or traditional media such as television, radio, direct mail, print, and even on bill boards.

While this form of advertising was effective in most cases in terms of providing the required

information to influence a customer to purchase a certain product, or service, it was (and is still)

considered to be a one-dimensional form of marketing communication (Curran et al., 2011). In these

platforms the advertisers control the message in relation to the brand that they are promoting- it is

basically a show, and tell exercise. In addition to that, it is a one-way communication. The advertiser

through the advertisement provides a message that he, or she thinks the targeted customer needs to

hear about a product, or service in order to purchase it.

The rise of the use of the social media platforms has taken place concurrently with changes in

the way people are able to access the internet. For instance, most people today possess mobile phone

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devices that are internet enabled and therefore they can be able to use them to access these social

media platforms anywhere and at any time. This means that the teenagers are highly likely to be

exposed to the marketing messages that are on social media given that majority of their free time is

spent online chatting, and looking for what is trending in the different parts of the world.

According to a Pew Research Center 2015 study it showed that 88% of the teenagers in the

United States own a mobile phone device. The study also found out that 73% of the teenagers either

own, or have access to a smartphone. In addition to that, the study was also able to determine that over

90% of the teenagers frequently access the internet using their mobile phone devices, and for those

who use phones, they stated that they are online frequently.

Ross (2014) stated that the most commonly used, and accessed social media platform is the

Facebook. During the research, Ross had established in approximately 10 years since its inception, or

launch, Facebook in 2013 had approximately 1.23 billion monthly users worldwide. It is also

important to point out that another social media platform that is increasingly becoming popular among

the teenagers is You Tube. This is an interactive video- sharing site that allows users to view videos

that have been uploaded from different parts of the world, or even upload their own videos and share.

They can also receive feedbacks in relation to the videos they post, and comment on other people’s

videos. According to the Pew Research Center ( 2014) You Tube is the second most popular social

networking platform.

Social media is considered to be an effective tool for business promotion as it provides an

interactive platform for both the businessman, and the intended customers (Di Pietro & Pantano, 2012).

The businessman will post his advertisement- it can be a video, sound clip, or poster promoting his, or

her products, or services. The intended customers will then post their responses in relation to the

advertisement. The businessmen will then be able to assess the value of the message that they sent in

relation to promoting their business not only by its overall sales over a specific period of time, but also

by the responses that the customers provide (Di Pietro & Pantano, 2012).

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 Social media marketing is today considered to be the ‘hottest,’ and most effective form of

marketing for business promotions. A majority of business owners are adapting to this innovative

method in order to increase the value of their businesses (Edwards, 2011). The overall success of the

social media can be attributed to its design, and purpose. It is important to note that people are social

by nature, and they like to collect, and share information that they feel is valuable to them. Social

media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Whatssapp, and Instagram allow people to share

information, and interact with people from different parts of the world ( it allows people to interact on

a regular basis at the comfort of their homes, work, or even while travelling using their personal

computers, or mobile phones that have access to the internet). Social media marketing takes advantage

of how technology has made it easier for people to be able to connect socially through the different

social media platforms, and implement this concept in the personal business promotion (Edwards,

2011).

The social media incorporates the attributes of the mainstream, or traditional media by

allowing a businessman to provide relevant information that is meant to increase awareness, and sales

of a product, or service. In addition to that, it addresses the shortcomings that were identified in the

traditional form of marketing such as providing a two-way communication. Both the businessman, and

the customers can interact on a regular basis. In addition to that, the customers are more informed

about the different products, and services before making a purchase. The opinions of potential, and

consistent customers will have a more influential effect on their purchasing decisions than those of the

marketing strategists (Edwards, 2011). The potential customers also have the power to provide their

feedback in relation to a brand, and share their opinions to through their timelines. This ensures that

both the businessmen, and marketing strategists value their opinions, and feedbacks more today with

respect to their products, and services than was the case when using the traditional form of media.

How Social Media is Promoting Unhealthy Eating Practices

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 Ogden et al. (2014) in their study found that childhood and adolescent obesity is becoming a

global public health challenge. For instance, in the US, the study found out that 34.5% of

12-19-year-olds are considered to be either overweight or obese. These young people are also

considered to be at high risks of developing chronic health conditions in their adulthood due to their

excess weight. The impending health conditions may be as a result of the promotion of energy dense

and nutrient poor food and beverages on social media.

Shively (2014) points out that companies such as Oreo Cookies, Burger King chicken, and Coke

are conducting successful media campaigns targeting the teenagers and adolescents. The social media

platforms have proved to be an ideal avenue for promotions of brands and also experimenting on the

highly shareable campaigns that advocate for the sale of these energy dense and poorly nutritious

foods. The social media platforms are seen to be an ideal medium for the food and beverage

companies to use in order to engage with young people. For instance, a US market research survey

found out that approximately 63% of 13-32-year-olds have posted their photos on different social

media platforms while consuming different foods and beverages. In addition to that, approximately

57% of teenagers have at least posted on the social media about the foods or drinks of what they were

consuming.

Instagram ( the photo-sharing social media site) according to DMR (2015) has over 71 million

posts that are tagged as #foodporn. These savvy food and beverage companies tend to capitalize on

such consumer-driven marketing to promote their products. There have been previous studies that

have focused on the impact of the increase of web-based food and beverage marketing on children.

However, few studies have focused on the content and type of marketing that is aimed at young people

through the use of the social media platforms.

Factors such as technology advancement and globalization has led to a majority of businesses

operating in different sectors to select the social media platform as an appropriate medium for

marketing their campaigns to a wide range of consumers. The growth of the social media platform has

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become an important communication channel between businesses and their targeted customers. It has

also led to the creation and emergence of virtual communities that may have never met in the real

world due to various factors such as their respective geographical locations, and social classes. Social

media platforms such as Facebook, Whattsapp, Instagram, Twitter, and Linked-In are affecting

consumer behavior especially in terms of their purchasing decisions. Some of its available features

such as easy access have enabled a majority of consumers to connect with others to share information,

thoughts, and feedbacks in relation of the different products that they use.

Chu and Kim (2011) provide the argument that social media platforms present an ideal platform for

the modern day consumer to provide information, and exchange opinions about a certain product or

service. Mangold and Faulds ( 2009) also argue that the social media platform offers a great influence

on every stage of the consumer decision making process, a feature that was not available, or had little

effect on consumers when the traditional media platforms were being used. It has been established that,

today, a majority of consumers rely more on user reviews, and customer feedbacks than the

description of the product, or information from an expert to make a purchasing decision.

Social media is becoming an important tool for consumers who are seeking to obtain new product

information, and also has created a platform for them to share their information through reviews and

feedbacks on different products and brands. This ( providing feedback and reviews) in the past was not

easily accessible to consumers when businesses were using the traditional form of media for their

marketing campaigns. A majority of the most competitive, or companies that want to achieve a high

sense of competitiveness, and sustainability they are beginning to integrate the social media systems,

and adapting social media programs in order to meet their marketing needs.

Faulds (2009) states that the new business dynamics have forced companies to adopt to new marketing

campaigns that will help them reach more customers and also provide them with a competitive edge

over their rival businesses. Social media plays an effective role in terms of customers dissemination of

information. Although the social media platform has been seen to be advantegeous in terms of helping

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businesses reach their targeted customers and therefore achieve some if not all of their marketing

objectives, its influence on the consumer behaviors impacting their purchasing decisions and

consumption habits is considered to have a negative effect on the consumers especially the teenagers.

Bernoff (2008) states that teenagers and young adults today consist or represent the first generation

that was born during the internet boom, and grew up or are growing up as the social media platforms

are increasingly becoming popular. This means that they frequently use the internet and social media

to stay connected with their friends, manage their relationships with family and friends, and also seek

new information on different issues that are affecting their lives.

Heinonen (2011) states that a majority of teenagers are after the following three motives when they are

accessing the internet, and social media platforms seeking information, entertainment, and social

aspects. Heinonen (2011) further adds that that the relationship between the social media and

consumer decision indicates that the social media affects the consumers’ attitudes, purchasing

intentions of the consumers, and also brand attitudes. Hawkins and Motherbauugh (2010) note that

one of the main reasons that has led the digital, or social media to become more popular than the

traditional media is its ease of flow of communication, it is mainly in real-time, and these platforms

are designed to encourage contributions and feedback from different people. It allows both

professional and unprofessional opinions, positive and negative feedback, and other forms of

contribution. Social media affects the way the youth behave in relation to the different stages during

their purchase decision-making processes.

Researchers such as Vollmer and Precourt (2008) state that one of the major reasons that teenagers

today are more influenced by the social or digital media platform than is the case with traditional

media is due to the fact that these websites have created an easily accessible venue that promotes

consumer conversation in relation to products and different brands. It ( social media platforms) is

considered to be an ideal tool for the electronic word-of-mouth because consumers are able to freely

provide their information on a certain product on the social media platform. In general the social

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media platform affects the following stages of purchasing decision for the consumers ( teenagers):

identity formation, expectations of a product, formation of habits, their engagement with different

brands and also firms, brand loyalty, purchase behavior, lifetime value of a brand, and the way they

value a firm in the long-term.

Maschio (2016) states that most teenagers and people who frequently use the social media in one way

or another are trying to achieve a certain individual uniqueness. This is displayed by the status update

they share on Facebook, Instagram pictures they will post and share, and even tweets. In addition to

that, it is demonstrated by the popular personalities they follow, and what they like in the different

existing social media platforms. Such information is crucial for a marketing department of a company

that wants to target these consumers. For instance, for a company such as Coca-Cola or Pepsi in order

to promote their drink to basketball enthusiasts, they are likely to use basketball personalities such as

Lebron James, or Stephen Curry to act as its brand ambassador. The reason for this is that the

basketball entusiasts want to emulate what Lebron James or Stephen Curry does, and this might mean

consuming the Coca Cola beverage. In most cases, these enthusiasts will not be influenced by

scientific studies that may have shown that Coca Cola is not a healthy drink. For them Lebron’s James

endorsement is enough for them to be loyal to that brand.

Maschio (2013) is of the opinion that these new marketing developments have also had an impact on

the commercial brands. Most of the successful brands in the different range of categories are coming

up with new strategies that will help them acquire creative digital communities that enhance the way

people contribute knowledge, expertise, and also advice on the different online forums. These

platforms such as Facebook pages and online discussions about different brands in various sectors

influence young people to be able to recognize the existing new needs on social media. This will be

achieved through surfing on different social media networks such as Facebook whereby they will be

able to see what their friends are displaying on their timeline in terms of the products that they are

using, or interested in through the ‘like’ button which provides them with notifications, or also what

they share.
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Heinonen ( 2011) holds an interesting perspective on the impact of the social media on the buying

behavior of the teenagers. It has affected the buying behavior process theory in a manner that most of

the young people today are buying attitudes are not entirely impacted by the traditional media or

communication channels. The online platform is influencing the customers’ purchasing decisions. This

is the primary reason as to why businesses are implementing the social media platform as their

primary marketing medium. The purchasing decision process normally includes things such as

problem recognition, information search, searching for alternative products, making the decision to

purchase a product, and also post-purchase behavior that a consumer will experience after buying a

product.

Problem Statement

Different studies ( National Cancer Institute, 2008; Angus & Hastings, 2009) that the traditional media

has been used to market unhealthy food products to adolescents and young adults. This marketing

strategy has for years influenced their purchasing behavior towards these products. The internet not

only provides such marketers with new channels to reach and influence teenagers and young adults,

but it is not controlled and can have disastrous effects on this group of people. It is also creating a

platform that transforms the young targeted audiences from being passive recipients of advertising to

become active participants who are able to provide their opinions, create and share marketing

messages for different brands. The social media platforms allow companies to ‘befriend’ their

customers creating an appealing approach that ensures the young customers not only purchase these

products but associate with their brands.

Although there is readily available research on the influence and impact of traditional media on the

teenagers in terms of their purchasing behavior, it will be interesting to determine the impact of social

media on the teenagers. In this paper, it outlines how teenagers who regularly access and interact with

the messages from different companies that sell unhealthy food, and beverage products, alcohol, and

tobacco can influence their purchasing behavior.

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General Objective

 The general objective is the impact of social media on the purchasing intention and buying

behavior of teenage customers towards unhealthy products.

Specific Objectives

 To assess how the social media influences the pre-purchase stage of a buyer’s decision process

 To establish how the social media influences the purchase stage during the buyer’s decision

process

 To assess the impact of social media on the post-purchase behavior in the buyer’s decision

process.

The significance of the Study

The study will be of significance to various stakeholders. It will impact the following:

Scholars and Academicians

Researchers will use this study to further their own research especially on the issues pertaining the

social media and its influence on the purchasing behavior of teenagers on different products. The

baseline data that will assist future researchers to determine their focus and parameters to use to

advance their own studies.

Companies and Individual Businesses

The online platform is still largely unregulated, and some businesses may not know that some of their

practices although in line with the marketing laws, they still have a moral obligation to ensure that

they do not promote unhealthy products to teenagers. This is either through direct and indirect means.

The study aims at illustrating how various marketing campaigns influence consumers to make the

wrong or negative purchasing decisions that will have short-term and long-term impacts on their lives,

especially in relation to their health.

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Teenagers

The study will illustrate how the youth interact with the social media platform, and how it influences

their purchase decisions of different products. It will show them how they may end up making wrong

purchasing decisions.

Definition of Terms

Social Media: It is a group of application that provides a platform for the creation, and exchange of the

users generated content. The popular social media platforms are Facebook, YouTube, Twitter,

Instagram, and Linked-In (Kaplan &Haenlein, 2010).

Consumer decision process: These are the stages that a customer will pass through before determining

whether or not to make a purchase. They include the identity of their needs, the collection of relevant

information, assessing the different options, and then making the purchase decision in relation to the

psychological and economic factors (Khatib, 2016).

Pre-purchase Stage: It is the point whereby the client identifies a certain need and makes the decision

to search for product information, in order to determine the right decision about the intended product

(Kotler, 2009).

Purchase Stage: This is the next stage of the pre-purchase stage. At this point, the customer has

already identified the need, assessed the different existing options, and selected a specific product that

he or she is going to purchase (Hawkins et al., 2010).

Post-Purchase Decision: It is the stage of purchase where a consumer determines whether or not he or

she was satisfied with the product, and if he will in future identify with that product or brand.

CHAPTER 2

Introduction

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In this chapter, it focuses on the literature review based on the research objectives that were

formulated in chapter one. It is divided into four parts: the theoretical framework, how social media

influences the pre-purchase, purchase and post-purchase behavior in terms of a buyers

decision-making process. There will also be a chapter summary.

Theoretical Framework

Teenager’s Behavior on the Social Media

Teenagers today are being raised in an era of smartphones, available, and accessible internet services,

and they cannot remember a time when there were no social media. According to Tulgan (2013), they

are referred to as Generation Z, and they are defined by their birth years, which range from the late

1990s to 2010s. It has been determined that a majority of the millennials are watching digital content

instead of the traditional television shows. It is therefore highly likely that a majority of teenagers are

highly likely to identify with social media influencers instead of TV personalities, or movie stars.

According to Defy (2015), most teenagers find it easy to relate to the social media influencers in

comparison to the traditional media celebrities.

Teenagers Sense of Identification in Comparison with Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers are more likely similar in terms of appeal, admiration, and popularity as the

traditional media celebrities. What makes them become more popular, and admirable to the youth than

the traditional media celebrities is attainability and relatability. A majority of the teenagers feel that

they can relate to these influencers because they naturally perceive them as equals. In most cases, they

are just average teenagers as them who are able to create unique content and distribute it via the

internet. These teenagers may even know them from living in the same neighborhoods or attending the

same schools. The only reason why they receive such attention is that they have unique talents,

personalities, or creativity levels that the other teenagers aspire to have. Therefore, their difference or

uniqueness makes them become more popular.

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In addition, their journey to popularity is attainable in terms of they started with 0 followers, and as

they added more content in the social media platforms, their popularity increased. Variety (2014)

stated that a majority of the teenagers cannot relate to the lifestyles of Holywood celebrities, and

therefore they have little influence on their purchasing decisions. Bentley et al. (2011) also state that in

most cases people tend to copy the behavior of the people that they like, or feel that they share a

similar behavioral style. Researchers from Stony Brook University (2015) found out that behaviors

and beliefs tend to be more contagious among people who have a similar or shared social connection.

A majority of the teenagers, therefore, feel that social media influencers are authentic when they are

conducting a review of a certain product, or brand (Influencer Marketing, 2012). Most of their

followers believe that their reviews and recommendations are honest based on their personal use of the

products. They also find it to be more authentic than is the case of information reviews that have

originated from a certain company or brand because they assume that a social media influencer has no

ulterior motive. They feel that they are after more likes, or to increase their followers by sharing

information. In addition to that, in order to be regarded as honest, and authentic whenever they are

sharing a message that they were paid for by a certain company they normally label it using a hashtag,

or any other method that the teenagers will know that this information is influenced by another

company.

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