International Journal of Marketing Studies, Issue: Vol.18, No.2

From Impulse to Excess: The Impact of Influencer Marketing on Impulsive Buying and Overconsumption

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 06:40:21 +0000

This study investigates the impact of influencer marketing on impulsive buying behavior and overconsumption among young consumers by utilising the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework and the Persuasion Knowledge Model (PKM). In an era of massive global advertising expenditure, this research examines how digital stimuli and parasocial interactions trigger spontaneous purchasing decisions. Adopting a descriptive and exploratory quantitative design, data was collected via an online survey focusing on the young consumer demographic. The results identify a “Persuasion Knowledge Paradox,” where a significant majority of participants express skepticism toward paid advertisements, yet nearly half engaged in immediate impulsive purchases. These findings suggest that the “Illusion of Friendship,” or parasocial interaction, functions as a psychological bypass that allows affective triggers to override cognitive critical defences. Notably, a substantial portion of the sample reported post-purchase regret, owning items purchased via social media that remain largely unused. While limited by the use of a convenience sample, the study highlights the risks of digital overconsumption and financial vulnerability for young consumers in the modern social commerce landscape. Ultimately, this paper contributes to the literature by explicitly linking the relational intimacy of influencer marketing to the physical manifestation of overconsumption, providing a nuanced understanding of how contemporary digital environments facilitate a transition from cognitive awareness to spontaneous consumption.

One More Time: How Should We Define Marketing—It Matters Because Definitions Become the North Star for A Profession

Sun, 27 Sep 2026 07:35:48 +0000

The current marketing definition advanced by the American Marketing Association is now a decade old. Definitions frame a field of practice and guide professionals in that field. Therefore, definitions need frequent revisits, not only because a field evolves, but also because new minds in the discipline can shed new light on various facets of the profession. This paper is one such revisit: a selection of ten extant definitions of marketing is reviewed, using five structural and five philosophic attributes comprising a suggested template. Lead definitions in some selected professions such as accounting, medicine, and law are also reviewed. Reviewing definitions from other professions can expand our vision in relation to defining the content and domain of our own profession. Informed by a review of these definitions in diverse fields, five new definitions are proposed. These five new definitions address gaps in prior definitions and they bring into sharper focus three distinct components of the practice. Multiple definitions exist in almost every profession; collectively, in their multiplicity, they enrich the field. Accordingly, the five new definitions are proposed as an addition to the current pool, not a replacement. Their distinct lesson is this: Rather than acting as “an arm” of their employing organization, a marketing professional’s foremost purpose should be to “create a satisfied customer.” The general purpose of the paper is to spark deliberations among discipline leaders so that the body of knowledge in the marketing discipline as well as practicing professionals develop an enriched appreciation of the field’s domain and purpose.

How Consumers Perceive and React to Advertising amid AI Anxiety: Social Media Content Analysis of Apple’s ‘Crush!’ Ad Controversy

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:26:09 +0000

While artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely adopted and developed in various fields at an incredible speed, people are experiencing AI anxiety – the fear of disruptive changes that AI may bring in personal or social life. In response to this growing adoption, technology and social media companies have released their advertisements showcasing how their new AI applications can be incorporated into everyday life. However, many of these adverting efforts have faced backlash for being ‘tone-deaf’ to AI concerns and failing to understand how consumers wish to use AI in their life. Drawing on the theoretical framework of controversial advertising (Barnes & Dotson, 1990), we suggest advertising promoting AI may include two controversial components: (1) AI as a controversial product and (2) AI-associated norm violations in the ad execution. Using Apple’s recent and globally publicized “Crush!” ad controversy as a case study, this research conducted a content analysis of social media conversations surrounding the ad to examine the factors contributing to the controversy and identify contemporary consumers’ evaluative norms for advertising in the era of AI. The findings provide practical implications for how brands should or should not represent, promote, or employ AI in their advertising.

Smart Airport Marketing and Traveler Experience in Agadir

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:29:48 +0000

This study examines the role of smart airport development in enhancing traveler well-being and supporting sustainable tourism in emerging destinations, with a specific focus on Agadir–Al Massira Airport in Morocco. Grounded in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) framework and the Smart Service Systems (SSS) perspective, the study adopts a qualitative case study approach combining documentary analysis of institutional reports and tourism statistics with structured field observations conducted at the airport between February and March 2026.

The findings reveal significant and sustained growth in passenger traffic at Agadir–Al Massira Airport, confirming the strategic importance of air transport in supporting tourism development in the Souss-Massa region. However, the results also indicate that the digital transformation of airport services remains at an early stage. While certain smart technologies, such as self-service check-in kiosks and automated access gates, are present, they operate as isolated tools rather than as components of an integrated passenger flow management system—a characteristic feature of Stage 1 digitalization.

From an ASQ perspective, operational efficiency and information provision represent the most significant service quality gaps, directly affecting traveler comfort and satisfaction. The SSS perspective further reveals that the core challenge lies not in the absence of technology but in its lack of integration. These findings suggest that targeted investment in system integration and digital service coordination could significantly improve traveler well-being and strengthen the international attractiveness and sustainable tourism competitiveness of Agadir as an emerging destination.

Authenticity and Trust in the Age of AI: Comparing Human and Virtual Influencers in Social Media Marketing

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 03:32:41 +0000

This study examines how human and virtual influencers differ in their use of authenticity and trust-building strategies in branded social media content, and how those strategies relate to audience engagement. A quantitative content analysis coded 480 sponsored Instagram posts (240 human, 240 virtual) for eight authenticity cues and four trust strategies, alongside engagement metrics. Human influencers relied significantly more on relational authenticity cues, such as self-disclosure, behind-the-scenes content, and imperfection, whereas virtual influencers relied more on sponsorship disclosure and social proof. The two groups invested comparably in trust building overall, and trust strategies predicted engagement to a comparable degree for both influencer types, with a hierarchical regression revealing no significant moderation by influencer type. These results suggest that audiences respond to credibility signals similarly regardless of whether the source is human or virtual, although human influencers retained an overall engagement advantage. The findings carry implications for influencer marketing strategy, disclosure regulation, and the conceptualization of authenticity as a set of communicative cues.