‘Exploring the use of Instagram marketing as an effective communication tool for improving the relationship between brands and millennial consumers in the U.K.’
The recent rise of Instagram as a marketing tool is extraordinary. The visual, photo-sharing platform labelled ‘the king of engagement’, has not just changed how users communicate with each other but had a fundamental impact on the way in which brands and consumers interact. The platform is now home to over 1 billion users, and 71% of businesses worldwide are now said to be using Instagram for marketing purposes. Millennials, defined as individuals aged 18-34, have been given the title ‘digital natives’ and thereby it is by no surprise an estimated 90% use Instagram, and one third of those say social media is their preferred channel for communicating with businesses. The new phenomenon of Instagram is changing the way the world communicates and is set to continue to expand with its capabilities as a marketing tool. However, little is known about the effectiveness Instagram has of creating a bond between brand and consumer, which will determine the longevity of consumer loyalty. Existing literature looks at Instagram in-depth from a financial standpoint, i.e. usage, profitability and engagement. Additionally, current studies view Instagram from a macro approach e.g. worldwide and the U.S in particular. Therefore, this study sought to uncover how effective the communication tool is at building a relationship between brands and millennial consumers living in the U.K. This mixed methods research revealed there is clear discrepancy between how brands are currently delivering content and how consumers perceive it, thus damaging the relationship between both parties. Illustrating Instagram is currently not being utilised by brands as an effective communication tool. However, the study portrayed millennial consumers still see the platform as an effective relationship tool should they: engage in two-way conversation, tell stories using different media forms, reduce the amount of paid advertisement and build trust by selecting the right influencers.