Managing Consumer Behavior through Influencers in the Context of Business Journalism and Media Promotion

Abstract

The aim of the study is to substantiate the role of influencers in managing consumer behavior in the context of business journalism and media promotion by developing a theoretical model that reflects the relationship between media content, source perception, and audience response. The study draws on academic research in media communication, opinion leadership, and the influence of influencers on consumers of perfume and cosmetic products. The methods employed include structural and comparative analysis, theoretical modeling, and the systematization of scholarly approaches. Result: an original theoretical model has been developed in which content characteristics are associated with the perceived credibility of the influencer, audience trust, and purchase intention. Conclusions: (a) consumer behavior management is considered as a sequential process of media communication between the creator of commercial content and the audience; (b) the role of the influencer is determined by the quality of the publication and trust in the source; (c) from the perspective of business journalism, the proposed model allows commercial media content to be considered as a factor shaping consumer response and as a basis for subsequent empirical testing.