Exploring the impact of partnership disclosure on consumers' perception of luxury brands' image on Instagram

Nowadays, influencer marketing has gained widespread popularity as a means for luxury fashion brands to connect with consumers and showcase their products. This marketing practice involves collaborating with influential social media personalities to promote products and enhance brand visibility. However, the impact of disclosing official partnerships on consumers’ perception of the image of luxury brands remains unclear. As luxury brands increasingly rely on the power of influencers, the primary objective of this study is to explore the impact of disclosing an official partnership on customers’ perception of luxury brands’ image on Instagram. To achieve this goal, the study addresses two specific aims. Firstly, it examines how the authenticity of an influencer’s content influence consumers’ perception of the luxury brand. Secondly, it investigates how the quality of an influencer’s content affects consumers’ perception, especially in terms of the brand’s image. Additionally, this research seeks to compare the outcomes of explicitly disclosing a partnership with those of not disclosing it, across the factors mentioned above. To navigate this ethical challenge, a quantitative survey was carried out among Instagram users, to assess their reactions to disclosed and undisclosed sponsored content. The various concepts of interest were analyzed using different statistical analyses such as the regression test, the moderation test, the T-test and the ANOVA test. Findings indicate that the official disclosure of partnerships increases influencers’ authenticity, leading to positive customers’ perception of luxury brands’ image. High-quality influencers’ content also shapes consumers’ perception, with disclosed partnerships particularly enhancing the perceived quality of influencers’ content.