The role of influencers and marketing communication in social media analysed on the example of the fashion industry

Cilj ovoga rada je analizirati ulogu influencera i marketinške komunikacije putem društvenih mreža kada je riječ o odluci pri kupnji modnog proizvoda. Influenceri su osobe čije se mišljenje u današnje vrijeme cijeni više od mišljenja drugih. Razvoj društvenih mreža nije promijenio samo način komuniciranja, već je utjecao i na ponašanje potrošača. U radu je prikazan razvoj modne industrije te način funkcioniranja marketinških komunikacija na društvenim mrežama s posebnim osvrtom na ulogu influencera i njihov utjecaj. U radu su prikazani primjeri raznih suradnji influencera s modnim markama kako u Hrvatskoj tako i u svijetu. Za potrebe rada provedeno je istraživanje uz pomoć elektroničnog anketnog upitnika u kojem je sudjelovalo 115 ispitanika, a proveden je i dubinski intervju s influencericom Anjom Dujaković. Gotovo 50% ispitanika iz kvantitativnog istraživanja izjavilo je da ne vjeruje objavama influencera te smatraju da influenceri nemaju utjecaj na njih, dok se mišljenje influencerice Anje Dujaković u potpunosti razlikuje.The main goal of this thesis is the analysis of the role of influencers and social media marketing when it comes to the consumers' decision to buy fashion products. Influencers are people whose opinions are nowadays more appreciated than anyone else’s. Not did the development of social media only change the way we communicate, but it has also influenced consumer behavior. This thesis presents the development of the fashion industry and the way marketing communication work through social media with special reference to the role of influencers and their impact. It shows the examples of various collaborations between influencers and fashion brands, both in Croatia and worldwide. For the purpose of this thesis, a research was done using an electronic survey with 115 respondents, and also an in-depth interview with influencer Anja Dujaković. The research showed that nearly 50% of the survey respodents do not trust influencers' posts and believe that influencers have no influence on them, while the opinion of influencer Anja Dujaković was completely different