As stated in the previous section, the main aim of this paper is to investigate how celebrities may impact people via such means of mediated communication as their Instagram profiles. The given social media platform has been chosen because of its great topicality. In this regard, the current part of the work is devoted to a discussion of the main findings related to the presentation of Black Star Burger, a new brand created by Timur Yunusov. This presentation was popularised by means of Instagram and other Internet resources only. To collect credible evidence, profiles of active Instagram users from Russia who have already visited the given fast food restaurant were investigated and analysed. In order to determine the impact that this sort of promotion has on people, negative, positive, neutral and advertising answers were collected to find the trends and create a background for further discussion. The findings from this research will be analysed in terms of the theories provided in the literature review to prove or refute our thesis statement.
The sample size for this study comprises 63 comparatively popular Instagram profiles in which different points of view and attitudes to Black Star Burger were expressed.
As shown in Figure 1, the difference in the number of positive and negative comments is not significant. Indeed, 27% of Instagram profiles feature positive feedback (17 users), while 25% (16 users) feature negative feedback. Moreover, the greatest number (29%, or 18 users) belongs to posts which include both positive and negative feedback about the Black Star Burger event. Finally, 19% (12 users) also made some appeals in their messages recommending other people to visit Black Star Burger. The given data presents an important trend. First of all, the nearly equal distribution of negative and positive comments (with prevailing positive ones) demonstrates people’s engagement in the restaurant’s event and their desire to participate in the popular social trend. Moreover, when analysing these Instagram profiles, it is crucial to take into account the number of likes that every post receives. Of all of the posts about this event, the greatest number of likes (1,243) pertains to a positive comment about the event, including information about the quality of the food and the user’s overall impression. At the same time, the most popular negative comment has only 884 likes. In general, the following tendency remains constant across the Instagram posts: the average number of likes among positive comments is much bigger that of the negative ones. Considering the fact that likes are used as a means of approving a certain comment and adding a personal attitude to a post, the relatively greater number of likes for positive messages demonstrates that they are more popular. At the same time, however, the given tendency could be explained by the overall popularity of certain Instagram profiles, as having more followers tends to entail an increased number of comments and an increased popularity of posts in general. However, even this assumption just proves our main thesis about the impact that popularity might have on public opinion, as more trending profiles introduce new trends and have an impact on Instagram users with fewer followers. Moreover, when looking through these profiles, it is clear that 12 of these Instagram users have used their posts to promote Black Star Burger and invite other people to visit it. This tendency is extremely important as it demonstrates how Internet advertising works and could be used as credible evidence that points to the increased efficacy of social media as a tool of popularisation.
Therefore, upon analysing these research findings, it could be assumed that the campaign initiated by Timur Yunusov attracted public attention and resulted in the appearance of different posts, both positive and negative ones, on various social media networks. In this way, the decision to shift priorities towards the use of a new form of advertising, one that is based on the Internet only, contributed to positive outcomes and an initiation of discussion around Black Star Burger on Instagram. Users who managed to visit this fast food restaurant were able to share their feelings about it and in this way contributed to the preservation of a high level of interest in the event. Furthermore, it could also be assumed that the great popularity of Yunusov, who is recognized as a famous artist, as well as Instagram profiles with positive comments about the event, resulted in its increased appeal among potential customers. At the same time, the fact that the difference between positive and negative comments is not significant does not matter greatly. Negative responses might also trigger vigorous debates around the given issue and thus help preserve the high level of interest.
To understand the main tendencies that are unique to Instagram users and the most important factors shaping public opinion and attitudes, the given research findings might also be analysed in terms of the main theories presented in the literature review. For instance, assuming that celebrities and their popularity are powerful tools of influence on public opinion, these tools could have the unique impact of persuasion. The data collected for this research study shows that Black Star Burger has managed to impact public opinion and persuade some people to visit the restaurant at least once. This is a very important factor that points to the unique role that social media plays in many people’s lives. Timur Yunusov does not manipulate social opinion; however, he uses his own popularity as a means of attracting attention to the event and guaranteeing a large number of visitors. The effectiveness of this strategy could be considered a good example of persuasion theory applied to real-life conditions and used to achieve a certain purpose. As stated previously, the main objective of persuasion is to motivate a group of people to take a specific action by using different persuasive messages (Perloff 2010). Regarding the given case, it could be said that the main objective was to make people visit Black Star Burger and popularise it. To this end, both verbal and nonverbal messages were used, though Instagram was the main tool employed to deliver these messages to people and make the idea of visiting the fast food restaurant more attractive. The majority of these persuasive messages are emotional in nature, as they appeal to the popularity of the event and to the feeling of belonging to a privileged class of people who are able to visit the restaurant and enjoy unique burgers. In his messages to Instagram users, Yunusov appeals to his own popularity and the fashionable character of his would-be brand. Instagram helps him deliver these messages to the most active users who also want to be the part of the discussion and enjoy the benefits of being popular. In this regard, by using persuasive messages, Yunusov has managed to motivate people to visit the restaurant’s event and contribute to its popularisation.
Continuing the discussion of the main findings obtained in the course of this investigation, it is notable that the given campaign was not too obtrusive. Upon analysing the texts of the posts, both positive and negative ones, it is evident that the majority of them express people’s voluntary desire to visit the restaurant and examine the food, service, quality and more. Moreover, they are not pressed to make only positive conclusions about Black Star Burger. There is a certain freedom of choice which fits the concept of libertarian paternalism (Turner 2014). Instagram users are free to choose whether to join the new fashionable trend created by Yunusov, or not. It is obviously one of the forms of persuasion which rests on the idea that people still might go their own way and are not obliged to visit Black Star Burger; otherwise, any kind of obligatory action might trigger a wave of negative feelings and rejection. Therefore, considering the character of the analysed posts, people express satisfaction with their decision to go to Black Star Burger even when the quality or some other aspect of the restaurant has not met their expectations.
Nevertheless, when speaking about freedom of choice and the mild impact of the above-mentioned campaign, it is also crucial to mention the theory of nudge, which also revolves around soft persuasion and the usage of persuasive messages that make people act in a certain way in a nonintrusive manner (Simons & Jones 2011). The fact is that this nudge-based approach is very often used by celebrities who want to promote a certain brand, good or event. Perfectly realising that people might resist a direct appeal to buy something, these celebrities use hidden inclinations accomplish a certain task. The same idea relates to the case of Black Star Burger. In their posts, people do not show any dissatisfaction with annoying advertising; instead, they admit the fact that the event is popular, and they emphasise their own desire to visit it.
Furthermore, when discussing the impact of Timur Yunusov’s campaign on Instagram users and their attitude to the event, the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) should be mentioned. This model is used to predict people’s behaviour and the ways in which they will respond to certain stressors or persuasive measures (Thaler & Sunstein 2008). Under this model, celebrities use the most popular and influential patterns to guarantee that their actions will result in the increased popularity of a certain event. The same theory and actions are relevant to Black Star Burger. By understanding the unique features of the target audience, Yunusov creates an approach that makes people follow the outlined model and participate in the given discourse. Moreover, they are encouraged to write feedback, which will also have a great positive effect on the popularisation of the brand and its growth of influence.
Finally, all of the above-mentioned facts could be considered in terms of the principle of social proof, which states that people can be easily influenced by social media and celebrities because of their belonging to a community which introduces its own respected brands and trends to be followed (O’Mahony & Meenaghan 1997). For instance, when a certain mode of life is accepted and celebrated, another one will most likely be condemned. The same situation occurs with celebrities and the impact they have on society. The fact is that they represent some archetypes that are shared among members of modern society and, for this reason, their actions are followed and appreciated. In terms of Black Star Burger, it could be said that the restaurant appeals to some socially accepted behaviours, as it is introduced as a local alternative to McDonald’s and other franchises of this sort (Black Star Burger 2016). Moreover, Yunusov obviously appeals to some patriotic feelings that are appreciated by members of this society and expects that people will visit the restaurant out of a sense of belonging to this nation.
Altogether, the analysis of the event devoted to the opening of Black Star Burger points to the ways in which social opinion is impacted by celebrities. The first thing that should be mentioned in this context is the great popularity of this fast food restaurant. This popularity is evidence of the unique effectiveness of a new type of advertising which includes the usage of the Internet and social media platforms like Instagram as the main tools of popularising events and attracting people’s attention to them. Furthermore, by examining several Instagram profiles, it was possible to collect users’ attitudes and reactions to Black Star Burger and people’s responses to those attitudes. As shown in Figure 1, the distribution of positive and negative responses is almost equal, with 17 individuals being satisfied with the menu and the event itself and 16 being unsatisfied. Moreover, despite the existence of negative comments, the unique power of Instagram becomes obvious; when used by a celebrity who wants to attract attention to a certain event by means of persuasive messages and other tools, great positive outcomes might be expected. They are preconditioned by the significant role that celebrities play in our society and people’s unconscious desire to follow their actions and become part of a fashionable brand (Fraser & Brown 2002).
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Perloff, RM 2010,The dynamics of persuasion: communication and attitudes in the twenty-first century, Routledge, Abingdon.
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