Influencers and their mediating role in behavior towards brands

Nowadays, influencers have emerged as an important figure in the world of marketing. The purpose of this research was to determine how influencers play a mediating role in the behavior towards brands of young people of generation Z through the use of social networks. A questionnaire was applied to a sample of 303 university students and a non-experimental methodology was used with validity and reliability tests, as well as exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results demonstrated that influencers play a significant mediating role in behavior towards brands through social networks in the sample studied. In addition, significant differences were found between Instagram and TikTok followers in terms of the impact of influencers on their behavior towards brands. The findings highlight the importance of careful selection of influencers and authenticity of promoted content for the success of influencer marketing campaigns. In conclusion, this study confirms the relevance of influencer marketing as an effective strategy to reach specific market niches, especially in generation Z.