Strategic use of Influencer Marketing in Bangladesh: A Study of Bangladeshi YouTubers

• Author / Creator

  Mazumder, Joana N

• In recent years, influencer marketing (marketing strategies involving Social Media
  Influencers/SMIs) has become an increasingly popular and effective marketing method for
  businesses globally. Despite this growth in popularity, there needs to be more research on
  Bangladeshi SMIs or the methodologies that Bangladeshi marketing firms use to recruit and
  work with them. My research aims to gain an understanding of Bangladeshi influencer culture,
  with an emphasis on the perspectives of Bangladeshi YouTubers. This exploratory study first
  uses relevant theoretical and academic literature to review and comprehend the prior research on
  SMI marketing. It then addresses a gap in research about Bangladeshi influencer culture through
  a comparative qualitative analysis of videos produced by YouTubers in Bangladesh and Canada
  and semi-structured interviews with influencers. The research investigates Bangladeshi
  YouTubers' characteristics and their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for working as SMIs.
  Self-determination theory (SDT) (Deci & Ryan, 1985) is used to compare and contrast their
  experiences with those of North American (Canadian) YouTubers. This research also analyses
  the perspectives of marketing executives based in Bangladesh to understand further how
  businesses approach influencer marketing. The findings show how incorporating culture and
  language into content delivery by Bangladeshi SMIs adds to their identity and motivation,
  separating them from a universal global definition of social media influencers. Based on these
  findings, this thesis recommends how Bangladeshi businesses may effectively employ influencer
  marketing.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Influencer marketing
  • Bangladeshi influencer culture
  • social media influencers
  • motivations
  • Bangladeshi YouTubers

• Graduation date

  Fall 2023

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-046r-fv82

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.