Keeping It Real on Instagram: How Indian Consumers React to Sponsored Content Depending on Influencer Popularity and Brand Size

Garima Mishra; Rajeev Prabhakar

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.62922

Keeping It Real on Instagram: How Indian Consumers React to Sponsored Content Depending on Influencer Popularity and Brand Size

Author(s)	Ms. Garima Mishra, Prof. Rajeev Prabhakar
Country	India
Abstract	Background: Instagram has become the dominant social media platform in India as well as the place where most of the influencer marketing activities are taking place. As the market grows, it becomes increasingly crucial that brands and content creators can help to understand the nuanced signals within consumer perceptions. A strong tension exists between the commercial imperative to use sponsored content and the need for authenticity from the audience. Objective: This empirical investigation tests the hypothesis of the relationship between two different variables: influence tier of the creator of content (micro vs. macro) and scale of the brand sponsoring the content (emerging vs. established), and its impact on the judgment of Indian consumers with regard to authenticity, brand attitude, and buy intentions. Methodology: An experimental between-subjects design was used, which included a 2 (Influencer Type: Micro vs. Macro) x 2 (Brand Size: Emerging vs. Established) factorial design. 400 active Indian Instagram users were considered for the sample size, aged from 18 to 45, and randomly selected from the four experimental conditions. Each condition was a presentation of a simulated Instagram post. To gather information, a structured online questionnaire was applied for respondents to obtain their perception data on authenticity, brand attitude, and purchase intention. Results: main effects and the effects of interactions were indicated in the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to be significant. Micro-influencers constantly produced a greater perception of authenticity than macro-influencers. Associations between sponsored content and brand-new brands were associated with authenticity by participants compared with sponsored content linked to well-established brands. A significant interaction effect was found, showing that the micro-influencers who endorsed emerging brands had the greatest amounts of perceived authenticity, positive brand attitude, and purchase intentions. On the other hand, macro-influencers spreading the word for known brands showed lower levels of authenticity but also generated a substantial purchase intention due to the consumer's pre-existing familiarity with the brand. Conclusion: the results highlight the multifaceted nature of "realness" on Instagram, thereby highlighting the substantial dependence of "realness" on the congruence between influencers and brands. A strategic alignment is proving indispensable for marketers as macro-influencers mostly work for mass awareness and solidified brand identity, while micro-influencers orchestrate effective means of establishing authentic connections and sparking the advent of a brand. This research provides an influencer marketing campaign blueprint to optimize marketing efforts in the intricate, growing Indian market.
Keywords	Consumer Perception, Sponsored Content, Influencer Marketing, Brand size, Micro- influencer, Macro- influencer.
Field	Business Administration
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 6, November-December 2025
Published On	2025-12-08
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.62922

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Keeping It Real on Instagram: How Indian Consumers React to Sponsored Content Depending on Influencer Popularity and Brand Size

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