FROM INFLUENCE TO ENGAGEMENT: FACEBOOK INFLUENCERS AND CLOTHING BRAND ENGAGEMENT AMONG YOUTH IN WESTERN SRI LANKA

Abstract

The purpose of the study to investigate the effect of Facebook influencer traits on youth engagement with clothing brands in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. The study examines four important traits of influencers credibility, fairness, reputation, and interactivity. A quantitative survey design was employed using a convenience sampling technique to collect data from 277 young Facebook users who actively follow Facebook influencers. The response rate was 93.2%. Correlation and multiple linear regression methods are applied in analyzing the data. This finding indicate that fairness, reputation, and interactivity are significantly and positively related to brand engagement, while credibility is not significantly related to brand engagement. Among these three significant traits, interactivity is the most significant factor in determining brand engagement. overall results suggest that youth engagement is mainly influenced by interactive communication, fairness perception, and reputation of the influencer rather than credibility based on expertise. The regression model has a high degree of explained variance in brand engagement (R² = 0.691), thus regression model indicating strong model fit. The results highlight the significance of interactive and relational features in social media marketing, because parasocial relationships become an important part of engagement between influencers and consumers. From managerial perspective, clothing brands should prioritize influencers who actively interact with followers and maintain strong reputational capital. Future research might include more analysis of other social media platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, as well as more attributes of influencers including authenticity and content quality to enhance understanding of youth brand engagement in evolving digital marketing environment.