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

Abstract

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.