The effect of opinion leadership on purchase intention : a study among University students

Abstract

The study aims to determine the effectiveness of opinion leaders, more specifically how these affect consumers’ attitudes and their subsequent purchase intention, when compared to the traditional forms of advertising. This dissertation commences with the literature review, then it outlines the quantitative methods employed in this study and focuses on the methodology used. The results are then analysed and finally an overall conclusion including implications, limitations and future research is discussed. The Tommy Jeans brand was chosen to carry out this study since their clothes are available both locally and internationally. The respondents were questioned on this brand to measure whether attitude has a significant impact on purchase intention. The survey carried out had a total response of 195 University of Malta students. Results of the questionnaires confirm that respondents have a strong positive attitude towards the opinion leader’s advert. However, this was not reflected in their purchase intention as no significance was found.