Influencers and luxury fashion brands on Instagram. Effects of mediated actions in the relationship with the user.

Influencers act on Instagram as images of brands that transcend their personal one. However, there is a lack of research focused on the link that is generated between the brand and the user as a result of collaborations between these firms and certain prescribers. Does an influencer's participation change that relationship? To answer this research question, this study aims to analyze the relationship between the most followed luxury fashion brands on Instagram and their followers around collaborations with influencers on their corporate profiles, through action in itself and the prescriber's participation in the content. To do this, a comparative content analysis of both quantitative and qualitative nature is carried out, in order to evaluate the engagement and the message of each action. The sample is made up of the 387 posts published by Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana and Dior from February 10 to March 7, 2023, when the main fashion weeks are held. The results show that the engagement percentage of an action is higher if an influencer participates in it. As a main conclusion, two other elements have been detected that influence the commitment generated by the publication: the content of the post, focused on the professional context of the influencer; and the profile of the prescriber, with a predominance of the macro-influencer over the micro-influencer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]