Key Findings

image courtesy of Freepik

Through an exploration of three contrasting industries, this study can put aside any differences in the style of advertisements that may exist. This analysis sought to understand how American consumers’ were responding positively to the inclusion of the components, outlined previously as having typically been valued by professionals, in aesthetic content on Instagram. The hypothesis in this study states, "American consumers are more likely to indicate purchase intentions for items displayed on an Instagram grid they perceived as aesthetically pleasing than for similar items displayed on Instagram in presentations they did not perceive as aesthetically pleasing. Several of the study's results supported the hypothesis in this study.

Instagram Usage & Recollection of Aesthetic Components

Cross tabulation tables have shown that for all three product markets, the largest group of participants who indicated they strongly agree that they typically follow accounts that catch their attention with visual content, 52.63% (n= 20), were ages 26-39. Of those participants who somewhat agreed, 47.22% (n= 17) indicated being between the ages of 18-25 (See table 1 for comparisons among generations). It's important to note no participants ages 18-25 strongly disagreed that they typically follow accounts that are visually appealing and very few responses indicated that the participant was over 62 years old . These findings suggest younger generations pay the most attention to aesthetically pleasing content online, therefore opportunity for long-term communication evolved from a brands' visual identity is prominent and should be considered in marketing strategy.

For participants shopping for a vacation rental for the purpose of this study, 71.43% (n= 5) indicated they strongly agree that they typically follow accounts that catch their eye with visuals while also indicating a strong likelihood of following the brand with the grid that incorporated the aesthetic components of color and consistency. No participants indicated extreme likelihood to follow the aesthetically pleasing grid when they don't typically follow accounts that appeal to them with their visual content (See Table 2 for other levels of perception). When browsing for home decor, 65.52% (n= 19) of participants who indicated that they strongly agree they typically follow accounts that catch their eye with visuals then indicated a strong likelihood of following the brand with the grid that incorporated aesthetic components. 38.89% (n= 7) of participants who strongly agreed they typically follow accounts that catch their eye with visuals also indicated a strong likelihood of following the insurance company with the grid that incorporated the aesthetic components of color and consistency. Of those participants indicating extreme likelihood to follow the aesthetically pleasing grids, 6.90% (n= 2) for home decor and 5.56% (n= 1) in the market for insurance stated they don't typically follow accounts that appeal to them with strong visual content.

Those asked to recall their previous understanding of aesthetics on Instagram responded positively to the components of aesthetically pleasing grids of vacation rental brands. Consumers were hesitant to indicate an extreme likelihood of following, suggesting that other branding elements take precedence. That being said, regardless of indicating the likelihood of following the aesthetic grid or lack thereof, all responses were drastically more for those who typically seek aesthetically pleasing content than those who do not.

Perception of Aesthetically Pleasing Instagram Grids

In regards to vacation rental brands, 66.67% (n= 2) of participants who found the consistency of the images to be extremely appealing then indicated being extremely likely to follow the Instagram profile. In comparison, 60% (n= 9) of participants who found the consistency of images to be somewhat appealing later indicated being somewhat likely to follow the profile (See table 3). When browsing home decor, 75% (n= 3) of participants who found the consistency of the images to be extremely appealing then indicated being extremely likely to follow the Instagram profile that had lacked aesthetic components. In comparison, 83.33% (n= 20) of participants who found the consistency of images to be somewhat appealing later indicated being somewhat likely to follow the profile. No participants who were extremely likely to follow the profile found the consistency in images to be unappealing or were unsure. 53.57% (n= 15) of participants who were unsure of how they felt about the consistency of the images on insurance company profiles were unsure of their likelihood to follow the Instagram profile.

These findings aligned closely with those found by previous research and developed in past theories. Consumers are influenced most by their individualized perception of key aesthetic components of color and consistency that brands utilize to build relationships and attraction.

Positive Emotional Response

By comparing the two components of aesthetics, this study could infer whether different responses may be present. When browsing vacation rental brands, 55.22% (n= 37) of participants who found the aesthetically appealing grid somewhat appealing due to image consistency expressed strong agreement in imaging themselves in one of the scenarios depicted in the visuals presented. No participants who found the grid extremely appealing would also strongly disagree with the claim that they could imagine themselves in one of the scenarios depicted. In the home decor market, 67.69% (n= 44) who found the aesthetically pleasing grid to be extremely appealing due to image consistency, expressed strong agreement in imaging themselves in one of the scenarios depicted in the visuals presented (See Figure 2). No participants who found the grid extremely appealing would strongly disagree with the claim that they could imagine themselves in one of the scenarios depicted. 71.43% (n= 5) of participants who found the aesthetically appealing grid of an insurance company somewhat appealing due to image consistency, expressed strong agreement in imaging themselves in one of the scenarios depicted in the visuals presented. No participants who found the grid extremely appealing would also strongly disagree with the claim that they could imagine themselves in one of the scenarios depicted.

Positive emotional response, as outlined in previous studies, was detected in this study by consumers' level of agreement with the statement, "I could imagine myself in one of the scenarios depicted in the visuals above," upon reviewing an Instagram grid. Since most respondents found the aesthetic grids appealing, a positive emotional response was elicited from aesthetic content. This study suggested that emotional responses do not fluctuate as consumers' responses did not tend to vary after they had indicated a positive or negative emotional connection with the grid. Regardless of the product being displayed, participants understood that inclusion of aesthetics impacted their level of engagement; suggesting that color and consistency are two components of aesthetics that brands should use to construct an Instagram grid that the American consumer responds positively to.

Consumer Purchase Intentions

When shopping for a vacation rental, 29.45% (n= 43) of participants were extremely likely to follow the aesthetically pleasing profile and also indicated intentions of a purchase from the aesthetically pleasing grid. No participants who were extremely likely to follow the profile also indicated that they would make a purchase from the grid that lacked aesthetic components important to this study. When browsing home decor brands, 41.22% (n= 54) of participants were somewhat likely to follow the aesthetically pleasing profile and also indicated purchase intentions from the aesthetically pleasing grid. No participants who were extremely likely to follow the profile also indicated that they would make a purchase from the grid that lacked aesthetic appeal. When looking for insurance, 20% (n= 21) of participants were somewhat likely to follow the aesthetically pleasing profile and also indicated purchase intention from the aesthetically pleasing grid. 3.64% (n= 2) of participants who were extremely likely to follow the profile also indicated that they would make a purchase from the grid that lacked aesthetic appeal.

To best infer how the aesthetics of advertising impact the American consumer's intention to purchase a particular brand, participants in this study were asked to act upon the brief relationship they built throughout the survey. Consumers who took the step to engage further with the aesthetic grid were confident that they would purchase a vacation rental or home decor. Very few consumers were leaning towards an indication of purchase intentions from the non-aesthetic grid when purchasing insurance. The most notable data points came from negative feelings toward the non-aesthetic grids. In other words, consumers were turned away when indicating intentions to purchase from the non aesthetic grid.

The results from this study suggest that marketers should consider allocating time for strategizing the aesthetics of a brand’s social media profile, specifically on Instagram. The findings in this study would argue that a well-developed social media strategy considers the consumer’s experience before purchasing the displayed product. While consumers may find that some purchases require more thought than the overall visual appeal, this study would argue that they use aesthetic appeal in the consideration stage of the consumer journey. Brands building relationships with consumers through aesthetic appeal may be advantageous in a highly saturated market.

Limitations

Internal validity was established in this study as the Instagram platform was the only social media site mentioned. Additionally, internal validity was established since participants were not asked to express any income level or other quantifiable responses; furthermore intention was measured and not actual purchases made by the participants. The researcher had incorporated some complicated language that may have contributed to any confusion on the participants' end. This study failed to establish external validity when attempting to generalize the shopping intentions of all Americans. This study can be generalized to a sample of Americans who are also avid social media users. A future sampling process would consider stratified sampling to accurately represent the study's target audience. This study attempted to include gender-neutral categories of interest; however, it may be argued that home decor is a more feminine category of interest, eliciting biased responses. Similarly, participants could argue that the content should be informative rather than visually appealing, creating bias in responses to components such as color or consistency. Including a neutral response option for several questions in the survey may be faulted as they intended to encourage participation but may have altered substantial data collection.