Data Collection Methods

An exploratory research design is used, which includes qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. The secondary data sources are used for the sample of seven influencers. In-depth interviews, projective techniques, and visual elicitation techniques are utilized for the other sample of nine followers.

This multi-methodological technique will increase the trustworthiness and gives a detailed comprehension of this study.

The secondary data collection method is aimed to increase the understanding of the context. This method will give insight into the influencers. One can understand who they are, their education level, how they post on Instagram, and what their content is about.

The primary data collection methods are used to give insights about the consumers, i.e., followers. In these methods, while the in-depth interviews are focused on how the followers feel about the fashion influencers, projective techniques reveal the subconscious state of the followers about the topics, and the visual elicitation technique shows how consumers perceive the imagery posts of these influencers.

4.1.1. Secondary Data Collection Method

Vast numbers of data which is effortlessly attainable for research have been gathered, organized, and recorded with the help of technological developments.

These are the secondary data sources, so they are collected by other than the researcher for a further key objective. When the researcher has restricted time and resources, the usage of these data is a valid alternative (Johnston, 2017).

In this study, the secondary data sources are the influencers‘ Instagram accounts.

The aim of using these accounts for a secondary data source is to understand the context of the Turkish Instagram fashion influencers‘ contents and the profiles they are trying to create in the followers‘ minds. Initially, 13 Turkish Instagram fashion influencers‘ data was collected. These are all young adult women fashion influencers. As depicted in the Table 1, influencers are categorized by the number of followers. The first criterion of selection was equal distribution between these categories. The second criterion was to be left little nuances among their content/rhetoric. Further, the contrast between their fashion genre and the way of presenting their content were other criteria. For instance, one influencer was selected due to her differentiation from others by recommending sustainable fashion.

Table 2. Turkish Fashion Influencers (Continued)

The number of influencers was reduced to seven. The number of mega influencers, macro-influencers, and micro-influencers was equal to or more than three. Therefore, the final roster was created by analyzing their profiles based on their contents, interactions, and follower profiles. After the selection process, these influencers were detailly analyzed through their Instagram accounts. In Table 2, selected influencers‘ communication methods, advertising techniques, consumer values that they are trying to create, interaction methods with firms

Table 3. Selected Turkish Fashion Influencers

4.1.2. Interviews

According to McCracken (1998), the technique of the in-depth interview is explained in this section. In addition, how the researcher conducts the in-depth interviews is explained. Then, she determines the projective technique according to Haire (1950) and Gambaro (2018) and describes how she integrates this method in the interviews. In the following section, the photo-elicitation technique, according to Belk (2013) and Rohani, L., Aung, and Rohani, K.

(2014), is defined, and how she applies this technique is elucidated.

4.1.2.1. In-Depth Interviews with Followers

According to McCracken‘s four-step method (1998), the researcher constructed the in-depth interview used in this study. After a meticulous literature review,

Influencers Communication Methods Advertising Techniques Consumer Values Interaction (Firms) Interaction (Followers)

Danla Bilic -

Friendly, like one of us, she has some fan accounts in Instagram.

In the past, she worked with some brands and collaborate

She mostly shares post like an upper class person, she behaves

She just uses the products and recommends them. She tags the café and hotel names on her

posts.

She just uses the products and recommends them. She tags the café and hotel names on her

posts. links and tagging the brand to her posts. Sometimes collaborates by

accepting gifts.

Her Instagram page's design is like a magazine. She shares to inform people. There is no specific interaction just posting and sharing. She behaves like its

her job(professional).

She just uses the products and recommends them. She tags the cafe and hotel names on her

posts.

She is friendly and call herself ecoblogger. People who follows her try to live a sustainable life.

Büşra Ardıçlı - links and tagging the brand to her posts. Sometimes collaborates by accepting gifts. She also works in Missha so she always share ads

for them.

She is friendly and in general her recommendations are compatible

with her claimed results.

she reviewed cultural categories, which was a much easier step for her since she is familiar with the culture. Although she is considerably familiar with the culture, she also defamiliarized herself to complete the second step. Then, the interview questions are constructed from a general to specific manner. At the beginning and end of the interview, there are also biographical questions. When the interviews are being conducted, the respondents did not answer strategically since they are distant enough from the specific areas of interest of the researcher.

During the interviews, when there occurred a constant iteration, the researcher stopped continuing interviews. This strategy chooses the number of respondents.

The researcher also got permission from interviewees for recording during the interview and informed them that their real names will not be used in the study.

These interviews were conducted remotely, so the researcher reached more respondents by leaving out the area limitation in the Covid-19 pandemic environment.

4.1.2.2. Projective Techniques

In addition to the in-depth interview technique, the researcher also applied the projective technique. This technique is adaptable and practical to grasp consumers‘ requirements, opinions, emotions, and stimuli (Gambaro, 2018).

Gambaro (2018) also explains the significance of this technique by claiming that it provides consumers to enunciate themselves further and get into the hidden perspectives and feelings, eliciting unaware or evasively admitted incentives of their purchasing behavior.

For example, consumers may see products as connected to a thing or a person or a value in their own lives, but they may not be in a position to answer a frank inquiry to elucidate these points of the items (Haire, 1950).

Hence, the researcher asked questions to use the projective technique. She tried to reveal the underlying values that people use Instagram, follow specific fashion

influencers, and are interested in their posts. These questions are placed to provide the unconscious values of the interviewers.

4.1.2.3. Photo-Elicitation Technique

Furthermore, the researcher used a visual method, alias projective stimuli, as a contributory tool (Rohani et al., 2014). The projective stimuli may contain visuals together with word association or sentence completion (Belk, 2013);

however, the researcher explains the photo-elicitation technique in this section.

She chose thoroughly the images she used to reach effectiveness (Rohani et al., 2014). She first showed the images and asked the questions through the explanation of Rohani et al. (2014). Since harmony between this study‘s object and the meticulous selection of the photographs is the key success factor, she established an interactive discussion (Suchar, 1997) in the interviews. This technique decelerated the interview‘s speed, allowing respondents to think more profoundly about the influencer‘s post (Liebenberg, 2009) and consider the hidden issues they may not contemplate before (Binn & Harrist,1991). Because the photographs stimulate minds and specify the underlying meaning, cognitive processing is required; this tool is efficient in the research (Zaltman, 2003). The interviews with this technique are rich, deep (Samuels, 2004), and productive, effective utilization of time (Ziller, 1990). Thus, this technique helped the researcher to explore the hidden meanings and deeper considerations for the respondents.