Brand authenticity on Instagram: Consumers’ perspective on beauty brands

Abstract: Capturing how consumers understand brand authenticity is a prominent quest by scholars. However, the concept is characterized by its multiplicity of meanings. Especially in the context of social media, the meaning of brand authenticity remains uncaptured. Focusing on beauty brands, this study aims to explore the consumers’ process of understanding brand authenticity on Instagram by taking the sensemaking approach. The qualitative research design of this study, including semi-structured in-depth interviews, allows for an analysis of the detailed thought processes of the consumers. The findings indicate that consumers form an understanding of brand authenticity on Instagram through a circular process with four phases labeled as navigating in the brand environment, interacting with the online community, processing brand cues, and preserving meaning. This indicates that brand authenticity on Instagram is a personally constructed phenomenon. For brand communication practitioners, this means to work with brand authenticity on Instagram should be focused on the consumers' unique context-specific interpretations, which requires a reflexive approach to online brand communication.