“#YSL, is this enough?” Effects of Brand Name versus Empowerment Advertising Campaign Hashtags in Instagram Posts of Luxury versus Mass-market Cosmetic Brands

Abstract: This study examined effects of hashtag type (brand name versus empowering campaign hashtag) on information value and attitude towards hashtags. Results indicated that consumers showed more favorable attitudes towards empowering campaign hashtags than brand name hashtags, and that perceived information value of hashtags meditated the relationship between hashtag type and attitude toward the hashtags. Furthermore, consumer responses to the two hashtag types varied across luxury and mass-market cosmetic brands. When cosmetic brands used brand name hashtags, consumer responses were comparable across both brand types, but when brands used empowering campaign hashtags, perceived luxury affected consumer responses.