Disclosed and covert advertising in Instagram influencer stories: Transparency, trust, and engagement intentions among young Tunisian followers

Abstract

This article focuses on two formats of influencer advertising in Instagram stories: disclosed advertising and covert advertising. It seeks to understand how these two forms are perceived by young Tunisian followers in terms of message transparency, trust in the influencer, and desire to interact with the story. To answer this question, we combined a quantitative study, based on an online questionnaire completed by 120 young Instagram users divided between a disclosed advertising condition and a covert advertising condition, with a qualitative study using focus groups. This approach provided us with both quantitative results and more detailed testimonials. The results show that disclosed advertising is considered more transparent and strengthens trust in the influencer, while covert advertising generates more immediate engagement with the story. These findings suggest that a compromise should be sought between transparency, trust, and effectiveness, by embracing the advertising dimension while working on the format of the stories.