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Digital Marketing and Technology Trends: Systematic Literature Review on

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Conference Paper · January 2024

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-7210-4_29

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Chapter 29
Digital Marketing and Technology
Trends: Systematic Literature Review
on Instagram

Tatiana León-Alberca , Paula Renés-Arellano , and Ignacio Aguaded

Abstract Instagram has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, becoming

one of the most popular social networks in the world. Since its launch in 2010, it has
grown from 1 million users in its first two months to more than 1 billion monthly
active users today. It is estimated that 90% of users follow at least one company
on Instagram, which has led many brands to use the platform as a key tool for their
digital marketing strategy. Starting from this reality, the objective of this research is to
offer an updated view of the field of study, methodology, and common terms related
to research concerning the use of Instagram as a marketing strategy. To this end, a
systematic literature review (SLR) is addressed in Scopus, a database in which 264
articles indexed from 2015 to 2023 were identified. The results show that the main
fields of study interested in Instagram are business and computer science. At the same
time, it is identified that the methodology preferred by researchers is content analysis,
with the term “influencer” being one of the most frequent ones in the research. The
conclusions emphasize the researchers’ interest in delving into user behaviors, as
well as their motivation when deciding on brands.

29.1 Introduction

Social networks have changed the rules of the game in terms of certain aspects of
the daily lives of human beings—those who have access to the Internet. Nowadays,
beyond being a communication channel, they have become tools that provide various
services to users, based on updates that are increasingly accurate when it comes to
fulfilling a specific task, for example: buying and selling [1].

T. León-Alberca (B) · I. Aguaded

Universidad de Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain
e-mail: tatiana.leon@alu.uhu.es
T. León-Alberca
Universidad Nacional de Loja, Loja, Ecuador
P. Renés-Arellano
Universidad de Cantabria, 39005 Cantabria, Spain

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024 309
D. B. Ibáñez et al. (eds.), Communication and Applied Technologies, Smart Innovation,
Systems and Technologies 375, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7210-4_29
310 T. León-Alberca et al.

This is the case of Instagram, a social network that specializes in photographs

and videos, whose popularity lies in its functionalities that are simple to use for
users, but that hides a certain internal complexity, which works as a filter to know
whom to target and achieve the long-awaited closing of a sale [2] or other marketing
objectives. Based on this reality, several Instagram scholars have devoted numerous
efforts to investigating this social network as a marketing strategy.
In this context, the general objective of this study is to analyze the current
panorama of research on Instagram as a marketing strategy, through a systematic
literature review (SLR) from 2015 to 2023 in the Scopus database. To accomplish this,
the following specific objectives are proposed. SO1: Identify the field of study from
where the research is conducted. SO2: To know the main methodologies embraced
by researchers to study Instagram as a marketing strategy. SO3: To discover the
keywords related to the research to identify part of the researchers’ interests. To
conclude, a summary of the findings will conclude.

29.1.1 Social Media Marketing

Features associated with digitalization have profoundly and irreversibly changed

human interaction, and this—without a doubt—includes how brands relate to their
audiences [3]. In other words, marketing at its most general level has changed its
classic paradigm, making social networks a strategically.
However, this is not new but has been evolving hand in hand with the changes
in the network [4], i.e., when we refer to digital marketing or online marketing, we
are talking about a practice that is not static but will be transformed according to
technological evolution. Marketing still has the same objective—with which it was
born—but how it is executed is constantly changing.
It is necessary to start from the idea that it is precisely the changing functionalities
of the network that have allowed it to be considered today as a key part of marketing.
It is the characteristics of the social web that allow this development in which the
user plays an active role [5]: content creator, a participant in conversations, capacity
for interaction, and the possibility of feedback, among other practices that are being
added. These force brands to use new strategies and methods in which bidirectionality
is fundamental.
But what is digital marketing and why are there so many studies about it today?
Neil Patel, a renowned author, states that “any form of marketing that involves elec-
tronic media is considered digital marketing” [6] is a focus of attention for the
academy because of its price—much more accessible than traditional marketing;
many brands have changed their strategies obtaining successful results.
Although they are intimately linked, online marketing is one thing and social
media marketing is another. The former has a more holistic approach, i.e., it refers to
blogs, mobile applications, email, SEO, SEM, and others, while the second focuses
solely on digital social networks as marketing channels or strategies. Based on this
differentiation, social media marketing is one that draws the attention of users, so that
29 Digital Marketing and Technology Trends: Systematic Literature … 311

they access the main website of the product, service, or idea that is being marketed;
it is a great possibility of web traffic [7].
On the other hand, some consider that social networks, thanks to their updates,
have become a direct sales channel [8]. In any case, the use of social networks as a
marketing channel implies a deep knowledge of potential consumers and their needs
and the establishment of strategies to reach them with the right message.
From the consumer’s point of view, the fact that a product or service is marketed
through social networks implies a greater capacity for selection, as well as the possi-
bility of knowing the experiences of other consumers, rating them, and making a
final decision. Even after the product or service has been purchased, social networks
allow customers to express themselves, which could be a double-edged sword for
brands [9]. Despite this obvious risk, brands are on social networks and try to have
constant interaction through them, using various digital strategies and channels.
However, before making a decision, they spend prudent time knowing the context
and identifying which of these platforms are their target audiences.
In this line, some agencies dedicate their work to knowing the impact of digital
social networks in the world, as well as the advertising investment that brands make
in them. This is the case of Hootsuite and We Are Social, agencies that each year
investigate this issue, showing the growth that advertising investment has obtained
from 2015 to 2020.
Advertising investment (see Fig. 29.1) has grown exponentially, with $26.5 billion
in 2015 to reach $84 billion in 2020, which shows that brands find in social networks
a strategic ally that enables their positioning. Instagram and Facebook top the list of
favorite social networks according to the GWI global ranking [10]. It is estimated that
by 2024, advertising investment on a planetary level will exceed 300 billion dollars
[11]. Beyond the marketing world, digital social networks are listed as the main
sources of information for a large part of the population worldwide, with Instagram
being one of the most used for this purpose [10].

Fig. 29.1 Global growth of

advertising investment in
social networks [10]
312 T. León-Alberca et al.

29.1.2 Instagram and Digital Marketing

Instagram, which was created in 2010, currently stands out not only for being a social
network in which users can share photos or moods with their friends but, beyond
that, it has established itself as a platform in which promotion is the order of the day
[12]. All this is a result of its highly visual and interactive capabilities, as well as its
daily growing reach.
The truth is that “Instagram integrates the visual appeal of showcases, catalog
options, loyalty card personalization, and sales counter transactions” [13]. But what
other factors motivate users to use this social network, and why do brands invest time,
money, and effort in being present? Some authors who try to explain the reasons why
users spend part of their time using this platform speak of psychological and social
motivations.
The motivations presented in this study (see Table 29.1) refer to the daily use of
Instagram and not to this social network as part of a marketing strategy; however—as
can be seen—these respond to basic human needs, such as belonging, communica-
tion, physiological, and self-fulfillment. This reality allows brands to execute or focus
their actions to attract, capture, sell, or build loyalty [17] as a result of a perceived lack
or a desire to satisfy it. The same dimensions are of interest to marketing researchers.
It is the brands, based on the information that users leave every day on the web,
who work on targeting their campaigns to increasingly specific audiences. One of
the benefits of Instagram—as well as other social networks—lies precisely in the
possibility of personalizing ads, that is, to reach those who have some degree of
interest in a particular brand at a particular time.
There are several Instagram tools that marketers can take advantage of (see
Table 29.2). For example, “an emerging marketing trend is the shift towards visuals
(…) sharing images on social networks is becoming an integral part of the experience
through these platforms” [19] with Instagram being the ideal place for this practice.
However, the success of this as a marketing tool is not isolated to the platform
as such but depends largely on other factors associated with marketing in general,
including quality of the good, product, or service; quality of the content; support from
other platforms; quality and continuity of company-customer feedback and customer
loyalty through actions that are not always online. Some strategies can be used, but,

Table 29.1 Psychological and social motivations for Instagram use

Motivation Basic need Desire
Social interaction Sense of belonging Feeling part of a group
Personal expression Communication Make their ideas known
Evasion Rest of recovery To explore other realities, to
entertain oneself
Personal gratification Self-realization or personal growth Recognition within a space
Note Own elaboration based on [14–16]
29 Digital Marketing and Technology Trends: Systematic Literature … 313

Table 29.2 Instagram functionalities for marketing

Features Potential
Company profile It allows the user to know the basic information of the company
Instagram live Real-time interaction with the audience
Instagram advertising Advertisements or sponsorships to increase brand visibility
Instagram Shopping Create a product catalog
Note Own elaboration based on [18]

in general terms, they respond to shaping user behavior and working on purchase
intention [20].
The fact that a brand invests in Instagram means that it is looking for a clear
objective.
All of the above mean that several researchers are trying to delve into the Instagram
phenomenon and seek an answer to the various functionalities of the platform as a
marketing strategy, user behavior and motivations, and the algorithm of the social
network, among other issues.

29.2 Methodology

Instagram has been recognized as a platform where numerous marketing strategies

have been deployed, which has sparked the interest of researchers to study the plat-
form from various perspectives. The objective of this research is to conduct a system-
atic analysis of recent publications in Scopus between the period of 2015 and 2023,
focusing on marketing strategies on Instagram. The selection criteria for this time
are based on two factors: (1) Up-to-date analysis for the year 2023, and (2) Starting
the analysis in 2015, as it marks the year when Instagram updates experienced a
significant surge and a considerable increase in advertising investment [10]. To iden-
tify these publications, a search was conducted in the mentioned database using the
following keywords as filters: Instagram and marketing. Additionally, following the
methodological contributions of Rose [21] and Yang [12], Instagram is analyzed from
the following perspectives: 1. Process—how the images are generated; 2. Product—
the platform itself and its content; 3. Participants—the platform as an ecosystem for
interactions between publishers and audiences; and 4. Context—where the images
are created.
314 T. León-Alberca et al.

29.3 Results

29.3.1 Subject Area

After searching the database, 264 articles were found, which correspond to various
thematic areas (see Fig. 29.2), business, and administration, and account the one that
covers most of the publications (25.79%). In this section, studies such as “Marketing
of luxurious gastronomic experiences on social media: The visual storytelling of
luxury hotels” stand out, research which concludes that high-quality images, bright
and striking colors, elegant and sophisticated presentations, as well as the inclusion
of local cultural elements, are successful in the promotion of luxury gastronomy [22].
Another strong area is computer science (21.68%), engineering (7.18%), and
mathematics (2.73%), in which the characteristics of Instagram that have led it to
become a key tool for marketers are frequently analyzed, for which researchers apply
cross-tabulation analysis, cluster analysis, eye tracking, pilot studies, or data mining.
The latter is the case of the research proposed by Bonilla-Quijada et al. [23], who
set out to analyze how user interactions with certain accounts can promote urban
tourism.
In areas such as social sciences (18.49%) and arts and humanities (4.10%),
research related to symbols, pictorial content, preferences, and the trust that Insta-
gram users place in various brands or influencers prevails. In this case, Arefieva et al.
[24] mention that marketing strategists should take special interest in what tourists
share on their social media accounts.
Psychology (2.73%) and medicine (7.30%), on the other hand, bring together
topics such as emotions, persuasion, and user reactions to various types of content.

Fig. 29.2 Subject area

29 Digital Marketing and Technology Trends: Systematic Literature … 315

What happens with environmental sciences (5.25%) refers to the treatment of publica-
tions about environmental care, for example, in two research the term “greenfluencer”
[25, 26] refers to an influential person in the care of the planet.

29.3.2 Methodology Adopted in Research

Responding to the visual nature of the social network, an important part of the
methodologies is the content analysis, through which certain characteristics of the
publications generated by users, brands, or influencers are analyzed in depth, among
which are identified hashtags, themes, and patterns; colors, composition, and style
[22]; and influence on the construction of the brand image. In this type of analysis,
the research called “Coloring the Destination: The Role of Color Psychology on
Instagram” stands out, in which the composition, luminosity, chroma, and tone in
publications related to tourism were analyzed. The results show that users prefer
brighter and more saturated destination images [27].
Another of the preferred methodologies is data analysis which often allows the
correlation of two or more variables, for which it relies on statistical techniques
and software such as ANOVA, FSQCA, SPSS, and PLS-SEM. Such is the case
of “Product Placement 2.0: ‘Do Brands Need Influencers, or Do Influencers Need
Brands?’”, research that relates the credibility and perception of publications made
by the brand versus the influencer [28].
On the other hand, case studies were also part of the research analyzed. This
methodology is consolidated as an opportunity to know in depth the characteristics
of a particular phenomenon or event. “Primary Perspectives in Meme Utilization as
a Digital Driver for Medical Community Engagement and Education Mobilization:
Pre-Post Study” is one of the investigations that was carried out using the aforemen-
tioned. Here, the effectiveness of visual content as part of a toolkit to address the
opioid epidemic was analyzed [29].

29.3.3 Related Keywords

In the research selected for this study, frequent repetition of terms related to the
ability to influence has been observed: influencer, marketing influencer (MI), and
other related terms. It is common to refer to different categories of influencers,
such as micro-influencers, macro-influencers, and mega-influencers, depending on
the number of followers on which a person can exert his or her “influence” [30].
In addition, over the years, research on this subject has shown constant growth
(Fig. 29.3).
It is evident that during the years 2020 and 2021, an important part of the research
will focus on brand management, considering the COVID-19 pandemic and all that
316 T. León-Alberca et al.

Fig. 29.3 Word cloud

it implied for businesses since the latter had to adapt to a new style of work mediated
by devices and digital platforms.

29.4 Conclusions

The interest in studying Instagram as a marketing tool or strategy is greater as the

years go by. This is evident given the different updates that the platform offers for the
promotion of brands and existing forms of sales. However, several studies show that
businesses, in addition to relying on Instagram, use other types of social networks or
instant messaging applications, so much of the research does not study Instagram as
an isolated element, but with other social networks such as Facebook and YouTube
as the main ones.
Most of the research that is part of this study has as a unit of analysis the publica-
tions on Instagram in different contexts, among which fashion, luxury goods promo-
tion, tourism, and beauty stand out. Therefore, one of the most repeated method-
ologies in the articles is content analysis. Most of the selected research try to delve
into the motivations of interaction of users with brands or vice versa, that is, it is
of interest to researchers to investigate the behavior of subjects who interact in this
digital ecosystem.
29 Digital Marketing and Technology Trends: Systematic Literature … 317

It is crucial to consider the remarkable growth that influencer marketing has had
in recent years, a situation that has led researchers to inquire about the success of
this new way of marketing.

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