Date of Conferral

10-9-2025

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Jodine Burchell

Abstract

Social media dominates modern marketing, yet many retail businesses struggle to integrate social media influence into their business marketing frameworks. This problem is important to retail marketing leaders because unsuccessful integration influence can weaken brand credibility and reduce revenue. Grounded in Cialdini’s theory of social influence and the electronic word-of-mouth model, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore effective strategies that retail industry marketing leaders on the East Coast of the United States used to integrate social media influencers. The participants were eight retail industry marketing leaders on the East Coast of the United States. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and publicly available documents. Thematic analysis revealed six key themes: (a) influencer integration strategies, (b) content creation process, (c) audience engagement, (d) brand alignment and authenticity, (d) return on investment, and (e) challenges faced and trend adaptation. A key recommendation is for marketing leaders to establish partnership frameworks emphasizing authenticity, measurable outcomes, and brand alignment. The implications for positive social change include the potential for underrepresented business owners to expand audience reach, build sustainable revenue, and contribute to economic growth.

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