Top Research Papers on Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing initiatives require firms to select and incentivize online influencers to engage their followers on social media in an attempt to promote the firms’ offerings. However, limited research considers the costs of influencer marketing when evaluating these campaigns’ effectiveness, particularly from an engagement elasticity perspective. Moreover, it is unclear whether and how marketers could enhance influencer marketing effectiveness by strategically selecting influencers, targeting their followers, or managing content. This study draws on a communication model to examine how f...

Abstract Online influencer marketing (OIM) has become an integral component of brands’ marketing strategies; however, marketers lack an adequate understanding of its scope, effectiveness, and potential threats. To fill this gap, this article first describes the phenomenon’s background, defines OIM, and delineates its unique features to set the conceptual boundaries for the new concept. Drawing insights from practitioner and consumer interviews, and in line with social capital theory, the authors propose that OIM can be understood as leveraging influencer resources (including follower networks,...

The authors find that in some ways, an AI influencer can be as effective as a human influencer and suggest that there may be a spill-over effect from consumer experiences with other AI recommendation systems, meaning that consumers are open to AI influencers recommendations.

Purpose This study aims to gain insights into the rise of virtual social media influencers and identify the significant theories governing virtual influencers’ (VIs) interaction with followers on social media platforms. Studies on VI being scarce in marketing literature, the authors attempt to propose a theoretical model to understand the acceptance of VIs by social media users (SMUs). Design/methodology/approach Using a structured literature review and a case study approach, a conceptual model is developed and propositions are offered. Findings Parasocial interaction (PSI) between the SMU and...

Stablecoins are digital currencies that are pegged to non-volatile assets. As alternatives to fiat currencies, they constitute an important aspect of cryptocurrency markets. We analyze returns of cryptocurrencies around 565 stablecoin issuances events for seven different stablecoins between April 2019 and March 2020. Our event study reveals market downturns in the week before issuance and positive abnormal returns in the twenty-four hours around the issuance. Effects differ and remain insignificant for some stablecoin subsamples and issuance size does not significantly affect the abnormal retu...

https://openpolicyfinder.jisc.ac.uk/id/publication/5670

Is it already the end of the influencers' era? More specifically the human influencers' era? Indeed, AI-powered digital avatars called "virtual influencers" are replacing them as marketing influence partners with the biggest brands, such as Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. By this choice, they avoid associating their business with the names of influencers who could have a very bad reputation overnight. This research aims to understand the incredible popularity of certain virtual influencers among consumers as well as their limits. This article explores this emerging phenomenon using a mixed qu...

This study aims to integrate the literature on social media influencers into a framework that classifies (potential) social media influencers and highlights their features. Previous classifications mainly focused on the measurable characteristics of social media influencers as determined either by scholars or consumers. In reality, though, the social impact of an influencer evolves as an interaction between his/her own goals and motivations and audience's perceptions and attributions. This study proposes a conceptual classification that combines the characteristics of social media influencers ...

Explosive growth in the number of users on various social media platforms has transformed the way firms strategize their marketing activities. To take advantage of the vast size of social networks, firms have now turned their attention to influencer marketing wherein they employ independent influencers to promote their products on social media platforms. Despite the recent growth in influencer marketing, the problem of network seeding (i.e., identification of influencers to optimally post a firm’s message or advertisement) neither has been rigorously studied in the academic literature nor has ...

Influencers increasingly provide sources of information and innovation to followers. Grounded in balance, cognitive dissonance, and congruity theories, the current article highlights how a congruence psychological mechanism, leveraged in influencer marketing campaigns, can contribute to the success of this novel form of persuasive communication. To understand consumers’ behavioral intentions when they encounter product recommendations from fashion influencers on Instagram, this study addresses the congruence among the three inherent contributors to any influencer marketing campaign: the influe...

Drawing upon the source credibility theory, interactivity theory, gratification-opportunities, with the overarching theory of belief-attitude-behavioral chain, this study investigates the antecedents (i.e., mobile convenience, interactivity, and influencer credibility) that shape one’s attitudes toward social media influencer and advertised product or service, as well as how these attitudinal outcomes lead to actual purchase. Additionally, the moderating role of gender is examined. Interestingly, the results indicate that interactivity is playing negative direct and indirect roles in attitudin...

The study finds that greater availability of information in video titles is negatively associated with video views, whereas intensity of negative emotional sentiment in video title is positively associated withVideo views.

Virtual influencers (VIs), digitally created characters with a significant presence on social media, are progressively engaged to promote products and brands. Understanding the impact of these influencers' anthropomorphic design is crucial to their marketing effectiveness. Drawing from anthropomorphism literature, this research evaluates the effect of four types of anthropomorphism—namely, appearance, moral virtue, cognitive experience, and conscious emotionality—on followers' perceptions of VI credibility and parasocial relationships, as well as their purchase intention. The results of a surv...

Journal editors are often asked at ‘Meet the Editor’ sessions at conferences to identify what current hot topics in the field are. It is true that as editors, we have some inside information on wha...

The landscape of virtual influencer marketing is introduced, outlining the opportunities and dangers associated with using virtual influencers in social media marketing communications and offering a 2 × 2 taxonomy ofvirtual influencers, grounded in research on anthropomorphism and reality–virtuality.

Social networking in the form of online communities and social groups is a characteristic of social media communication that has profound implications on the identity dynamics and behavior of social media users. Drawing from social identity theory, this research brings the social identity construct (i.e., followers' perception of the self in relation to the influencer community) to the literature on influencer marketing and examines the effect of followers' social identity, along with their interest fit and the influencer's opinion leadership, on their purchase intention. This research also ex...

Purpose Social media, especially social media-based influencer marketing, has become an important factor in consumer decision-making. Studies have recently begun investigating how influencers affect consumer behaviour. Despite the increasing interest, the purpose of this study is to examine influencers’ evaluation impact on consumer behaviour are scarce. Design/methodology/approach An online study undertook research to gain further understanding. Specifically, the study examines the following: firstly, the impact of consumers’ perceived influencer credibility (IC), using the source credibility...

Over the last decade, influencer marketing has become one of the most important tools for companies and brands to increase awareness, sales, or image strength. Since consumers prefer brands and companies whose image is congruent with their actual or ideal self, we could expect that consumers tend to prefer influencers whom they can compare themselves with. Therefore, congruence between consumer and influencer is imperative in influencer marketing and may indicate whether the influencer will be able to promote products to the target audience in an appealing way. Using a quantitative empirical s...

Purpose Social media influencers (SMIs) have become an important source of influence that affects consumer behaviours in their decision-making processes. As such, this justifies scholarly attention in understanding how SMIs transfer their meanings to endorsed brands and drive consumers’ positive behavioural intentions. With the intention to fill this knowledge gap, this paper aims to examine the impact of SMIs’ credibility, as manifested by trustworthiness, attractiveness and expertise, along with the moderating effects of materialism, on followers’ purchase intention. Design/methodology/appro...

Abstract Consumer avoidance of brands and influencers is a widespread phenomenon, especially among Generation Z (Gen Z); however, influencer marketing literature lacks clarity about when and why Gen Z engages in such avoidance. Our experimental investigation, across four studies, reveals that Gen Z considers brands' control over influencers to be morally irresponsible and, thus, avoids both. We introduce a novel construct, influencer avoidance , and examine its drivers. Study 1 indicates that perceived brand control engenders avoidance; moderation evidence shows that macro (vs. micro) influenc...