Companies are increasingly relying on influencer marketing as a relevant pillar of their marketing communication strategy. It is therefore of vital importance to practitioners to understand better ...under what conditions a larger number of followers can trigger more positive responses in consumers than a smaller number and vice versa. Through a laboratory study, the authors recorded simultaneously eye‐tracking and electroencephalogram data from 109 participants to test the research question with a 2 (type of influencer: micro vs. meso) × 2 (argument quality: weak vs. strong) between‐subject design using mediated moderated linear regression analysis. The results highlight that the photo of the influencer using the product attracts more attention (i.e., fixation percentage) in the weak (vs. strong) argument quality only for micro‐ and not for meso‐influencers. Moreover, we found a statistically significant index of moderated mediation through the level of attention, which suggests that the percentage of fixations on the photo mediates the joint effect of influencer type and argument quality on behavioral activation system (BAS). Specifically, we found that when the advertising post presents weak argument quality the enhanced attention to the photo of the micro‐influencer leads to an increase in the BAS, with possible implications on advertising effectiveness and online message design. Our findings offer important theoretical and practical contributions to the influencer marketing domain by showing how the different verbal and visual elements of influencer posts affect Instagram users' responses to such posts.
Twitch.tv is one of the most successful online live streaming platforms in the world, with 200 million viewers, 2 million regular "streamers," and a market value of over $1billion. In this paper, we ...offer a first conceptualization of streamers as social media influencers, and how effectively they can perform strategic communication for sponsors. We draw on extensive ethnographic research and over a hundred semi-structured interviews with streamers to address two questions: first, how does Twitch operate as a platform for strategic communication; second, what skills do streamers need to be successful influencers? In the first case, we show Twitch is well suited to influencing, in large part due to its integration of data analytics, while streamers are using these tools to adopt a business-oriented mindset; in the second case, we show the importance of authenticity to both streamers and clients, and how channels of different sizes offer strategic communication opportunities. The article contributes to the emerging literature on Twitch, developing insights from influencing and strategic communication, but given the increasing scope of live streaming, we also argue the phenomenon - particularly when combined with the economic dynamics of influencing - is just as important for making sense of the wider media landscape today.
Findings of two experimental studies show that Instagram influencers with high numbers of followers are found more likeable, partly because they are considered more popular. Important, only in ...limited cases, perceptions of popularity induced by the influencer's number of followers increase the influencer's perceived opinion leadership. However, if the influencer follows very few accounts him-/herself, this can negatively impact popular influencers' likeability. Also, cooperating with influencers with high numbers of followers might not be the best marketing choice for promoting divergent products, as this decreases the brand's perceived uniqueness and consequently brand attitudes.
Digital celebrities found on social media platforms are found to be successful in endorsing brands and products, and influencing purchase intentions of their followers. However, influencers also ...promote values and lifestyles on their channels, such as healthy behavior and fitness. In this article, we investigate the motivations of users who follow fitness influencers on YouTube and how parasocial interaction and intentions to watch fitness are related to intentions to exercise. Watching fitness videos and social interaction seems only to motivate followers that are already physically active. Non-exercising users are attracted to YouTube by entertainment and a parasocial relationship with an influencer that has no impact on their intentions to exercise.
Display omitted
•E•Explore the motivations for following fitness influencers on Youtube and its relationship with intentions to exercise.•Non-exercising audience is motivated to watch fitness videos by parasocial relationship and by the entertainment.•Exercising audience is motivated by social interactions and entertainment.•Watching intentions are related to exercising only for the follower that already exercise.•No relationship is confirmed between parasocial interaction and intentions to exercise.
This work examines the determinants of the success of influencer marketing on the youth-focused TikTok, the fastest growing social network. It analyses the effects of influencers' account ...characteristics (originality, quality, quantity and humor) on their followers' hedonic experience and perceived opinion leadership, and how these impact on their intentions to follow influencers’ accounts and advice. A survey of followers of a popular Spanish TikTok influencer showed that originality and opinion leadership play important roles and that, because TikTok is distinctive, humor increased the effectiveness of messages (through hedonic experience). Suggestions are made to advance the understanding of this novel phenomenon.
Influencer marketing has emerged as an effective approach for brands to connect with customers through social media influencers. Although influencer marketing has attracted increased interest from ...marketing researchers in recent years, relatively little is known about influencers' content and engagement strategy and its links to followers' engagement behavior. The present study addresses this gap by examining how measures of influencers' content and engagement strategy (i.e., follower count, followee count, content volume, and domains of interest) are associated with followers' engagement behavior on Instagram both independently and interactively. The study leverages a unique dataset of Instagram influencers compiled by scraping an online influencer database to test its hypotheses. The findings indicate that follower count and content volume are negatively associated with follower engagement, while followee count is positively associated with follower engagement. However, these main effects are modified by influencers' domains of interest. The findings contribute to the literature by illuminating how elements of influencers' content and engagement strategy contribute to followers’ engagement behavior on Instagram.
Despite the increasing popularity of influencer marketing, the knowledge related to the parameters of influencer marketing affecting the brand knowledge and development of customer attitudes is ...scarce and not sufficiently explored. This research uses the tri-component attitude model to identify the impact of the credibility of mega influencer, content of the post and the congruence of the influencer with the brand on brand knowledge, affection and purchase intention of youth representing Gen Z for personal care products. We shortlisted the influencers to represent the Mega, Macro and Micro Influencer categories for our study. The survey instrument was a questionnaire developed on 7 point semantic differential scale and was administered to undergraduate and pot-graduate university students. The results of our study indicate that the content of the message and congruence of the influencer with the brand significantly influenced the brand knowledge and brand affection while the credibility of the influencer did not affect the brand knowledge or brand affection. Further, the brand knowledge mediated the relationship between (a) the content of the post and attitude towards the brand and (b) the congruence of influencer with the brand and attitude towards the brand. Managerial implications are discussed in the light of our findings.
Regulation prescribes that sponsored social media posts should clearly disclose their material connection with brands. However, research on the impact of such disclosures is limited. This study used ...an experimental 4 × 2 between-subjects design (N = 414), reflecting different types of material connections between the influencer and the brand and two kinds of message sidedness, to investigate how the sponsorship disclosure affects consumers' responses to sponsored Instagram posts. Findings show that including a sponsorship disclosure (compared to no disclosure) negatively affects brand attitude through enhanced ad recognition, which activates ad skepticism, which, in turn, negatively affects the influencer's credibility. Further, results show a significant moderated mediation effect in that source's credibility and, consequently, brand attitude was only negatively affected when the influencer used a one-sided message and not when the message was two-sided. Also, influencers who post genuine product recommendations and thus have no commercial relationship with the brand, do well by explicitly mentioning this. Iincluding a statement that a post is not sponsored, rather than leaving thisit unclear whether their post is sponsored, may generate more positive brand responses through lowered ad recognition and skepticism.
Social media influencers – such as the ‘Instafamous’ – are required to disclose any commercial relationship. To achieve transparency, Instagram has introduced a standardized disclosure (‘Paid ...partnership with brand’). This study examined whether this disclosure effectively raises ad recognition, and how this consequently affects consumers' responses to the message, influencer, and brand. Additionally, the effects of the disclosure were compared between micro- (<10,000 followers) and meso- (10,000–1 million followers) influencers. Results of an online experiment (N = 192) with a 2 (no disclosure vs. standardized disclosure) x 2 (micro-vs. meso-influencer) between subjects design showed that the disclosure did achieve its goal of increasing ad recognition. Furthermore, the disclosure positively affected brand recall and intentions to engage with the post, via ad recognition. The parasocial interaction with the influencer was not affected. Moreover, influencer type did not moderate the effect of the disclosure and did not affect people's responses to the message, influencer, or brand.
•The standardized Instagram disclosure helps users to recognize influencer marketing.•Disclosure indirectly increases brand recall and intentions to engage with the post.•The disclosure does not damage the parasocial interaction with the influencer.•Responses and effects did not differ between micro- and meso-influencers.
Digital marketing campaigns increasingly utilize social media influencers. Research in influencer marketing has investigated popularity metrics but found conflicting results on how the number of ...followers and likes on posts might influence consumers' behaviors. The present research investigates green living orientation of influencers as a moderating characteristic that leads to differential interpretation of popularity metrics in the context of green advertising messages. Specifically, lower popularity metrics seem to benefit green influencers or “greenfluencers.” An increased perception of trust in greenfluencers with lower popularity results in enhanced attitudes toward a sponsored product and increased purchase intentions. Additionally, consumers are willing to donate higher amounts to a related charity after exposure to a promotional post by a green influencer with low following. We present the results of three lab studies and discuss theoretical and practical implications.
•Green influencers (“Greenfluencers”) are considered more trustworthy if they have fewer followers.•Green influencers generate positive product outcomes if they have fewer followers.•Donation amounts to a partner charity are higher after exposure to micro green-living or sustainability-oriented influencer.•Digital marketing campaigns can benefit from using micro greenfluencers.
PDF
