Be constantly different! How to manage influencer authenticity

Abstract

Social media influencers are increasingly approached by marketers to advocate brands and products. This practice is commonly called ‘influencer marketing’. Influencers can take advantage of their reach and importance for consumers’ decision making by obtaining rewards from marketers. At the same time, consumers are increasingly aware of this practice. In this context, the perception of an influencers´ authenticity is key when it comes to his/her ability to persuade others. In this research, we shed light on the nature of the influencer authenticity construct, its boundaries as well as its relationships with brand-related variables responsible for consumers’ buying decisions. Using an experimental approach (n = 163), we demonstrate that especially influencers’ uniqueness and consistency increase their authenticity. Furthermore, our results show a strong impact of influencer authenticity on purchase intention, which is partially mediated via brand authenticity and brand attitude.

Investigating the impact of authenticity of social media influencers on followers' purchase behavior: mediating analysis of parasocial interaction on Instagram

“…Duffy (2017) associated uniqueness with the influencer's creativity and further mentioned that followers do not take influencers with regular, common content seriously, therefore, there is a low likelihood that they will follow such endorsements. In a recent study, Zniva et al (2023) added that influencers' uniqueness inspires and surprises followers, creating intense attraction toward them. Al-Harbi and Badawi (2021) have supported preceding studies and anticipated that followers' intense attraction toward the influencer might transform into buying behavior.…”

Virtually authentic: examining the match-up hypothesis between human vs virtual influencers and product types

“…Research in influencer marketing consistently highlights the importance of authenticity in consumer decision-making (Ilicic and Webster, 2016;Lee et al, 2021). The perceived authenticity of influencers affects the effectiveness of endorsements, impacting attitudes toward the post, endorsed product and affiliated brand (Zhang et al, 2023;Zniva et al, 2023) and purchase intentions (Shoenberger and Kim, 2023). Similar findings have been observed with virtual influencers, where their perceived authenticity can impact brand reputation (Yang et al, 2023) and word-of-mouth intentions (Kim and Baek, 2023).…”

“…In influencer marketing, authenticity translates into how consumers perceive influencers in aligning their actions with their true selves. An authentic influencer’s actions reflect their intrinsic values, beliefs and interests, prioritizing self-expression and independence over succumbing to commercial pressures or external stakeholders (Zniva et al , 2023).…”

“…A related issue is the deceptive practice of influencers purchasing fake followers to amplify their perceived influence, further challenging social media influencers' authenticity (L. . Such practices suggest that influencers may prioritize extrinsic rewards, like monetary gains, over genuine, intrinsic interests, thereby diminishing their perceived authenticity (Zniva et al, 2023). As many followers understand the commercial undertones in endorsements and the corporate influence behind social media influencers, the depth and quality of the relationship between influencers and followers becomes crucial (Sheng et al, 2023;Zhu et al, 2022).…”

Training Concerns of Micro-influencers on Advertising and Marketing

“…While scientific production in this field has shed light on the strategies employed by both macro and micro-influencers and the platforms and social networks they utilize (Alassani & Göretz, 2019; Jayasinghe, 2021), there is a compelling case for offering training in areas identified as crucial by research. This includes creating authentic content that allows influencers to strategically engage with their followers while attracting potential advertiser brands (Zniva et al, 2023).…”