Influencer marketing: sponsorship disclosure and value co-creation behaviour

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationships between sponsorship disclosure, influencer type and audience value co-creation behaviour in influencer marketing.Design/methodology/approachThis study explores audience value co-creation behaviour in influencer marketing through sponsorship disclosure and influencer type using a 3 (sponsorship disclosure: explicit vs implicit vs no disclosure) × 3 (influencer type: micro vs meso vs macro) factorial between-subjects design.FindingsThis study finds that the influence of explicit disclosure on audience value co-creation behaviour (participation behaviour and citizenship behaviour) is greater than when that information is either implied or not disclosed. Likewise, the influence of macro-influencers on audience participation behaviour is higher than that of micro-influencers and meso-influencers. The findings also show that the interaction effect between influencer type and sponsorship disclosure significantly impacts audience participation behaviour.Originality/valueThis study introduces value co-creation behaviour into influencer marketing and expands research on sponsorship disclosure and influencer type. The study further enriches the value co-creation behaviour antecedent research in influencer marketing.

A Comprehensive Overview of Micro-Influencer Marketing: Decoding the Current Landscape, Impacts, and Trends

“…Research on micro-influencers’ characteristics revolves around three crucial elements: strategies for constructing media roles [ 50 ], communication strategies [ 51 ], and personality traits [ 52 ]. As mentioned earlier, the authenticity and performative nature of an account are paramount.…”

Unveiling the dark side of influencer marketing: how social media influencers (human vs virtual) diminish followers’ well-being

“…By carefully managing their image, content and endorsements, SMIs aim to establish a distinct personal brand that resonates with their followers, who then self-select to follow them (Sands et al, 2022a). This personal branding is crucial to their success, as it helps to establish their authority in their respective niche and build a loyal fan base (Bu et al, 2022). Therefore, SMIs have become a vital component of the digital marketing landscape.…”

“…, 2022a). This personal branding is crucial to their success, as it helps to establish their authority in their respective niche and build a loyal fan base (Bu et al ., 2022). Therefore, SMIs have become a vital component of the digital marketing landscape.…”

How to engage and attract virtual influencers’ followers: a new non-human approach in the age of influencer marketing

“…Examples of digital influencers include YouTubers, bloggers, social media icons and other online celebrities (Aw and Chuah, 2021;Hu et al, 2020;Casal o et al, 2020). It is important to indicate that most of the recent studies have focused primarily on digital influencer or human influencers (Kim and Read, 2022;Bu et al, 2022;Sokolova and Kefi, 2020;Jim enez-Castillo and S anchez-Fern andez, 2019;Zhang et al, 2021). iResearch estimates that in 2018, Chinese digital influencers generated revenues of more than $300 billion.…”

“…, 2020). It is important to indicate that most of the recent studies have focused primarily on digital influencer or human influencers (Kim and Read, 2022; Bu et al. , 2022; Sokolova and Kefi, 2020; Jiménez-Castillo and Sánchez-Fernández, 2019; Zhang et al.…”