New Directions in Influencer Advertising: Persuasive Power, Brand Outcomes, and Societal Impact

Editors

• Kacy Kim, Bryant University
• Changju Kim, Ritsumeikan University
• Hsuan-Ting Chen, Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Yoon Hi Sung, Yonsei University

Description

Influencer advertising has become a central form of brand communication, evolving beyond traditional supplementary social media tactics. Brands increasingly leverage influencers, creators, livestream hosts, virtual personalities, and AI-generated personas to communicate persuasive messages and build consumer relationships. The special issue examines influencer advertising as a distinctive form of persuasive communication, recognizing that its power stems from embedded messages in personal narratives, lifestyle content, entertainment, and creator-audience relationships, increasingly enhanced by AI and synthetic content.

The effectiveness of influencer advertising raises important concerns about unintended consequences. When consumers perceive influencer content as overly commercialized, deceptive, or inauthentic, it may generate skepticism and distrust. Emerging challenges including deepfakes, manipulated content, synthetic media, and privacy concerns highlight the need to examine both the persuasive power and potential harms of influencer advertising.

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Potential topics

• Influencer advertising as a distinctive form of advertising and persuasive communication
• Influencers as advertising sources, endorsers, creators, brand partners, cultural intermediaries, and social influence agents
• Boundaries among authentic expression, commercial persuasion, sponsored content, branded entertainment, native advertising, electronic word-of-mouth, and public relations
• New theoretical frameworks for understanding influencer advertising
• Source credibility, expertise, authenticity, relatability, attractiveness, perceived similarity, and trustworthiness
• Influencer–brand fit, product fit, audience fit, and value congruence
• Message design, storytelling, humor, emotion, lifestyle appeals, visual execution, language, tone, and aesthetics
• Product demonstrations, reviews, tutorials, testimonials, livestreams, short-form videos, and experiential advertising formats
• Attitudes toward influencer ads, sponsored content, influencers, and brands
• Persuasion knowledge, skepticism, advertising recognition, advertising literacy, and resistance
• Parasocial and trans-parasocial relationships, emotional attachment, perceived intimacy, reciprocity, interaction, and co-creation
• Brand attitudes, purchase intentions, brand trust, brand equity, consumer loyalty, and long-term brand relationships
• Effects of influencer advertising across the customer journey and across product, service, nonprofit, health, public policy, and social cause contexts
• Virtual influencers, AI-generated influencers, synthetic creators, digital avatars, and AI-assisted content production
• Generative AI, deepfakes, synthetic media, and manipulated influencer content in advertising
• Personalized and tailored influencer advertising and consumer receptivity to personalized influencer messages
• Privacy concerns, perceived intrusiveness, surveillance concerns, consumer autonomy, and perceived control
• Livestream interaction, real-time persuasion, social commerce, and shoppable content
• Authenticity, identity, humanness, anthropomorphism, disclosure, and trust in synthetic or AI-assisted influence
• Conditions under which influencer advertising backfires, including distrust, avoidance, influencer fatigue, and perceived inauthenticity
• Hidden persuasion, sponsorship disclosure failures, deceptive advertising, misinformation, and corrective interventions
• Deepfakes, manipulated influencer content, synthetic media, fabricated endorsements, and AI-generated claims
• Consumer well-being, vulnerable audiences, representation, diversity, sustainability, regulation, and public trust