Research Perspectives on Social Media Influencers and Brand Communication

Research Perspectives on Social Media Influencers and Brand Communication examines the myriad ways in which social media and the unique characteristics of the internet have changed brand communication for both brands and consumers, focusing on the social media influencer as a brand communicator. As brands have noticed the rise of social media influencers as tastemakers and leaders in public opinion, they have increasingly begun to incorporate social media influencers into their brand communication strategies. Each chapter of this book represents a unique theoretical and methodological approach to examining the emergence and growing legitimacy of the social media influencer as a brand communicator from a variety of perspectives and contexts, discussing challenges and opportunities afforded to brands by social media influencers and providing an overview of the current research on the use of these branding approaches. Scholars of media studies, communication, and marketing will find this book particularly useful. Cover 1 Research Perspectiveson Social MediaInfluencers and BrandCommunication 2 Research Perspectiveson Social MediaInfluencers and BrandCommunication 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Figures and Tables 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 14 Chapter 1 18 The History of Social Media Influencers 18 Early Influencers on Blogs, Twitter, and YouTube 18 SMIs on Newer Platforms, including Instagram, Vine, and TikTok 22 The Rise of Brand Use of SMIs 23 The Evolution of Platforms to Support Influencer Marketing 27 The Evolution of SMI Regulations 30 Predictions for the Future of SMIs 32 References 33 Chapter 2 40 Rising to the Top 40 Literature Review 41 Method 44 Results 47 Discussion 56 Conclusion 58 References 59 Chapter 3 62 Micro-SMI 62 Literature Review 62 Methodology 64 Interview Findings 64 Five Dimensions of Micro-SMI 70 Discussion 77 Conclusion 78 References 79 Chapter 4 82 Evaluation of Brand-Sponsored Influencers and Tactics Across Industries 82 Trust and Banner Blindness 83 Brand Advocates and the Customer Journey 84 The Beauty Industry and Influencers 90 The Optical Industry and Influencers 92 The Financial Industry and Influencers 94 Best Practices for Working with SMIs 97 Evaluating Influencer Success 99 Conclusion 99 References 99 Chapter 5 104 LushUK Goes “All In” on Influencers 104 The Lush Brand 104 Lush’s Marketing Strategy 105 Can Influencers Replace All Advertising? 107 Benefits of Decentralized Social Media 109 The Risks of Decentralized Social Media 109 The Cost of Brand Decentralized Social Media 110 Assessing the Decentralized Social Media Strategy 112 Theoretical Perspectives on Decentralized Social Media 113 Discussion 117 References 120 Chapter 6 126 #OhSnap! Using Current Students as Influencers in Higher Education 126 College Admissions Marketing 127 Social Media and Higher Education 128 Snapchat 130 Snapchat and College Admissions 132 Peers as Influencers 135 Making a Case for Peer Influencers and Snapchat for Higher Education 136 Conclusion 138 References 139 Chapter 7 142 Influencer Marketing 142 To Use SMIS, Or Not To Use SMIS? That Is The Question 142 Rejecting a SMI 153 Case Study: #Bloggergate 155 Conclusion 158 References 158 Chapter 8 162 Framing the Impact of Pseudo-Influencers via Communication Ethics 162 SMIs, Brand Communication, and Ethics 163 Regulation Efforts 166 Ethical Issues Surrounding Pseudo-SMIs 169 Ethical Implications 172 Directions for the Future 173 References 174 Chapter 9 178 Playing by the Rules 178 Protecting Consumers from Deceptive Advertising 179 Developing Endorsement Guidelines 181 Controlling the SponCon Cons 188 Recommendations for Engaging in SponCon 193 References 195 About the Contributors 206 Index 200 About the Editor and Contributors 206 This book examines social media influencers as brand communicators. Each chapter represents a unique theoretical and methodological approach to examining the emergence of the growing legitimacy of influencer brand communication from a variety of perspectives and contexts.