Sharenting Marketing: Unveiling the Gender Dynamics of Sharenting Influence

Abstract

Sharenting (the practice of sharing child photos by parents on social media) with brand collaborations is termed sharenting marketing. In this research, we aim to unravel the differential effects of parent gender on parent and brand outcomes in the context of sharenting marketing. A nuanced experimental design that addresses the current criticisms of experimental designs is used to test the hypothesis. Structured means modelling and ANOVA analysis are used for data analysis. The findings indicate that when the sharing influencer is a mother and the post content is self-motivated, the effects are less favourable, compared to when the sharenting influencer is a father. This effect is greater when the social media post has negative user- or follower-generated comments. Furthermore, this research shows that if the post-text contents are framed as less self-motivated, the impact of parent gender on parent and brand outcomes is mitigated.