Abstract
Influencer marketing has the potential to enhance a company’s exposure and expand its reach. Working with influencers is a compelling strategy for marketers to connect with niche audiences. Thus, the main focus of this analysis lies within the expansive realm of influencer marketing. The present study utilises a rigorous systematic literature review incorporating a bibliometric analysis. A total of 604 publications were retrieved from Scopus for the purpose of this analysis. Our findings suggest a notable surge in scholarly publications. Our review aims to bridge the gap between the disjointed past, present, and future of influencer marketing, intending to present a structured framework highlighting the field’s theoretical underpinnings. The majority of the publications have originated from the United States and Europe. The practitioners in the discipline have exhibited a preference for employing experimental research methods and quantitative methodologies. The research has focussed on Europe and North America from a geographical standpoint, aligning with the observed contribution patterns. In this analysis, we extensively explore the prevailing trends within influencer marketing. There are six primary themes in the field’s current research identified. The focal point of our discussion revolves around the study’s implications, which highlight the role of influencer marketing in facilitating a better-informed decision-making process for customers in the contemporary data-driven landscape.
Keywords
Introduction
In recent years, influencer marketing has gained prominence as a distinct area within the marketing field (Zhou et al., 2021). Currently, influencer marketing stands as one of the most efficacious approaches to captivate individuals with a brand’s message and capture their interest in a specific product or service. Influencer marketing entails the collaboration of organisations and businesses with meticulously chosen social media influencers to produce and disseminate sponsored content that resonates with their followers and aligns with the brands’ intended demographic (Leung, Gu, & Palmatier, 2022; Pradhan et al., 2023; Vrontis et al., 2021). Working with influencers is a compelling strategy for marketers to connect with niche audiences interested in fitness, reading, sewing, cuisine, fashion, and cycling (Fowler & Thomas, 2023). This has led to a change in the strategies marketers use to disseminate brand messaging, grow and fortify their client base, and forge a strong brand identity in the eyes of the public. Furthermore, Influencer marketing also played a key role in influencing and purchasing decisions among young consumers. According to a previous study, 70% of Generation Z follow at least one YouTube or Instagram influencer, and 44% base their purchases on the recommendations of influencers (Kantar, 2022). Members of Generation Z perceive influencers not as commercial mouthpieces but as relatable peers who express authentic viewpoints (Reinikainen et al., 2021). Similarly, Vrontis et al. (2021) outline key concepts and mechanisms driving the influential impact of social media influencers on consumer behaviour and attitudes. De Veirman et al. (2017) refer to these influencers as “trusted tastemakers,” while Lou (2022) characterises them as fostering “trans-parasocial relations” by cultivating and nurturing connections with their social media followers. Research on influencer marketing reveals a spectrum of both positive and negative implications. The existing body of research predominantly emphasises the positive outcomes of influencer marketing, particularly in terms of the commercial achievements of influencers. Conversely, the scholarly literature pertaining to the adverse facets of influencer marketing predominantly concentrates on promotional activities related to food products (Hudders & Lou, 2023). Still, Influencer marketing has the potential to enhance a company’s exposure and expand its reach (Wiedmann & von Mettenheim, 2021). The aforementioned factors indicate the existence of several aspects within influencer marketing, therefore necessitating a full understanding of the subject matter. Given the expanding body of scholarly work on the subject, there is a need for a comprehensive synthesis of the existing literature. Previous scholarly works have undertaken the task of synthesising the existing body of knowledge on influencer marketing, employing a bibliometric approach (Abhishek & Srivastava, 2021; Fowler & Thomas, 2023; Tanwar et al., 2022; Ye et al., 2021). Previous bibliometric studies provide a thorough and inclusive examination of the subject matter. However, it is worth noting that the body of literature within this discipline is expanding. These studies are unsuccessful in summarising the literature due to this particular cause. For example, using the Scopus database, Abhishek and Srivastava (2021) conducted a bibliometric study on influencer marketing. The study only took the articles until October 2020, and all articles were included. Due to this reason, the quality of the papers may be missing. Second, the study focussed more on social media and influencers than influencer marketing. Ye et al. (2021) bibliometric review, in addition to publication characteristics, focuses on themes pertinent to managers. Tanwar et al. (2022) bibliometric review has taken articles between 2011 and 2019, thus limiting its scope to the present time. After 2019, several new articles have been published, and the corpus has increased. All these facts highlight the necessity for a contemporary bibliometric analysis of influencer marketing, which would employ statistical analysis to manage and evaluate the dataset objectively.
Keeping this in mind, this study uses a bibliometric technique to conduct a review of the research that has been published on the subject. Bibliometrics is becoming an increasingly prominent area of research since it may be applied to various other study subjects. It gives a graphical representation of the overall progression of scientific knowledge on the subject of the research (Donthu et al., 2021a; A. Kumar, 2016; A. Kumar et al., 2019, 2024; A. Kumar & Kiran, 2017; A. Kumar & Kushwaha, 2018). The bibliometric analysis allows for a comprehensive examination of the existing literature on the subject, considering its development over time (Basu, Kumar, & Kumar, 2023; Basu, Lim et al., 2023; A. Kumar et al., 2024; A. Kumar & Ahmed, 2023). This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the influencer marketing field. This analysis is important because the issue has a wide intellectual structure, and it will enable the identification of developing trends and new research opportunities. To accomplish this purpose, we will focus on the following five goals. First, we use performance analysis to investigate how influencer marketing has evolved over time through the publications that have been produced. Second, we investigated previous researchers’ preferred research approaches and methodologies. Third, we utilise the co-occurrence of terms to determine the intellectual structure of the area by identifying the main keywords that have emerged over the course of time in the field. Fourth, to determine which aspects of the study are most recent and relevant, and then use bibliographic coupling to analyse the articles that have already been published. Fifth, we outline several prospective avenues for future research within the discipline, indicating potential paths for further advancement in scholarly inquiry. This study uses bibliometric analysis to examine the themes and methodologies employed in publications pertaining to influencer marketing. This comprehensive compilation encompasses all the scholarly research on influencer marketing published in Scopus journals until the 31st of December 2024.
Methodology
This article examines the study of influencer marketing by employing the Scientific Procedure and Rationales for Systematic Literature Review (SPAR-4-SLR )procedure to gather a suitable collection of articles to investigate its content through bibliometric analysis. The SPAR-4-SLR process has three steps: assembling, arranging, and assessing (Paul et al., 2021). The review procedure that has to be followed while applying this strategy is shown in Figure 1.
The SPAR-4-SLR protocol.
Assembling
The preliminary analysis of relevant literature helped the study determine its search keywords to compile a complete dataset of influencer marketing papers to illuminate the performance and intellectual structure of research in this field. The SPAR-4-SLR procedure begins with the “assembling” phase, which involves identifying and acquiring review articles. This stage occurs in the initial period. In terms of assessment scope, this study focuses on influencer marketing, which is also the central theme under evaluation. Conversely, the research inquiries revolve around influencer marketing research’s bibliometric performance and intellectual framework. The analysis exclusively targets conceptual and empirical papers published in academic journals, deemed the most credible and authoritative sources of peer-reviewed scholarly literature (Paul et al., 2021). Non-journal sources such as books, book chapters, conference papers, comments, and editorials are omitted due to their comparatively less rigorous review process than conceptual or empirical journal articles. Also, Scopus was chosen to estimate source quality since it is the biggest database of scientific papers with 60% greater coverage than Web of Science (Comerio & Strozzi, 2019) and meets strict indexation standards (Paul et al., 2021; Vanhala et al., 2020). The Scopus database was used for finding and getting materials because it had the bibliometric data needed for the study and let people download and read the articles right away by providing links to relevant sources. Lim et al. (2022) suggest a single-term (phrase) search for worldwide review domains. Therefore, the search string utilised was “influencer marketing” inside the specified parameter of “article title, abstract, or keywords” on the Scopus database, and the search period was up to 31 December 2024. In total, 604 documents on influencer marketing published in English were returned. These papers on influencer marketing, written in English, were retrieved. The bibliometric information was downloaded and stored in comma-separated values (.csv) and research information system (.ris) file formats widely supported by most bibliometric analysis and visualisation software, such as BibExcel and VOSviewer.
Arranging
The second stage of the SPAR-4-SLR protocol is arranging and it is comprised of the stages of organising and cleaning the documents that were returned from the search. For organising, documents’ bibliometric data were coded according to their article titles, journals, authors, countries, keywords, and citation counts. Only journal articles were included throughout the purification process, while all other publications were excluded. Consequently, a total of 604 papers were deemed eligible for examination.
Assessing
The last and concluding phase of the SPAR-4-SLR procedure encompasses the process of assessment, which entails the critical examination and subsequent reporting of the articles currently under review. In terms of evaluation, the study techniques included bibliometric analysis and software to differentiate between historical and contemporary patterns in the field of influencer marketing research. The performance of papers, authors, countries, and journals was evaluated, and the publishing trend was computed using Microsoft Excel. In contrast, BibExcel and VOSviewer were the two most frequently used software programmes (Lim et al., 2022) that were used to deconstruct and map data on research clusters, citations, and keyword occurrences in journals. A mix of science mapping and performance analysis decides the direction of future study. The findings of this review are shown using network diagrams (network visualisation), statistical tables (bibliometrics), and explanatory text (S. Kumar et al., 2021, 2022). In the following sections, figures, tables, and words summarise the review results, while limitations and sources of support are recognised at the end. Ethical approval was neither sought nor deemed necessary for this review, as it relies on secondary data that is readily accessible to anybody having a Scopus subscription.
Performance of Influencer Marketing Research
Influencer Marketing Publication Trends (RQ1)
The review analysis pertaining to influencer marketing and articles published in the span of (2012–2024) illustrates the upward trend in the number of publications in this emerging domain of importance (see Figure 2). There is a clear indication that the volume of academic literature being published has experienced a steady growth throughout the course of time except in the initial years. Interestingly, the review found that the earliest publication was authored by Schaefer (2012) under the title “Create a Buzz Around Your Business through Influence Marketing: Interview with Mark W. Schaefer, author of Return on Influence.” The author points out what can be achieved through the social web and how companies can leverage relationships with social media celebrities to amplify brand awareness and create a buzz around their products or services. Another earlier publication authored by Hu et al. (2016) under the title “Liking and Following and the Newsvendor: Operations and Marketing Policies under Social Influence.” They suggest strategies for companies to effectively manage social influence, such as offering promotional incentives to engage consumers as influencers. In an earlier study, De Veirman et al. (2017) suggest that the size of an influencer’s follower base contributes to the sense of popularity, which influences opinion leadership views. They said that having a big following would not be the best marketing strategy for certain items since it could take away from the brand’s perceived distinctiveness and the attitudes accompanying it. According to the findings of the present review, the studies published in the initial years were in single digits. Twelve papers were disseminated throughout the first period, spanning from 2012 to 2018. This finding suggests that influencer marketing saw a gradual growth rate, a typical pattern observed in nascent areas of scholarly inquiry. From 2019 onwards, more than 10 articles are published each year. The subject has become more popular with the advancement of technology, especially with the introduction of social media. This impacts an average of 98 articles per year between 2019 and 2024. The growth of digital environments (such as websites, online forums, social media, and mobile applications) and the broad acceptance of new technology, further amplified by socio-cultural spirals like social media addiction, are the reasons for this heightened attention. The rise seen during the Covid-19 outbreak is particularly fascinating since it suggests that influencer marketing has had a substantial impact in modifying the connections and partnerships between different organisations (Hartmann & Lussier, 2020; W. Y. C. Wang et al., 2016). In situations of crisis, it becomes imperative for enterprises to deliver timely and personalised interactions to their clients (Loftis, 2021).
Publication trends of Influencer Marketing research.
Key Publications, Authors, Institutions, Countries, and Outlets for Influencer Marketing Research (RQ2)
Table 1 lists the publication outlets for influencer marketing research. A total of 604 documents were published in the form of articles. The distribution of articles by publication outlet shows that the International Journal of Advertising is the most prolific home for influencer marketing research (n = 33 articles), representing 5.46% of the total, making it the most productive journal for influencer marketing research. This is followed by the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services and the Journal of Business Research, each hosting 30 and 28 articles, respectively, on influencer marketing. Most of the journals on this list are rated “A*” or “A” by the Australian Business Deans Council. The inclusion of influencer marketing on the list of esteemed publication sources indicates its recognition and acceptance within the academic world.
Top Publication Outlets.
The authors who have made the most significant contributions to influencer marketing are listed in Table 2. The field’s most productive author is Hudders, Liselot from Ghent University Belgium, with 10 publications and 2,303 citations. Her successors, De Veirman, M., and Lou, C. have produced four and seven publications, respectively, with 2001 and 1,446 citations. Most of the top 10 authors have gotten an average of over 100 citations. This observation suggests that there has been an increase in the quantity and influence of publications throughout time.
Most Productive Authors.
Among the most prolific authors in influencer marketing research, Hudders, Liselot, in his co-authored paper titled “Marketing through Instagram influencers: the impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude,” reveals that Instagram influencers that possess a substantial number of followers are perceived as more amiable, partially due to their perceived popularity. In specific scenarios, the sense of popularity, as influenced by the influencer’s number of followers, might enhance the influencer’s perceived opinion leadership. The likability of famous influencers may suffer if they only follow a few accounts (De Veirman et al., 2017). All the articles by Hudders and his coauthors mainly focussed on influencer marketing and followers nexus. For example, in another study entitled “Disclosing sponsored Instagram posts: the role of material connection with the brand and message-sidedness when disclosing covert advertising” by De Veirman and Hudders (2020), examines the impact of sponsorship disclosure on consumers’ reactions to sponsored content on Instagram. The research found that disclosing sponsorship information negatively impacts customers’ brand perceptions. The second highly productive author was De Veirman, who contributed to the above studies.
Table 3 displays the institutions that have made the most significant contributions to the field of influencer marketing according to total citations. The researchers affiliated with Ghent University have made the most significant contributions, with 10 publications garnered a notable citation count of 2,303. Nanyang Technological University Singapore comes in second with 1,446 citations and seven publications, followed by Hong Kong Polytechnic University, with 1,275 citations and eight publications. The United States and Australia are home to most of the institutions that make up the top 10, indicating the significant importance played by writers and institutions from these regions. This emphasises the necessity of motivating more academic institutions in Africa and private enterprises to get engaged in recording influencer marketing research procedures and empirical results.
Most Productive Institutions/Universities.
Note. *According to ABDC journal quality list.
Table 4 presents the most prolific contributing countries to influencer marketing research. According to the country/territory statistics of the 604 research articles in the Scopus database that deal with influencer marketing, it is noted that researchers hailing from the United States have made a significant scholarly contribution by producing a total of 148 publications, which have garnered a noteworthy citation count of 8,953. Subsequently, South Korea and the United have made significant contributions by authoring 33 and 46 publications, respectively. The top three nations in terms of the number of citations received by papers in this area are the United States (8,953 citations), South Korea (1939 citations), United Kingdom (1,720 citations). Upon examination of the nations, it becomes evident that the discourse around the subject matter originated from North America, Europe, and Asia. None of the countries in question belong to the African continent. This occurrence might be explained by the varied ways in which technofixes—first developed in the developed countries and later in other countries have been adopted. It seems that the investigation followed a similar path.
Most Productive Countries.
Table 5 presents the leading works in influencer marketing that received the maximum citations from researchers worldwide. The top article in the table regarding citations worldwide is “Marketing through Instagram influencers: The impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude” written by De Veirman et al. (2017) having 1206 citations. The study found that working with influencers with huge followings reduces the business’s perceived distinctiveness and brand perceptions, making it a poor marketing approach for various items. The second most influential study is conducted by Lou and Yuan (2019), titled “Influencer Marketing: How Message Value and Credibility Affect Consumer Trust of Branded Content on Social Media” with 1,202 citations, presents the social media influencer value model and emphasises that the informative value of influencer affects follower trust that leads to purchase intention. Jin et al. (2019) conducted the third most influential study entitled “Instafamous and social media influencer marketing” with 488 global citations. The study found that Instagram celebrities’ brand posts are perceived as more trustworthy, have a more positive attitude towards the endorsed brand, have a stronger social presence, and inspire more envy than traditional celebrity brand posts.
Top 10 Highly Cited Articles.
Analysis of Methodology and Research Focus
Table 6 illustrates the research design aspect. Experimental methods prevail within the discipline, with around 38.41% of the papers employing this approach. The study design predominantly comprises quantitative approaches, accounting for around 29.14% of the entire corpus. Conversely, qualitative methodology has been comparatively less prevalent, comprising just 12.91% of the corpus.
Research Methodology.
The selection of research approaches is displayed in Table 6. Authors mostly employ empirical data, which aligns with the study strategy and appears in 82.28% of the publications. Furthermore, 4.81% of the publications use modelling and analytical methods or other types of methodology, whereas 12.91% of the articles are conceptual or literature reviews.
Table 6 presents the selection of data analytics methodologies employed by individuals contributing to the discourse on influencer marketing. Descriptive analysis is limited among experts in the discipline, comprising a mere 3.15% of the corpus. Descriptive statistics encompass procedures such as t-tests, chi-square tests, total calculations, mean calculations, and other methods that rely exclusively on simple arithmetic operations. ANOVA/MANOVA/ANCOVA was used in 25.5% of the articles. Structured equation modelling (SEM) was used in 20.36% of the articles. Regression and correlation analysis were used in 12.91% of the articles. The group labelled “other” exhibits the largest proportion in publishing distribution. This set of approaches does not possess characteristics of either descriptive or regression-like methodologies. The methodologies encompassed in this list comprise mathematical modelling, content analysis, multidimensional scaling, machine learning, sentiment analysis, theme analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). When aggregated, these methodologies constitute 38.08% of the scholarly publications.
Table 6 also presents the distribution of various data-gathering methodologies employed within the domain of influencer marketing. The survey technique emerged as the most favoured approach for data gathering among writers who have contributed to the subject, with a utilisation rate of 73.01% throughout the papers. The predominant focus of research in this sector is centred around consumer behaviour, therefore rendering the utilisation of survey methodology as a logical choice. The research analysis found that 6.13% employed a mixed methodology, including qualitative and quantitative data-gathering approaches. Additionally, 7.78% of the studies relied only on qualitative data collection methods.
Based on Table 7, which shows an overview of the regional focus of the pieces, most of them (73.18%) have focussed on a single country, while only a few (26.82%) have focussed on more than one country. Among the articles focussing on single countries, most (29.97%) focus on European countries. The second most focussed region is North America (25.83%), followed by Asia (13.41%) and Australia (2.48%). The lack of publications from Africa and South America is noteworthy, suggesting that these regions have seen limited research activity in high-quality academic journals. This is a potential avenue for future researchers.
The Geographical Focus of the Research on Influencer Marketing.
Science Mapping of Influencer Marketing Research
Research Fronts Using Bibliographic Coupling
Bibliographic coupling is a method used to assess the similarity between citing publications based on their shared references. This approach operates under the assumption that articles with comparable references are likely to have similar content. Therefore, publications that reference comparable sources are organised to provide the overarching ideas that constitute the intellectual cluster within the discipline. According to Bretas and Alon (2021), it is possible to represent recent contributions that have not yet exerted a substantial impact by employing this approach. This bibliometric review employed bibliometric coupling to identify the knowledge clusters underpinning influencer marketing research (Figure 3).
Bibliographic coupling For major themes in influencer marketing research. Cluster/Theme #1 (red): Decoding Influence through Influencer Marketing. Cluster/Theme #2 (green): Transparency and Engagement in Influencer Marketing Cluster/Theme #3 (blue): Humanising Influence in the Digital Era. Cluster/Theme #4 (yellow): Harnessing Social Media Influencers to Shape Consumer Decisions. Cluster/Theme #5 (purple): Influence Reimagined: Crafting Authenticity. Cluster/Theme #6 (aqua/cyan): Influencer-brand-audience relationship success through influencer credibility.
Based on the results of the bibliographic coupling, the review corpus can be categorised into six knowledge clusters. Table 8 summarises the themes represented in six significant clusters and the top five articles that fall under each cluster according to the bibliographic coupling. This was done to assist in defining and discussing the sub-topics of research associated with influencer marketing.
Bibliographic Coupling.
# Cluster 1: Decoding Influence through Influencer Marketing
The cluster decoding the influence between Trust, Mimicry, and Strategy in influencer marketing has 80 articles. Establishing and cultivating relationships between influencers and their followers is often seen as vital to their success. These studies convey how influencers shape consumer behaviour and marketing outcomes. C. Ki and Kim (2019) suggest that aspirational influencers are particularly effective when their lifestyle aligns with consumers’ self-image or aspirations. The existing body of marketing literature has demonstrated that utilising celebrity endorsements is a successful strategy for improving consumer attitudes towards brands and ultimately increasing their intention to purchase. For instance, the phenomenon by which digital influencers convince consumers to embrace brands is investigated by C. Ki and Kim (2019). The research validates that consumers’ attitudes are substantially and positively influenced by the five facets of influencing posts—Attractiveness, Prestige, Expertise, Information, and Interaction—resulting in favourable behavioural outcomes. Jin et al. (2019) discuss how the “instafamous” status leverages aesthetics, relatability, and perceived glamour to engage followers.
# Cluster 2: Transparency and Engagement in Influencer Marketing
This cluster contains 59 articles that discuss the importance of influencer marketing for strategic business decisions. The theme of this cluster bridges the operational, psychological, and managerial aspects of influencer marketing while focussing on transparency and trust as critical components for success. Social media Influencers that effectively communicate genuine product recommendations without any business affiliation with the company tend to get favourable outcomes by expressly disclosing the lack of financial tie (De Veirman & Hudders, 2020). Disclosure can instil a sense of openness and transparency among followers as influencers establish connections with their audience. As Dhanesh and Duthler (2019) revealed, a favourable correlation exists between awareness of compensated endorsement and the influencer-follower connection, notably in predicting trust and satisfaction characteristics. This practice has the capacity to enhance trust and happiness within the influencer-follower relationship.
# Cluster 3: Humanising Influence in the Digital Era
The third-largest cluster, with 46 items, best demonstrated the notion of Humanising Influence in the digital era. The theme emphasises personalisation and trust in the Age of AI-driven influencer Marketing to enhance influencer marketing strategies. The studies mainly demonstrate the growing role of AI in optimising campaigns and the effectiveness of humour and hedonic experiences and highlight the shift towards personalised, tech-driven, and value-based influencer marketing strategies. For example, Pittman and Abell (2021) explore the impacts of popularity metrics and influencer categorisation (ordinary vs. “green influencers”) on consumer behavioural results. The study found that the level of trust in green influencers is inversely related to their popularity, whereas non-green influencers with higher popularity enjoy greater trust. The aforementioned trust impressions lead to heightened attitudes towards the product, therefore resulting in an augmented intention to make a buy. Barta et al. (2023) demonstrate the role of emotional appeal in driving consumer behaviour on the social media platform TikTok. The study highlights the role of humour in creating a positive hedonic experience that leads towards a better reception of marketing messages.
# Cluster 4: Harnessing Social Media Influencers to Shape Consumer Decisions
Recently, influencer marketing has emerged as a prominent and effective technique for firms to make relationships with their intended audience by harnessing the power wielded by social media influencers. The emotional connection social media influencers(SMIs) form with their followers allows them to influence them. The stronger the emotional bond between social media influencers (SMIs) and their followers, the more effectively they can influence individuals to adopt their recommendations for a product or brand (C. W. Ki et al., 2020). Customers tend to assess information more positively when they see a strong alignment between themselves and the influencer and when the influencer appears well-suited to the entity (such as a product) being promoted. This alignment plays a crucial role in maximising the effectiveness and success of influencer marketing initiatives. For example, Belanche et al. (2021) found a significant correlation between the alignment of the consumer’s preferences and characteristics with the product, subsequently leading to more positive attitudes towards the product. This alignment also increases intent to purchase and suggest the product to others. Furthermore, when these influencers endorse products that align with their typical style, their followers tend to perceive the product in a manner consistent with the influencer’s implied perceptions (Belanche et al., 2021).
# Cluster 5: Influence Reimagined: Crafting Authenticity
The fifth cluster contains articles exploring studies theorising about the Influence Reimagined: Crafting Authenticity. In communication, influencers serve as intermediaries in facilitating the dissemination of messages from organisations to people. Influencers effectively curate their personal brand image by autonomously disseminating messages, photographs, and narratives on social media platforms, devoid of any explicit involvement from particular firms (Leung, Gu, & Palmatier, 2022). Research has demonstrated that consumer engagement generates positive brand outcomes, such as heightened client acquisition, enhanced customer happiness, and higher customer spending (Tafesse & Wood, 2021). The effectiveness of employing influencers as a strategy for fostering consumer engagement was assessed in the research done by Leung, Gu, Li, et al. (2022). They suggested companies’ expenditures on influencer marketing as a metric for evaluating the efficacy of influencer marketing. The efficiency of influencer marketing is contingent upon several factors, including the influencers themselves, their followers, and the sponsored postings. These factors play significant roles in deciding the overall impact of influencer marketing and authenticity.
# Cluster 6: Influencer-brand-audience relationship success through influencer credibility
The sixth cluster reflects the research that has attempted to emphasise the critical role of influencer credibility, authenticity, and trust in shaping consumer attitudes and behaviours in influencer marketing. The social media influencer credibility depends on attractiveness, popularity, expertise, and content quality in influencing consumer decision-making (Xiao et al. (2018). Authenticity and trust are central to building meaningful connections with audiences, while strategic alignment between influencers and brands enhances the overall impact of marketing campaigns. Trust plays a crucial role in influencer and consumer purchase decisions, serving as a fundamental aspect that fosters and sustains prosperous, enduring connections between entities and customers. The level of trust placed in an influencer by their followers instils confidence that their involvement with the influencer will yield beneficial outcomes. Consequently, adherents strive to maintain this association and remain loyal to the influencer (Kim & Kim, 2021). For example, Dhun and Dangi’s (2023) study presents the connection between the credibility of influencers and the congruence between the influencer and the brand, positively affecting brand attitudes and electronic word-of-mouth. On the other hand, Sesar et al. (2022) demonstrate that transparency is an important element that can enhance trust but may also reduce perceived authenticity if not handled well. Overall, the studies in this cluster underline the complexity of building and maintaining authenticity and trust in the influencer-brand-audience relationship.
Knowledge Trends of Influencer Marketing Research Using Keywords Cooccurrences
The premise behind author keyword co-occurrence is that the frequent appearance of keywords in texts implies a strong association between the underlying concepts represented by those words. This study explores the analysis of keyword co-occurrence as a means to observe the progression of a certain research field across time. Figure 4 displays the co-occurrence of author keywords with a threshold of two occurrences. As shown in Figure 4, 330 of the 1,566 author keywords match the requirements, which helps to understand the progress of a topic over time. The examination of keyword co-occurrences revealed several noteworthy patterns. Early research on influencer marketing from 2012 to 2018 was centred on social networking sites, Twitter, E-WOM, luxury branding, incentivised reviews, content marketing, entertainment marketing, and attractiveness. During this time, Managers frequently seek strategies to profit systematically by different promotional platforms to increase product sales. From 2018 onwards and up to 2020, the research focussed on brand trust, branding, social influence, advertising disclosures, marketing communications, transparency, and advertising recognition. In this specific period, writers were working to pinpoint the elements that make online brand engagement successful throughout all stages of the consumer purchasing funnel (Hughes et al., 2019). From 2020 onwards, most study attention has been focussed on influencer marketing, virtual influencers, social media influencers, source creditability, online influencers, ethnography, source creditability, artificial intelligence, social identity and natural language processing. During this phase, the study focuses on the concept of social identity and its relationship to the emergence and legitimacy of influencer marketing. Most of this research focussed on fashion influencers and bloggers who operate on Instagram, examining the evolving role of social media in brand promotion. The keyword co-occurrence network focuses on influencer marketing as the most significant keyword, followed by social media, social media influencers, and Instagram. The majority of the articles contain at least one of these keywords. It can be inferred from the study that the subjects undergo continual changes annually, illustrating the field’s dynamic characteristics.
Historical progression of authors’ keywords co-occurrence on influencer marketing research.
Discussion
While our study highlights the positive aspects of influencer marketing, providing a more balanced and critical perspective is essential by addressing the potential negative impacts associated with this practice. Despite its effectiveness in driving consumer engagement and brand awareness, influencer marketing raises several ethical concerns that warrant further exploration. For instance, misinformation in influencer content can mislead consumers, mainly when influencers promote products without adequate disclosure of sponsorships or potential conflicts of interest (Martinez & Rodriguez, 2023b). This lack of transparency can erode consumer trust and lead to scepticism towards influencer endorsements.
Additionally, the phenomenon of overconsumption, fuelled by influencer marketing, poses significant challenges. Influencers often promote a lifestyle that encourages excessive purchasing behaviour, which can contribute to unsustainable consumption patterns and environmental degradation (Smith & Jones, 2023a). Future research should investigate the implications of these ethical concerns, exploring how they affect consumer perceptions and behaviours. Moreover, it is crucial to examine the role of regulatory frameworks in mitigating these negative impacts. Studies could focus on the effectiveness of existing guidelines and policies aimed at promoting ethical influencer marketing practices and the potential for new regulations to enhance transparency and accountability in the industry (L. Chen & Lee, 2023a). By addressing these challenges in greater depth, our research can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of influencer marketing’s complexities, ultimately fostering a more responsible and ethical approach to its implementation.
Implication and Future Directions for Influencer Marketing Research
The sequential progression of the six discerned major clusters/themes in our influencer marketing research (depicted in Table 8) paints a compelling narrative of the field’s continuous evolution, shaping our recommendations for future research directions. Initially, our investigation into influencer marketing research emanated predominantly from online-offline marketing research and practices associated with influential marketing. Nevertheless, the field underwent a noteworthy transformation with the emergence of online-offline marketing research, particularly the adoption and integration of influencer marketing in today’s advertising, marketing and branding of a firm’s product and services, implying a key shift in the present research domain.
Our study offers actionable insights for practitioners and business leaders that can inform and enhance influencer marketing strategies. The recognition of influencer marketing as a powerful tool for shaping consumer decision-making in a data-driven landscape emphasises the need for businesses to integrate influencer collaborations strategically (Jones & Brown, 2022). Leveraging insights gained from influencer interactions, such as consumer attitudes and preferences, provides a competitive advantage in crafting targeted and personalised campaigns that resonate with diverse audience segments. Organisations are encouraged to invest in data analytics tools to harness the wealth of information generated through influencer engagements.
Managers should also consider the geographical diversity highlighted in our study, recognising the potential for influencer marketing effectiveness in emerging markets. Tailoring campaigns to align with cultural values and preferences in these regions can unlock new opportunities for brand engagement and market penetration (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). Additionally, the recommendation for a balanced methodological approach suggests that businesses should not solely rely on quantitative metrics but incorporate qualitative insights. Understanding the qualitative aspects of influencer-consumer relationships enables organisations to build more authentic and resonant connections, fostering long-term brand loyalty.
Practical Implications
While our study provides practical implications for influencer marketing, we recognise the need for more specificity to enhance their applicability for practitioners. To make our findings more actionable, we advocate specific case studies and applications of influencer marketing within industries such as fashion, beauty, and media. For instance, in the fashion industry, brands like “Fashion Nova” have successfully leveraged micro-influencers to create authentic connections with their target audience, resulting in increased brand loyalty and sales (Johnson & Wang, 2022). Analysing such successful campaigns can provide valuable insights into effective strategies for engaging consumers through influencer partnerships.
In the beauty sector, brands like “Glossier” have utilised influencer marketing to build a community-driven brand image, emphasising user-generated content and authentic endorsements from beauty influencers. This approach enhances brand visibility and fosters a sense of trust and relatability among consumers (A. Smith & Brown, 2021). So, in our quest to incorporate these industry-specific examples, our study can offer practitioners concrete strategies and best practices tailored to their unique contexts. Furthermore, exploring the implications of influencer marketing in emerging industries, such as health and wellness or sustainable products, can provide additional insights into how brands can navigate the complexities of influencer partnerships while aligning with consumer values. Hence, we can better equip practitioners with the knowledge and tools necessary to implement effective influencer marketing strategies in their respective fields by grounding our practical implications in real-world examples.
Informed Decision-Making in a Data-Driven Landscape
Our systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis highlight influencer marketing’s critical role in shaping consumer decision-making in today’s data-driven landscape (Jones & Brown, 2022). As the digital environment continues to evolve, influencer marketing emerges as a key source of information, providing consumers with personalised insights and recommendations. Recognising this, businesses can strategically leverage influencer interactions to enhance consumer decision-making by tailoring campaigns to meet the diverse needs and preferences of their target audience (Johnson & Wang, 2022).
Global Perspectives and Regional Dynamics
While our analysis reveals a concentration of research publications in the United States and Europe, it also emphasises diversifying geographical perspectives to understand better influencer marketing’s nuances across different cultural contexts (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). Future research efforts should explore influencer marketing dynamics in emerging markets, acknowledging the potential variations in consumer behaviour, cultural values, and socio-economic factors that may influence campaign effectiveness (Li & Kim, 2021). This approach ensures a more comprehensive understanding of global influencer marketing impact.
Methodological Preferences and Experimental Rigour
The prevalence of experimental and quantitative research methods signals a trend among influencer marketing practitioners (Brown & Wilson, 2022). While these approaches offer valuable insights, incorporating qualitative research methods can provide a more nuanced understanding of influencer-consumer relationships. Qualitative techniques such as in-depth interviews, case studies, and content analysis can capture influencer engagement’s emotional and experiential aspects, contributing to a more holistic understanding of the field (Q. Chen & Lee, 2023c).
Future Directions
The future research directions outlined in Figure 5 are derived from the key findings of our study, which highlight the evolving landscape of influencer marketing and the need for a more nuanced understanding of its dynamics. Our analysis identified several major themes, including the role of digital influencers in shaping consumer attitudes, the congruence between influencers, products, and consumers, and the impact of trust on decision-making processes. These themes suggest that future research should focus on the application of established theories, such as the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Elaboration Likelihood Model, to investigate how influencer content influences consumer attitudes and behaviours in real-time marketing strategies (L. Chen & Lee, 2023b; J. Smith & Jones, 2023b).
A framework of influencer marketing research.
Moreover, as the influencer marketing field continues to expand, there is a pressing need to explore its effectiveness across diverse contexts, particularly in emerging markets where social and economic factors may significantly impact consumer engagement (Gomez & Patel, 2022a). This includes examining the role of local influencers in these markets and how their cultural relevance can enhance brand engagement. Additionally, qualitative approaches, such as in-depth interviews and case studies, should be employed to capture the complexities of influencer-consumer relationships and the ethical considerations surrounding transparency and disclosure practices (Martinez & Rodriguez, 2023a). So therefore, linking these future research directions to our findings, we aim to provide a structured framework that addresses current gaps in the literature and guides scholars in their exploration of this dynamic field.
Exploring Emerging Markets
To broaden our understanding of influencer marketing’s global applicability, future research should extend beyond the predominant focus on Europe and North America (Yang, 2021). While our study acknowledges the dominance of research on influencer marketing from the U.S. and Europe, it is crucial to address the significant gap in understanding influencer marketing dynamics in emerging markets, particularly in Asia and Africa. These regions present unique cultural, social, and economic contexts that can influence consumer behaviour and the effectiveness of influencer marketing strategies. We recommend several concrete research directions to strengthen the practical implications of our findings.
First, future studies should investigate the role of local influencers in shaping consumer perceptions and behaviours within these markets. Research could focus on how cultural relevance and relatability of influencers impact consumer trust and engagement, as seen in markets like India and Nigeria (A. Kumar & Gupta, 2020; Okoro & Okwu, 2021). Investigating cultural, social, and economic factors influencing influencer marketing effectiveness in emerging markets will enrich our understanding and uncover novel strategies for engaging diverse audiences (Gomez & Patel, 2022b). Second, comparative studies that examine the effectiveness of influencer marketing strategies across different cultural contexts can provide valuable insights into best practices for brands looking to penetrate these markets.
Integration of Qualitative Approaches
Complementing quantitative methodologies and incorporating qualitative research methods is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of influencer marketing dynamics (Lee & Kim, 2023). In-depth interviews can unveil influencers’ and consumers’ motivations and perceptions, while case studies and content analysis offer insights into the contextual factors influencing campaign success. This holistic approach ensures a more nuanced comprehension of the multifaceted influencer marketing landscape. Additionally, qualitative research methods, such as ethnographic studies and focus groups, should be employed better to understand consumer attitudes towards influencers in emerging markets. This approach can uncover the complexities of influencer-consumer relationships and inform brands how to tailor their campaigns to resonate with local audiences (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). Hence, by addressing these gaps, future research can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of influencer marketing’s role in diverse global contexts, ultimately enhancing its applicability and effectiveness.
Evolving Themes in Influencer Marketing
As influencer marketing continues to evolve, researchers should stay abreast of emerging trends and themes (H. Wang & Li, 2022). Exploring novel platforms, understanding evolving consumer behaviours, and investigating the integration of emerging technologies will contribute to a forward-thinking body of knowledge. Staying attuned to the dynamic nature of influencer marketing ensures that research remains relevant and impactful in the ever-changing digital landscape.
Ethical Considerations and Transparency
The influential role of influencers necessitates a deeper exploration of ethical considerations and transparency in influencer marketing practices (Martinez & Rodriguez, 2023a). Future research should explore the ethical implications of influencer-brand relationships, examining disclosure practices and their impact on consumer trust. Understanding and navigating these ethical dimensions will contribute to the responsible growth of influencer marketing and ensure long-term sustainability (R. Smith & Jones, 2023a).
Conclusion
Our research contributes to the theoretical underpinnings of influencer marketing by providing a structured framework that consolidates existing knowledge and identifies avenues for future exploration. The identified themes, such as the role of digital influencers in shaping consumer attitudes, the congruence between influencers, products, and consumers, and the impact of trust on decision-making, form a theoretical foundation that can guide future research endeavours (Chen & Lee, 2023; R. Smith & Jones, 2023a). The emphasis on methodological preferences also enriches the theoretical landscape, highlighting the need for a balanced approach that integrates both quantitative and qualitative research methods to capture the multifaceted dynamics of influencer-consumer relationships (Brown & Wilson, 2022). Scholars can draw from these theoretical insights to refine existing models and frameworks, fostering a deeper understanding of the complex interplay within influencer marketing.
Furthermore, our study extends theoretical boundaries by acknowledging the regional concentration of research publications and advocating for a more global perspective. The call to explore influencer marketing in emerging markets opens avenues for cross-cultural and comparative analyses, contributing to a more inclusive and diverse theoretical foundation (Gomez & Patel, 2022b; Yang, 2021). This expansion of theoretical perspectives is essential for ensuring the relevance and applicability of influencer marketing concepts across varied cultural and socio-economic contexts.
In this study, we have identified several key themes in influencer marketing research. We admonish future expansion in our discussion to enrich our conclusions to include a more integrated approach to theoretical frameworks. For instance, we will explore how social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) and the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) can provide deeper insights into consumer engagement with influencers. Social identity theory suggests that individuals derive part of their self-conception from group memberships, which can influence their responses to influencer marketing (Hwang & Zhang, 2018). Similarly, the theory of planned behaviour makes it a valuable lens for understanding how consumers interact with influencers (Armitage & Conner, 2001). Therefore, to establish these connections, we aim to present a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics in influencer marketing.
While our analysis primarily highlights research from Europe and North America, it is essential to consider the growing significance of emerging markets in the influencer marketing landscape. Insights from regions such as Asia and Africa reveal unique cultural dynamics that influence consumer behaviour and marketing strategies. For example, in markets like India and China, local influencers often profoundly impact consumer trust and engagement due to their cultural relevance and relatability (A. Kumar & Gupta, 2020; Zhang et al., 2021). Future research should focus on these markets to enhance our findings’ global applicability and understand how local influencers can effectively engage diverse audiences. This exploration will contribute to the academic discourse and provide practical insights for brands looking to penetrate these emerging markets.
In conclusion, our study not only consolidates existing knowledge in influencer marketing but also sets the stage for future research that can shape the trajectory of this dynamic field. By embracing diverse perspectives, methodologies, and ethical considerations, researchers can contribute to a more comprehensive and ethically grounded understanding of influencer marketing’s evolving role in the contemporary business landscape.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
This article is the author’s own work. The authors acknowledge the submission of this work. It is acknowledged that the current review was not funded, and the availability and comprehensiveness of bibliometric data on Scopus may limit its ability to draw definitive conclusions.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Data Availability Statement
Data for this research is available in the public domain on Scopus and will be available on demand.