Growing influencer credibility to drive endorsement effectiveness : A literature review

Abstract

In contrast to the growth of influencer marketing during the pandemic (Ward, 2021), trust has declined globally, especially for social media (Edelman Trust Barometer, 2021). This has great implications for influencer marketing as social media is the key communication channel of most influencers. While audiences come to influencers for genuine content, brand sponsorship can generate distrust when they realize its covert marketing tactics and commercial orientation (Esteban-Santos et al., 2018; Martínez-López et al., 2020). Thus, enhancing consumers’ trust towards influencers is one of the key factors for successful digital relationships among consumers, influencers, and brands.

Scholarly research on influencer marketing, specifically on credibility has started to flourish from 2016 onwards. Credibility in influencer marketing research is often based on previous celebrity endorsement literature (Martínez-López et al., 2020) which might overlook the unique characteristics of social media influencers and the digital environment. Therefore, a consolidated review is necessary to integrate and synthesize the current state of knowledge to provide the basis for and to encourage further research. This review serves this purpose by developing a conceptual framework that integrates the antecedents and outcomes of influencer credibility in the digital context. Moreover, it aims to uncover gaps in literature and guide future research directions.