The sought-after influencer –

Abstract

The importance of influence on decision-making amongst consumers has for long been emphasised within the marketing literature. There is a number of different individuals that can be seen as influential, having an impact on customers. However, with the emergence of social media, new ways to influence consumers have been discovered, and thereby also a new type of influencer. The aim of this paper is to create an understanding of this new influencer marketing practice, as well as position it in regards to other closely related marketing fields incorporating influential individuals. To accomplish this, an exploratory study was conducted, where a number of in-depth interviews were executed with influencer marketing practitioners, considered as experts within the area, grasping their understanding of the concept. The results reveal the notion of 1. an entirely new way of using influential individuals in firms’ marketing strategies, and 2. a new type of influencer different from influential individuals previous discussed in the marketing literature. The main focus was seen amongst firms to be the expertise of the individual, whereas the match between the values of the brand and influencer was somewhat disregarded. To conclude, this new type of influencer described, could be seen as a merge between different influential individuals discussed previously in the marketing literature, as she possesses a number of resembling characteristics.