Influencers’ Use of Active Versus Passive Sponsored Content and the Impact on Consumer Perception: An Abstract

Abstract

Social media influencers (SMIs) with substantial audiences are becoming a powerful marketing tool for organizations. Two ways that SMIs impact the marketing landscape are through sponsored content and affiliate links. Sponsored content is conceptually defined by this research as a company actively pursuing the name, image, and likeness of an SMI to promote the product or service of the brand (i.e. active sponsorship). This type of SMI marketing commonly involves a disclosure statement indicating that the content has been created for an active endorsement of a product or service in exchange for a payment. Affiliate SMI marketing is conceptually defined by this research as a passive method of income generation wherein the SMI shares products and services with their followers along with a dedicated link where the followers can make a purchase and the SMI receives a small commission (i.e passive sponsorship). This type of SMI marketing generates income perpetually through kickbacks paid out to the influencer whenever a person uses the SMI’s affiliate link to make a purchase. On platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, affiliate marketing is becoming an increasingly used revenue stream for SMIs. It seems that the use of affiliate links is more acceptable in the eyes of followers and is viewed as a way to support their favorite SMI. On the other hand, sponsored content seems to be viewed as an inconvenient advertisement or as an inauthentic sales pitch. These two forms of content sponsorship have thus far been grouped under the umbrella term “influencer sponsorship.” However, examining the impact of active versus passive sponsorship may be useful to identify how either can affect the trust and perceived level of authenticity felt by the follower when purchasing the SMI’s recommended products or services. For example, active sponsorship may be seen as more of a cash-grab by followers, whereas passive sponsorship may seem like an authentic recommendation from the influencer. This research contributes to the influencer marketing literature by establishing a foundation for discussing the use of active and passive sponsorship via sponsored and affiliate posts by social media influencers. This study explores the effect of such marketing on specific forms of authenticity and downstream consumer perceptions and attitudes.