Exploring Professional Practices in Influencer Marketing: A Study of Advertising Agencies in Nigeria
YUSUF, Khadijah Temitope, Department of Public Relations & Advertising,
Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos
OLATUNJI, Rotimi Williams, Department of Public Relations & Advertising,
Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos
OKUNNU, Ganiu Oladega, Department of Public Relations & Advertising,
Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos
Influencer marketing, as an emerging trend with the rapid growth in technological platforms, makes use of ordinary people who are considered thought leaders and inspirational to others on various social media platforms to be used by companies in brand marketing. The influencer marketing trend is likely to explode as a marketing strategy in the next couple of years. Despite the growing global relevance of influencer marketing, there is a paucity of empirical research data establishing the professional practices of influencer marketing in advertising agency practice in Nigeria. Therefore, this study explores the components of professional practice of influencer marketing, a study of contemporary advertising agency practice in Nigeria. The mixed method research design was adopted, along with the survey method and Key Informant Interview (KII). A total of 122 respondents and 11 key informants participated in the study. Based on the findings, this study recommends that: the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) should embark on comprehensive seminars and workshops to enlighten influencers on the core components of professional practice of influencer marketing in the advertising industry in Nigeria; advertising agencies should collaborate with influencers in other to help maintain the standard of advertising practice.
Keywords: Influencer, marketing, advertising agencies, professional practice
Digital and social media environments have transformed the way advertisers reach consumers. Long (2016) in Childers, Lemon & Hoy (2019) notes that traditional advertising methods “no longer reap the same rewards in this marketplace” and the “reality now is that social media is a consumer-run land”. Moreover, consumers continue to spend more time with social media channels. Childers, Lemon & Hoy (2019) posit that, for decades, marketers have used established brand ambassadors with influence to target specific audiences. In the past, the interaction of these ambassadors with consumers was typically face-to-face via a special event created for a specific advertising campaign objective, such as creating awareness for a product, service, or business. While the use of paid endorsers in traditional advertising is nothing new, the use of paid or sponsored influencer postings on social media channels where their placement blends seamlessly with non-paid content is fairly recent. The advertising technique of endorsements and influencing is now evidently shifting from a ‘brand-agency-consumer’ kind of relationship to a ‘brand-consumer’ relationship and ultimately ‘consumer-consumer’ relationship, due to the growing range of technological platforms.
This implies that advertising practice has grown based on the advancement of technology and the development of a new world of consumer and socio-economic advancement changes and development. As social media platforms evolve and expand, the advertising industry is consequently changing and adapting to alternative strategies for accessing the consumer (Woods, 2016). With the number of social media users having sustained significant growth over the years, with approximately 3.8 billion active users worldwide in 2020, brands have had to shift their marketing and advertising strategies to stay relevant and reach their desired audience digitally (Smart Insights, 2020). The business of influencer marketing involves a relationship between a brand and an influencer with a large following. The brand leverages the influencer’s followers to make sales, and the influencer receives payment, or free or discounted products from the brand (Media Update, 2019).
Influencer marketing involves stirring emotions in the minds of the audience and taking advantage of various trends that are constantly changing (Travel Mindset, 2019). This has led to brands’ collaborations with celebrities and other people who have been able to earn a following on their social media platforms. This then creates an opportunity for the influencers to act as brand ambassadors or representatives to their audiences on the various platforms. Wenani (2020) notes that social media influencers have built a significant social network of people following them. This is mostly through followers on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. These people are trusted by brands to directly engage their current and future consumers in the digital space. Ultimately, the goal is that the engagement through the content will lead to a positive impact for the brand (De-Veirman, Cauberghe & Hudders, 2017).
However, people are more inclined to trust a product recommendation when it comes from a friend, family member, or celebrity they admire. That is where an influencer can create significant value for advertisers (Forbes, 2020), whilst product recommendations from trusted, influential people can divert the doubt that marks the average consumer response to advertising, allowing consumers to be more receptive to product or service suggestions (Forbes, 2020). According to Bokunewicz and Shulman (2017), the use of celebrities for brand endorsements or influencer marketing has been used for many years. However, influencer marketing as an emerging trend with the rapid growth in technological platforms, makes use of ordinary people who are considered thought leaders and inspirational to others on various social media platforms to be used by companies in brand marketing. The influencer marketing trend is likely to explode as a marketing strategy in the next couple of years. The engagement of the influencers is primarily done using the various social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, Snapchat, etc. 54% of users use social media to research products (Hubspot, 2019). It is in awareness of the foregoing changes in marketing communication that this study explores the professional practices of influencer marketing in the advertising agency practice in Nigeria.
Research Objective
Concept of Advertising
According to Rehman, Javed, Md Yusoff, Harun, Khan, and Ismail (2019), the term advertising originated from the Latin language “advertise” which means “to turn to” but the dictionary explains the meaning of this term as “to give public notice or to announce publicly” (p. 129). Danesi (2015) declares that the term advertising emanates from the Medieval Latin language verb “advertere,” which means “to direct one’s attention to” an idea, product, or service by announcing an oral or written message in common public.
Olatunji (2010) states that advertising is a form of communication. This suggests that advertising is a communication process in which humans share ideas, information, and transfer meanings from one person, group, or company to another. Olatunji (2010) notes that:
Advertising undertakes the linear model of communication which includes; source, the individual or organization who has an idea or product to sell, also known as the advertiser; the message, which is the idea, feelings, information, or product or services that are brought to the public realm to be sold and usually encoded by the advertising agency; channel, through which the message is transmitted, using an advertising medium or channel or combination of media vehicles that can reach the target audience; receiver also known as consumer, who is an individual or an organization to which the advertising message is directed or who receives the message; feedback, usually the response provided by the decoder/receiver to the communication message; and noise, which is a form of distortion in the communication process usually other competitive advertising office (pp.22-23).
The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) defines advertising as a form of communication through the media about products, services, and/or ideas paid for by sponsors (APCON, 2010).
Celebrity Endorsement: Forerunner to Influencer Marketing
Akashoro (2013, p. 41) notes that, “for a long period, celebrity endorsement has been an attraction to the marketing profession and marketers”. The use of celebrity endorsers in advertising is aimed at increasing message persuasiveness, and its practice dates back to the 1980s. Throughout history, key people in the areas of sport, entertainment, and popular culture have been elevated to celebrity status. But it was only in the 21st century that the celebrity phenomenon truly permeated society, media, and culture (Agrawal & Kamakura, 1995 in Akashoro, 2013).
A celebrity endorser is an individual who is known to the public (actor, sports figure, entertainer, etc) for his or her achievements in areas other than that of the product class endorsed (Friedman & Friedman, 1979, p.63 cited by Akashoro, 2013, p. 41). However, even if the endorsement intends to gain a more positive assessment, skeptical consumers may question the endorsement, or even the advertisement itself.
Thus, influencer marketing is an offshoot of the concept and practice of celebrity endorsement, primarily because of the advancement of media technology. The advancement in technology and growing changes in consumer needs have shifted attention from the era of celebrity endorsement to influencer marketing, using some of the techniques of celebrity endorsement, such as the use of popular figures and source credibility as some of its components of practice.
Digital Marketing
Hudson, Roth, and Madden (2012) iterate that important business decisions like product development, profitability, brand management, customer relationship management, buying and selling, and communication have seen the notable effect and application of digital technologies.
According to Desai (2019),
Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet. Businesses leverage digital channels such as search engines, social media, email, and their websites to connect with current and prospective customers. This can also be referred to as ‘online marketing’, ‘internet marketing’ or ‘web marketing’. Digital marketing is defined by the use of numerous digital tactics and channels to connect with customers where they spend much of their time: online. From website to business’s online branding assets, digital advertising, email marketing, online brochures, and beyond, there’s a spectrum of tactics falling under the umbrella of “digital marketing” (p. 196).
Digital marketing has changed over time and become mainstream for business in 2016 (Ryan, 2016). Ryan (2016) explains it as “business just like yours can harness the power of this online revolution to connect with a new wave of consumers” (2016, p. 2). It has changed how companies and organizations work with marketing and how they can communicate to their audience through various digital channels and platforms (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2019).
Through digital marketing, consumers nowadays are affected by a larger scale of marketing efforts which leave them with many choices regarding products, prices, and suppliers (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2019). Ryan (2016) argues that digital marketing and advertising are all about influencing people into taking the action we want as a company. By having a successful influence on your target audience, companies can affect them into buying their products by creating need and desire. Due to digital marketing, the internet has become a pull medium, as consumers can determine the content in the field of view. This is a major shift as the consumer is now pulling desired information from a plethora of available information. (Smith, 2011).
Influencer Marketing
According to Ryan (2016, p. 136), “an influencer is an individual with above average ability to affect others with their thoughts and opinion”. Ryan (2016) notes further that, through their social platform, they have managed to create a social profile endorsed by an audience. Influencers have created those social platforms by creating content to amuse their audience. By creating a social platform with numerous followers, they can reach out to a large number of potential customers. This creates an opportunity for brands to entice their audience into developing a relationship with the brands.
Influencer marketing is the most important new approach to digital marketing in a decade for those professionals at the leading edge of purchasing decision-making. The word “Influence” can be broadly defined as “the power to affect a person, thing or course of events” (Brown & Hayes, 2008, p. 50). Brown and Hayes define an Influencer as “a third-party who significantly shapes the customer’s purchasing decision, but may never be accountable for it” (Brown & Hayes, 2008, p. 50). Influencers are individuals who have the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship” (businessdictionary.com-Influencers). Social influencers are everyday people who influence consumers when making a purchasing decision. Anyone can be a social influencer, influencing someone else’s brand affinity and purchasing decision (Singh et al, 2012). “Influencer” is an individual with a significant following on social media who is paid by brands to promote their products to said followers, via free products and trips and/or cash payment per promotional post” (Landsverk, 2014, p. 105). Olenski (2017) in Kadekova and Holienčinová (2018) asserts that:
popular social media of choice for influencing are Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube. An influencer has the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience. It is important to note that these individuals are not simple marketing tools, but rather social relationship assets with which brands can collaborate to achieve their marketing objectives (p. 92).
The Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association in the United States of America (WOMMA) defines influencer marketing as identifying key communities and opinion leaders who are likely to talk about products and can influence the opinions of others (WOMMA, 2017). In particular, the concept of social media influencer marketing has recently entered in the literature, with scholars defining it as a viral marketing approach that uses online celebrities (opinion leaders) to influence consumers’ attitudes and behaviours through one or more communication formats (e.g tweets, posts, blogs) on social media (Freberg, Graham, McGaughey & Freberg,2011)
An influencer is a marketing “rising star” whose popularity has been fuelled by social media. The term influencer generally refers to an individual or third party who has accumulated a certain audience size through social media platforms and who has a direct impact on customer purchasing decisions (Brown & Hayes, 2008). Influencers are recognized as opinion leaders and are viewed by their customers as being trustworthy, knowledgeable, and authentic (Freberga et al., 2011). For many years, celebrities and other influential people have collaborated with brands to promote their products. As has been addressed in several studies, today’s opinion leaders are ordinary consumers, also known as influencers, who work in the social media context.
An influencer can be defined as a person who has significantly more reach and/or impact through word of mouth in a relevant marketplace than other people (WOMMA, 2017). It is considered that influencers tend to have fewer social media reach than celebrities (eg, actors, singers, athletes). However, because influencers are considered reliable information sources by their followers, they are considered opinion leaders who can influence the opinions and behaviours (e.g, purchase decisions) of the people who follow them, much like a celebrity (De Veirman, Cauberghe, & Hudders, 2017)
Influencers are “a reliable and credible channel with a real impact in swaying consumer behaviour” (The Keller Fay Group & Berger, 2016). Influencer marketing is easily described as marketing on social media that focuses on using influencers to drive a brand’s message to the larger market (Tapinfluence, 2017). These influencers collaborate with companies and are being paid for their efforts either by cash or free products, or services to get the word out (Tapinfluence, 2017). They are sharing the brand’s products or services through their digital platform(s), either by being straightforward and posting it as an advertisement, or in a subtler way like e.g., having a product casually on a table. The influencers are engaging in all kinds of social media platforms, but blogs, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter are the most effective ones, with blogs being the most impactful (Markethub, 2016).
Influencer marketing is an offshoot of celebrity endorsement because it is based on partnering with popular figures to promote certain brands (Lou and Yuan, 2019). However, Jin & Phua, (2014) state that, influencers’ promotions do not take place the same way traditional commercials with celebrity endorsements do; contents generated by influencers are embedded within the social media ecosystem, in which influential mavens post sponsored or unsponsored contents to followers who are interested in the influencers’ daily lives and opinions.
Influencer marketing is “a marketing strategy that uses the influence of key individuals or opinion leaders to drive consumers’ brand awareness and/or their purchasing decisions” (Brown and Hayes 2008). The influencer’s inherent characteristics play a vital role in enticing brands and marketers to pursue them closely. One of the benefits of influencer marketing is that brands can opt for more affordable influencers compared with the exorbitant fees required to sign one or more renowned celebrity endorsers.
In today’s media landscape, mass communication channels, such as TV stations, radios, and newspapers, are no longer the dominant sources of information for consumers. Instead, consumers often use social media channels or virtual communities for information exchange and relationship building (Hair, Clark, & Shapiro, 2010). Social media influencers use these same channels, offering unique value to both users and advertisers. Freberg et al. (2011) describe social media influencers as “a new type of independent third-party endorser who shape audience attitudes through blogs, tweets, and the use of other social media” (p. 90).
Studies on influencer marketing have been on the use of influencer marketing and its efficacy, mostly to understand consumers perception of influencers and how influencers operate in the marketing business. These studies were anchored on technological determinism theory, source credibility theory, agenda setting theory, classical economic theories, free market economic theory, two-step flow theory, AIDA model to mention a few. The development of influencer marketing’s own literature from the agency perspective is yet to produce the extensive knowledge of the key mechanisms required to make it an established phenomenon in the advertising industry. Hence, this study will be anchored on the Diffusion of Innovation theory, to ascertain the penetration of influencer marketing into the advertising agency strategies, especially in the area of professionalism.
This study adopted a mixed-methods approach with a descriptive research design. For the qualitative design, the key informant interview (KII) approach was adopted. Interviews can be both open, informal, and unstructured. To complement the key informant interview, the quantitative research was carried out with the use of a survey method. The advertising industry serves as an economic, social, and marketing institution in Nigeria. The industry functions like a chain with key links that include what we now call key stakeholders: advertisers, advertising agencies, media, and advertising regulatory agencies. Therefore, this study focused on registered advertising agencies and professionals (practitioners and scholars) in Nigeria. Advertising agencies are known to be the strategic/creative hub of the advertising industry in Nigeria.
The population for this study is 2,741 advertising members based on the data secured from the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), which reveals that out of 7,611 registered members, only 2,741 are active registered advertising practitioners. The categories of membership are as follows: 105 fellows, 301 full members, and 2,335 associate members. This data was obtained from the membership directory available at the ARCON secretariat for the year 2022. These active members can be located in the advertising sectoral groups such as AAAN, OAAN, EXMAN, MIPAN, academia, government agencies, and others.
A questionnaire and interview guide were utilised in gathering the data for this study. The quantitative method analysis involved both descriptive and analytical approaches. The descriptive analysis was conducted on the responses filled in the questionnaire collected with the use of tabular representation showing frequency and percentages.
What are the components of professional practices constituting influencer marketing in the advertising agencies in Nigeria?
This research question focuses on the identification of the components of professional practices constituting influencer marketing to the advertising agencies. One of the aspects of research question one is to examine the components of social media platforms utilized by influencer marketing practitioners. Thus, Table 1 presents the distribution of the various social media platforms.
Table 1-: Summary Statistics for Social Media Platforms
Sample Size (n): 122 Respondents
| Provided | 118 (96.7%) | ||
| Not Provided | 4 (3.3%) | ||
| Total Respondents | 122 (100%) | ||
| Social Media Platform | No. of Respondent | % (N = 330) | |
| 117 | 35.5 | ||
| 57 | 17.3 | ||
| 68 | 20.6 | ||
| Snapchat | 22 | 6.7 | |
| TikTok | 66 | 20.0 | |
| Total | 330 | 100.0 | |
| Other Options | |||
| Linkdin | 1 | 0.8 | |
| OOH platforms | 2 | 1.6 | |
| YouTube | 6 | 4.9 | |
| Total | 9 | 7.3 | |
Source: Field Survey, 2023
As shown in Table 1, the most utilized social media platform by the influencer marketing experts is Instagram, constituting about 35.5 percent of the total multiple response rate (117 respondents). Meanwhile, Snapchat has the lowest multiple response rate of 6.7 percent. Other platforms revealed by the respondents are LinkedIn, OOH platforms, and YouTube. Overall, Instagram appears to be the top social media platform utilized by influencer marketing practitioners.
The second aspects examine the categories of influencers that advertising agency engaged with most. Thus, Table 1.1 presents the distribution of the various categories.
Table 1.1-: Summary Statistics for Category of Influencers
Sample Size (n): 122 Respondents
| Provided | 111 (91.0%) | ||
| Not Provided | 11 (9.0) | ||
| Total Respondents | 122 (100%) | ||
| Category | No. of Respondent | % (N = 260) | % (N = 111) |
| Celebrity Influencer | 94 | 36.2 | 84.7 |
| Mega Influencer | 74 | 28.5 | 66.7 |
| Macro Influencer | 62 | 23.8 | 55.9 |
| Micro Influencer | 17 | 6.5 | 15.3 |
| Nano Influencer | 13 | 5.0 | 11.7 |
| Total | 260 | 100.0 | 234.2 |
Source: Field Survey, 2023
As shown in Table 1.1, the most dominant category of influencer engaged by the agencies is celebrity influencer (with at least 1 million followers), constituting about 36.2 percent of the total multiple response rate (94 respondents). However, the Nano influencer category has the lowest multiple response rate of 5.0 percent. Mega, Macro, and Micro influencers have response rates of 28.5%, 23.8%, and 6.5%, respectively. Overall, celebrity influencer appears to be the topmost category of influencer engaged by advertising agencies.
The third aspect of objective one is to investigate the determinants of influencer marketing. Thus, Table 1.2 presents the distribution of the various determinants captured herein.
Table 1.2-: Summary Statistics for the Determinants of Influencer Marketing
Sample Size (n): 122 Respondents
| S/N | Item | SA | A | N | D | SD | Mean | SD | SK | Ranking |
| 1 | Influencers leverage on large followership on their social media platform to showcase clients’ brands | 98 (80.3%) | 22 (18.0%) | 2 (1.6%) | – | – | 4.787 | 0.450 | -1.958 | 1ST |
| 2 | Influencers are involved in content sharing on their social media platforms for advertisers | 82 (67.2%) | 36 (29.5%) | 4 (3.3%) | – | – | 4.639 | 0.546 | -1.194 | 2ND |
| 3 | Influencers utilize their popularity to showcase brands | 73 (59.8%) | 44 (36.1%) | 5 (4.1%) | – | – | 4.557 | 0.576 | -0.889 | 3RD |
| 4 | Influencers are popular within the social media ecology | 65 (53.3%) | 49 (40.2%) | 7 (5.7%) | 1 (0.8%) | – | 4.459 | 0.645 | -0.974 | 4TH |
| 5 | Influencers have a wider reach on social networking sites | 68 (55.7%) | 41 (33.6%) | 6 (4.9%) | 1 (0.8%) | 6 (4.9%) | 4.344 | 0.986 | -2.057 | 5TH |
| 6 | Influencers are opinion moulders for the brands they represent | 32 (26.2%) | 69 (56.6%) | 15 (12.3%) | 6 (4.9%) | – | 4.041 | 0.765 | -0.746 | 6TH |
| 7 | Influencers are content generators for brands using their social media platforms | 35 (28.7%) | 63 (51.6%) | 11 (9.0%) | 7 (5.7%) | 6 (4.9%) | 3.934 | 1.026 | -1.312 | 7TH |
| 8 | Influencers are considered credible by their followers | 17 (13.9%) | 71 (58.2%) | 26 (21.3%) | 5 (4.1%) | 3 (2.5%) | 3.771 | 0.831 | -1.039 | 8TH |
| 9 | Influencers have expertise in a specific area of the media and cultural industries | 9 (7.4%) | 41 (33.6%) | 53 (43.4%) | 8 (6.6%) | 11 (9.0%) | 3.238 | 1.005 | -0.594 | 9TH |
| 10 | Influencers are considered to be ethical in their influencing activities | 9 (7.4%) | 28 (23.0%) | 45 (36.9%) | 10 (8.2%) | 30 (24.6%) | 2.803 | 1.251 | -0.16 | 10TH |
Source: Field Survey, 2023
Table 1.2 reveals the summary statistics, which include frequency and percentage distribution, mean (M), standard deviation (SD), and skewness (SK). The summary statistics revealed the perception of the respondents’ responses to the statements/items on the determinants of influencer marketing. Each of the statements (observed variables) is measured on a 5–point (1-5) Likert scale such that denoted by 1 = Strongly Disagree (SD), 2 = Disagree (D), 3 = Neutral (N), 4 = Agree (A), 5 = Strongly Agree (SA). The mean of the response scale is 3.0 response units. Thus, items or statements of any scaled response with a mean below 3.0 are considered to be undesirable, whereas items of any scaled response above 3.00 are considered to be desirable. However, an item or statement is most desirable having its mean response is close to 5.00. The coefficient of skewness (SK) of any item or statement is negative if the mean response is greater than 2.5, and thus, implies that most of the responses cluster around the ‘agree’ response scale.
On the other hand, the coefficient is positive if the corresponding mean response is less than 2.5, thus implies that most of the clusters are around the ‘disagree’ response scale. Besides, the items were also ranked based on the mean response. Table 4.4 shows that, except for item 9, each of the statements or items has a mean response unit between 3.0 and 5.0, thus considered to be desirable. Item 5 appears to have the largest mean response unit (Mean = 4.787, SD = 0.450, SK = -1.958) and thus, takes the first position. Based on the foregoing, the most desirable statement as the determinants of influencer marketing is that “Influencers leverage large followership on their social media platform to showcase clients’ brands”.
Thus, the majority of the responses cluster around the ‘agree’ response scales. However, item 10 appears to be the least mean response unit (Mean = 2.803, SD = 0.576, SK = -1.958) below the threshold of 3.0 mean response unit. This suggests that the statement such that “Influencers are considered to be ethical in their influencing activities” may be considered a weak determinant of influencer marketing. Influencer marketing is the practice of compensating individuals for posting and creating content for a product or service on social media. Influencer marketing is on the rise, and many marketers now plan either to start using influencers or to increase their use of them in their media mixes. Despite such growth, relatively little strategic or academic insight exists that is specific to influencers (Grin, 2022).
Findings from the survey revealed that the most utilized social media platform by the influencer marketing experts is Instagram, constituting about 35.5 percent of the total multiple response rate. Meanwhile, Snapchat has the lowest multiple response rate of 6.7 percent. Other platforms revealed by the respondents are LinkedIn, OOH platforms, and YouTube. Overall, Instagram appears to be the most social media platform utilized by the influencer marketing practitioners. The most common category of influencer engaged by the agencies is the celebrity influencer (with at least 1 million followers), constituting about 36.2 percent of the total multiple response rate. In terms of the meaning of influencer marketing, the majority of the responses cluster around ‘agree’ response scales, agreeing with the statement that the determinant of influencer marketing is that “Influencers leverage large followership on their social media platform to showcase clients’ brands”.
According to McCoole (2018), the spike in popularity of influencer marketing is attributed to the favourable components that advertisers are seeing. While brands often struggle to create engaging social media content, influencers are specialists at generating content consumers interact with, which helps it spread more widely on social media. In exchange for their ability to garner such reach, top influencers can command over six figures for a single social media post and, in aggregate, can earn millions per year. This suggests that statements such as “Influencers are considered to be ethical in their influencing activities” may be considered as a weak determinant of influencer marketing. This means that advertisers are not interested in the ethical knowledge of the influencers; rather, an influencer who has enough following and the right content is the focus.
The above finding is in line with Olenski (2017) in Kadekova and Holienčinová (2018, p. 92), who asserts that,
An influencer has the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience. It is important to note that these individuals are not simple marketing tools, but rather social relationship assets with which brands can collaborate to achieve their marketing objectives.
To support the above finding, influencers are individuals with large followership or fan base on social media platforms, who can make customers of their fan base (Trzaskowski, 2018). In other words, these categories of persons utilize their influence on their followership to promote brands and products. With social platform functionality advancing, and algorithms further limiting organic reach, influencer marketing has continued to become a more viable, valuable digital outreach consideration, which an expanding range of brands are now looking into.
Findings from the interview, on the other hand, revealed that influencer marketing is marketing in the digital space, which is propelled by social media with the power of followership. Marketing digital space is one of the emerging meanings of influencer marketing, according to some of the informants interviewed. This finding is in line with Michaelsen, Collini et al. (2022), that an influencer can be defined as a content creator with a commercial intent, who builds trust and authenticity-based relations with their audience (mainly on social media platforms) and engages online with commercial actors through different business models for monetisation purposes. The digital space carries with it the expectation of 24/7 engagement and response, as well as the need for a fluid marketing structure that is quick and dynamic in reacting to consumer response patterns and trending topics. As such, according to Campbell and Farrell (2020), marketers are shifting some control out of the agency and into the hands of influencers, leveraging their skill sets and close connections to the target audience. The components include ease of access to content, use of influential people in terms of numbers, and brand power. For instance, informant code named KIIDG8 specifically described influencer marketing, thus, “our definition of influencer marketing marketers, I mean marketing in the digital space”. Similarly, informant KIIK6 noted thus:
Currently looking at influencer marketing from the point of view of digital-led influencers who are opinion leaders, celebrities, and different kinds of people who, when they technically endorse an idea or product, should influence other people to buy into that idea.
According to Informant KIILA5, influencer marketing could be described thus:
It used to be a one-way world where brands could communicate with people. But now, you have a world where individuals, anybody with their phone, can actually create content and start their own or generate their followers. What this has done in the process is to create a new industry of people who can now monetize whatever influence they have gathered over time with the audience and relate it with brands.
This finding corroborates Carter (2016), who describes influencer marketing as “a rapidly growing industry that attempts to promote products or increase brand awareness through content spread by social media users who are considered to be influential” (p. 2). The responses of the informant stated above add to the conceptual tank of influencer marketing, especially because they are professionals who adopt this new marketing technique and have first-hand experience with it. It will be worth noting that components constituting the professional practice of influencer marketing can be linked to digital advertising, which suggests that the trend in terms of process is almost the same, from advertisers-advertising agency/advertising regulatory body. Advertiser here are also sometimes secondary online media space owner in the digital space, they have websites, social media handles, the advertising agency’s role remains the same, advertising media includes primary media space owner (Meta, Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc.) and secondary media space owner (bloggers, influencers & prosumers), influencers are secondary media space owner, they own social media handles where they can influence for brands.
In recent years, there have been serious changes in advertising models across the world. New advertising methods evolved from traditional media advertisements to social media platforms where products of a brand get the attention of the right audience by the click of a button. With social media growing in influence and advertising agencies allocating more of their media budgets to social media, the advertising industry is in search of effective strategies to get the most return on investment when it comes to social (De Veirman, Cauberghe, & Hudders, 2017). One of these strategies in recent years has been influencer marketing, which is a form of marketing where the emphasis is positioned on specific individuals rather than a target market as a whole. This blurring of the lines between what is a genuine endorsement and a paid one through content-rich platforms is what makes influencer marketing so powerful. Influencer marketing is essentially virtual word of mouth, and consumers are much more likely to positively perceive and react to a message that comes from a trusted friend or persona than a sponsored post that comes from a company. Goanto and Ranchordas (2020) as cited in Michaelsen, Collini et al. (2022, p. 17) corroborated the above position with their definition, stating that social media influencers as “a recent social media phenomenon which reflects endorsement practices by individuals with a significant social media audience, to increase online engagement for the endorsed product or service”. They define modern influencer marketing as a “digital form of word-of-mouth (WOM) advertising, a marketing technique which relies on the endorsement of information by trusted individuals within small communities or networks based on mutual trust and repeated interactions. The most important aspect of modern influencer marketing remains the ability for content creators to monetise content on social media”.
Based on the above findings, this study concludes that influencer marketing is a marketing strategy in the digital space, a marketing communication technique propelled by social media, and a marketing process influenced by the power of followers. The technique is used based on the ease of access to creative content developed by influencers, and the brand power that they hold.
Sequel to the study’s findings, the study recommends that influencers have become such an important part of marketing communications activities. This means advertising agencies should be abreast with the practice and make sure all ethical lacunas are addressed. There can only be regulations for media space owners and not the social media platform. Therefore, ARCON needs to gather a comprehensive list of influencers and set up a meeting with them, educating them on the core professional practices of the profession.
The study is limited to only advertising practitioners, regulatory agency and advertising scholars. The study adopted a mixed method design by using only survey method and key informant interview, however, focus group discussion could have been adopted to give deeper insights into the phenomenon. The target sample for the study were only advertising practitioners, scholars and regulatory agency, including advertisers and influencers could have given the study a richer perspective. The questionnaire of the study was open and close ended and this limited the respondents in answering the questions appropriately. Influencer marketing is relatively new and as such scholarly perspectives is still very scarce. These limitations did not reduce the contributions and significance of the findings of this study, the study is a ground breaking study that has pioneered inquiry into the impact of influencer marketing on advertising agencies in Nigeria.