A1 Journal article (refereed)
Social Media Influencers as Mediators of Commercial Messages (2022)

Vanninen, H., Mero, J., & Kantamaa, E. (2022). Social Media Influencers as Mediators of Commercial Messages. Journal of Internet Commerce, Early online. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2022.2096399

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Vanninen, Heini; Mero, Joel; Kantamaa, Eveliina

Journal or series: Journal of Internet Commerce

ISSN: 1533-2861

eISSN: 1533-287X

Publication year: 2022

Publication date: 10/07/2022

Volume: Early online

Publisher: Routledge, Taylor & Francis

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2022.2096399

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access:

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/84046

Abstract

Social media influencers are integral to contemporary organizations’ marketing strategies. Despite growing interest in the topic, there is scant knowledge of how organizations manage and collaborate with influencers in their content production during commercial collaborations. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and a semiotic analysis of social media content, this study elucidates the dynamics of organizations’ commercial collaborations with influencers and discusses how influencers decode and transmit organizations’ commercial messages to their followers in the destination marketing context. Social reality and commercial messages are enmeshed in the content narrative and interpreted by the influencer and their knowledge of their audience into what they could mean and become in the semiotic and symbolic landscapes of social media environments. Thus, an influencer’s interpretation of organization’s commercial messages is embedded in the social media environment.

Keywords: social media; marketing; influencing; influencer marketing; opinion leaders; network communication; digital marketing

Free keywords: influencer marketing; social media; opinion leadership; two-step communication flow theory

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: No, publication in press

JUFO rating: 1

Preliminary JUFO rating: 1