Short and long-term impact of the frequency of social media influencers’ sponsored posts on attitudinal and behavioral brand outcomes

“First, drawing on the persuasion knowledge model (Friedstad and Wright 1994), our study looks at how different frequency levels of sponsored posts on an SMI’s account can activate evaluative persuasion knowledge in the form of skepticism towards the sponsored content.”

“Given this, the content of the message is being remembered instead (Hovland and Weiss 1951; Kumkale and Albarracin 2004; Priester et al. 1999).”

“We opted for Prolific as it enables longitudinal research (Boerman, Tessitore, and Müller 2021), provides good data quality, and has been successfully used for online experiment-based surveys (Palan and Schitter 2018).”

“Message credibility (Lou and Yuan 2019), sidedness (De Veirman and Hudders 2020), appeal (Zanon and Teichmann 2016), influencer-brand fit (P. L. Breves et al. 2019, Naderer, Matthes, and Schäfer 2021), as well as the branded content type (Jin and Ryu 2020) are the content characteristics that…”

“…expertise, attractiveness, and perceived homophily of the SMIs (Ladhari, Massa, and Skandrani 2020), the size of their social media audience (De Veirman, Cauberghe, and Hudders 2017), and the engagement SMIs generate (Kay, Mulcahy, and Parkinson 2020) play a relevant role for the…”

“Thus, influencer marketing works based on this rationale as SMIs enjoy high trustworthiness and credibility among their audiences (Author 2019; Djafarova and Rushworth 2017).”

“The Two-Factor Theory (Berlyne 1970; Cacioppo and Petty 1979) predict two types of effects of advertising repetition: positive and negative.”

“…relevance of influencer marketing for brands (Ye et al. 2021), scholarship focusing on the topic of social media influencers (SMIs) and their persuasive power has developed over the last years (Hudders, De Jans, and De Veirman 2021; Tanwar, Chaudhry, and Srivastava 2022; Vrontis et al. 2021).”

“This result is ascribed, in part, to our participants’ familiarity with SMIs’ advertising activity and the advertising function of the SMIs (Campbell and Farrell 2020).”

“Previous research that investigated the frequency of SMI’s advertising high-lighted that users do not appreciate endorsing several brands (Borchers, Hagelstein, and Beckert 2022; Duffy 2017).”

“In influencer advertising, consumers may recognize an influencer’s promotional intent, especially when ad disclosures are present, which can result in skepticism towards the message as an immediate effect (Boerman, van Reijmersdal, and Neijens 2012, 2014, 2023; J. N. Evans et al. 2017).”

“…relevance of influencer marketing for brands (Ye et al. 2021), scholarship focusing on the topic of social media influencers (SMIs) and their persuasive power has developed over the last years (Hudders, De Jans, and De Veirman 2021; Tanwar, Chaudhry, and Srivastava 2022; Vrontis et al. 2021).”

“The Two-Factor Theory (Berlyne 1970; Cacioppo and Petty 1979) predict two types of effects of advertising repetition: positive and negative.”

“They create and post on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch (Abidin 2016; Dhanesh and Duthler 2019).”

“…research found that activating PK has a negative impact on indicators of persuasion success such as brand attitude (Beckert et al. 2021; De Veirman and Hudders 2020; Hwang and Zhang 2018; Stubb and Colliander 2019) or purchase intention (J. N. Evans et al. 2017; Hwang and Zhang 2018; Kim 2021).”

“Message credibility (Lou and Yuan 2019), sidedness (De Veirman and Hudders 2020), appeal (Zanon and Teichmann 2016), influencer-brand fit (P. L. Breves et al. 2019, Naderer, Matthes, and Schäfer 2021), as well as the branded content type (Jin and Ryu 2020) are the content characteristics that…”

“Research has shown that the credibility, expertise, attractiveness, and perceived homophily of the SMIs (Ladhari, Massa, and Skandrani 2020), the size of their social media audience (De Veirman, Cauberghe, and Hudders 2017), and the engagement SMIs generate (Kay, Mulcahy, and Parkinson 2020) play a…”

“…perceived homophily of the SMIs (Ladhari, Massa, and Skandrani 2020), the size of their social media audience (De Veirman, Cauberghe, and Hudders 2017), and the engagement SMIs generate (Kay, Mulcahy, and Parkinson 2020) play a relevant role for the effectiveness of the sponsored content they post.”

“SMIs are digital content creators, opinion leaders, and strategic communication actors (Enke and Borchers 2019) that publish content in exchange for compensation (Campbell and Grimm 2019).”

“As for consumer characteristics, previous studies high-lighted the role of parasocial-relations between followers and SMIs (P. Breves et al. 2021; Lou 2021) and SMI’s potential to inspire their audience (Beckert and Naderer 2023) in the effectiveness of SMI advertising.”

“In influencer advertising, consumers may recognize an influencer’s promotional intent, especially when ad disclosures are present, which can result in skepticism towards the message as an immediate effect (Boerman, van Reijmersdal, and Neijens 2012, 2014, 2023; J. N. Evans et al. 2017).”

“Research has shown that the interplay of the SMIs themselves, consumers’ susceptibly factors, and content characteristics contribute to the persuasiveness of influencer marketing (Ye et al. 2021).”

“Furthermore, congruence with the SMI was identified as a relevant aspect that enhances persuasive effectiveness (Shan, Chen, and Lin 2020).”

“Message credibility (Lou and Yuan 2019), sidedness (De Veirman and Hudders 2020), appeal (Zanon and Teichmann 2016), influencer-brand fit (P. L. Breves et al. 2019, Naderer, Matthes, and Schäfer 2021), as well as the branded content type (Jin and Ryu 2020) are the content characteristics that…”

“…(De Veirman and Hudders 2020), appeal (Zanon and Teichmann 2016), influencer-brand fit (P. L. Breves et al. 2019, Naderer, Matthes, and Schäfer 2021), as well as the branded content type (Jin and Ryu 2020) are the content characteristics that impact the advertising outcomes of SMI’s branded posts.”

“Given this, the content of the message is being remembered instead (Hovland and Weiss 1951; Kumkale and Albarracin 2004; Priester et al. 1999).”

“As for embedded advertising, boredom occurs later (Schmidt and Eisend 2015).”

“Thus, literature highlighted the negative effect on attitude towards the promoted brand (De Jans, Cauberghe, and Hudders 2018; Van Dam and Van Reijmersdal 2019) and purchase intention (Borchers, Hagelstein, and Beckert 2022; J. N. Evans et al. 2022).”

“That gives followers the impression to know the SMIs well (Janssen, Schouten, and Croes 2022) and develop strong connections with them that contribute to the effectiveness of the SMI’s advertising (P. Breves et al. 2021).”

“Purchase intention was measured using four statements (e.g., ‘I will buy a product from Virtue’.) on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ( strongly disagree ) to 7 ( strongly agree ; t1: α = .95; M = 2.88, SD = 1.40; t2 α = .94, M = 3.18, SD = 1.42; van Reijmersdal et al. 2016).”

“SMIs are digital content creators, opinion leaders, and strategic communication actors (Enke and Borchers 2019) that publish content in exchange for compensation (Campbell and Grimm 2019).”

“As users consider disclosures to be a sign of transparency showcased by SMIs (N. J. Evans, Wojdynski, and Hoy 2019; Wojdynski, Evans, and Hoy 2018), the persuasive message is conveyed openly, and users might not feel deceived (van Reijmersdal et al. 2023).”

“…research found that activating PK has a negative impact on indicators of persuasion success such as brand attitude (Beckert et al. 2021; De Veirman and Hudders 2020; Hwang and Zhang 2018; Stubb and Colliander 2019) or purchase intention (J. N. Evans et al. 2017; Hwang and Zhang 2018; Kim 2021).”

“However, recent research conducted in the PKM framework showed that sponsorship transparency (De Cicco, Iacobucci, and Pagliaro 2021; N. J. Evans, Wojdynski, and Hoy 2019; van Reijmersdal et al. 2023; Wojdynski, Evans, and Hoy 2018), can mitigate the negative effects of the activation of PK or even…”

“…Iacobucci, and Pagliaro 2021; N. J. Evans, Wojdynski, and Hoy 2019; van Reijmersdal et al. 2023; Wojdynski, Evans, and Hoy 2018), can mitigate the negative effects of the activation of PK or even have a favorable impact on persuasion outcomes (Ahluwalia and Burnkrant 2004; Isaac and Grayson 2016).”

“…research found that activating PK has a negative impact on indicators of persuasion success such as brand attitude (Beckert et al. 2021; De Veirman and Hudders 2020; Hwang and Zhang 2018; Stubb and Colliander 2019) or purchase intention (J. N. Evans et al. 2017; Hwang and Zhang 2018; Kim 2021).”

“…Iacobucci, and Pagliaro 2021; N. J. Evans, Wojdynski, and Hoy 2019; van Reijmersdal et al. 2023; Wojdynski, Evans, and Hoy 2018), can mitigate the negative effects of the activation of PK or even have a favorable impact on persuasion outcomes (Ahluwalia and Burnkrant 2004; Isaac and Grayson 2016).”

“However, evidence was found that exclusive endorsement of the same brand was appreciated (Ilicic and Webster 2016).”

“The mix between sponsored and organic content is critical for consumers, and this equilibrium is disrupted when commercial messages overpower non-commercial ones (Van Dam and Van Reijmersdal 2019).”

“…relevance of influencer marketing for brands (Ye et al. 2021), scholarship focusing on the topic of social media influencers (SMIs) and their persuasive power has developed over the last years (Hudders, De Jans, and De Veirman 2021; Tanwar, Chaudhry, and Srivastava 2022; Vrontis et al. 2021).”

“One of the evaluative components is skepticism toward sponsored content (Boerman et al. 2018).”

“As users consider disclosures to be a sign of transparency showcased by SMIs (N. J. Evans, Wojdynski, and Hoy 2019; Wojdynski, Evans, and Hoy 2018), the persuasive message is conveyed openly, and users might not feel deceived (van Reijmersdal et al. 2023).”

“…(Lou and Yuan 2019), sidedness (De Veirman and Hudders 2020), appeal (Zanon and Teichmann 2016), influencer-brand fit (P. L. Breves et al. 2019, Naderer, Matthes, and Schäfer 2021), as well as the branded content type (Jin and Ryu 2020) are the content characteristics that impact the…”

“…‘1 = unattractive; 7 = attractive’, ‘1 = negative; 7= positive’, ‘1 = boring; 7 = interest-ing’, and ‘1 = unlikable; 7 = likable’ referring to how participants rate the brand presented in the SMI’s post (t1: α = .91, M = 4.24, SD = 1.20; t2: α = .93, M = 4.28, SD = 1.17; Matthes and Naderer 2016).”

“On the other side, J. N. Evans et al. (2022) stressed that the conditions for the Sleeper Effect to occur, according to previous literature (Foos, Keeling, and Keeling 2016; Gruder et al. 1978) are met in the context of SMI’s advertising.”

“Hence, on the SMIs’ accounts, audiences experience a mixture between advertising and non-advertising content (Campbell and Farrell 2020; Campbell and Grimm 2019; J. N. Evans et al. 2017; Gross and von Wangenheim 2022).”

“Thus, they find it helpful to follow SMIs to obtain benefits such as getting information about products, keeping up with current trends (Lu and Lin 2022), and having access to discount codes (Coco and Eckert 2020).”

“As time passes, the persuasive effect of the message might increase (Foos, Keeling, and Keeling 2016; Lariscy and Tinkham 1999; Maehle and Supphellen 2015; Priester et al. 1999).”

“Thus, they find it helpful to follow SMIs to obtain benefits such as getting information about products, keeping up with current trends (Lu and Lin 2022), and having access to discount codes (Coco and Eckert 2020).”

“Previous research found that activating PK has a negative impact on indicators of persuasion success such as brand attitude (Beckert et al. 2021; De Veirman and Hudders 2020; Hwang and Zhang 2018; Stubb and Colliander 2019) or purchase intention (J. N. Evans et al. 2017; Hwang and Zhang 2018; Kim…”

“The delayed effects of the frequency of sponsored posts need to be interpreted in the light of the Sleeper Effect (Hovland 1951; Hovland and Weiss 1951; Priester et al. 1999).”

“We opted for Prolific as it enables longitudinal research (Boerman, Tessitore, and Müller 2021), provides good data quality, and has been successfully used for online experiment-based surveys (Palan and Schitter 2018).”

“Thus, literature highlighted the negative effect on attitude towards the promoted brand (De Jans, Cauberghe, and Hudders 2018; Van Dam and Van Reijmersdal 2019) and purchase intention (Borchers, Hagelstein, and Beckert 2022; J. N. Evans et al. 2022).”

“As users consider disclosures to be a sign of transparency showcased by SMIs (N. J. Evans, Wojdynski, and Hoy 2019; Wojdynski, Evans, and Hoy 2018), the persuasive message is conveyed openly, and users might not feel deceived (van Reijmersdal et al. 2023).”

“Thus, at the affective level, on the one hand, familiarity and habitualization and, on the other hand, redundancy, boredom, irritation, and unfavorable impression are the observed effects (Heflin and Haygood 1985).”

“Message credibility (Lou and Yuan 2019), sidedness (De Veirman and Hudders 2020), appeal (Zanon and Teichmann 2016), influencer-brand fit (P. L. Breves et al. 2019, Naderer, Matthes, and Schäfer 2021), as well as the branded content type (Jin and Ryu 2020) are the content characteristics that…”

“As for consumer characteristics, previous studies high-lighted the role of parasocial-relations between followers and SMIs (P. Breves et al. 2021; Lou 2021) and SMI’s potential to inspire their audience (Beckert and Naderer 2023) in the effectiveness of SMI advertising.”

“As time passes, the persuasive effect of the message might increase (Foos, Keeling, and Keeling 2016; Lariscy and Tinkham 1999; Maehle and Supphellen 2015; Priester et al. 1999).”

“Besides, a dispositional PK develops over time (Boerman, van Reijmersdal, and Rozendaal 2023).”

“On the other side, J. N. Evans et al. (2022) stressed that the conditions for the Sleeper Effect to occur, according to previous literature (Foos, Keeling, and Keeling 2016; Gruder et al. 1978) are met in the context of SMI’s advertising.”