The effects of the standardized instagram disclosure for micro- and meso-influencers

Social media influencers – such as the ‘Instafamous’ – are required to disclose any commercial relationship. To achieve transparency, Instagram has introduced a standardized disclosure (‘Paid partnership with [brand]’). This study examined whether this disclosure effectively raises ad recognition, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inComputers in human behavior Vol. 103; pp. 199 - 207
Main Author Boerman, Sophie C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elmsford Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2020
Elsevier Science Ltd
Subjects
Between-subjects design
Digital media
Disclosure
Influencer marketing
Instagram
Online behavior
Parasocial interaction
Persuasion knowledge
Recognition
Instagram
Parasocial interaction
Disclosure
Persuasion knowledge
Influencer marketing
Online behavior
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Summary:Social media influencers – such as the ‘Instafamous’ – are required to disclose any commercial relationship. To achieve transparency, Instagram has introduced a standardized disclosure (‘Paid partnership with [brand]’). This study examined whether this disclosure effectively raises ad recognition, and how this consequently affects consumers' responses to the message, influencer, and brand. Additionally, the effects of the disclosure were compared between micro- (<10,000 followers) and meso- (10,000–1 million followers) influencers. Results of an online experiment (N = 192) with a 2 (no disclosure vs. standardized disclosure) x 2 (micro-vs. meso-influencer) between subjects design showed that the disclosure did achieve its goal of increasing ad recognition. Furthermore, the disclosure positively affected brand recall and intentions to engage with the post, via ad recognition. The parasocial interaction with the influencer was not affected. Moreover, influencer type did not moderate the effect of the disclosure and did not affect people's responses to the message, influencer, or brand. •The standardized Instagram disclosure helps users to recognize influencer marketing.•Disclosure indirectly increases brand recall and intentions to engage with the post.•The disclosure does not damage the parasocial interaction with the influencer.•Responses and effects did not differ between micro- and meso-influencers.
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ISSN:0747-5632
1873-7692
DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2019.09.015