Influencer marketing: a scoping review and a look ahead

ABSTRACT

The interdisciplinary nature and rapidly expanding literature stream devoted to influencer marketing makes it difficult to stay abreast of the current research while simultaneously moving the field of knowledge forward. The goal of this article, then, is to take a look back, reviewing the disparate literature, in order to look ahead, guiding future research towards fruitful underexplored avenues of discovery. Using a framework-based scoping review, a retrospective examination of 150 articles is provided with emphasis on identifying publication trends, theories, contexts, constructs/concepts, and methodological approaches. These findings allow for a thorough discussion of gaps in extant knowledge, emerging themes and trends, and directions for future research. As such, this review provides a sound theoretical and practical basis for continued development within the field.

KEYWORDS:

• Influencer
• social media
• marketing communication
• human brands
• literature review
• framework-based scoping review

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2022.2157038.

Notes

1. We wholeheartedly recognise that these few examples do not do justice to the literature focused on the Global South.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Kendra Fowler

Kendra Fowler is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Youngstown State University. She obtained an M.B.A and Ph.D. (Marketing) from Kent State University. Her primary research interests include services marketing, advertising, and retailing. Dr. Fowler’s research appears in the Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Advertising, and Marketing Letters, among other prestige peer-reviewed journals.

Veronica L. Thomas

Veronica L. Thomas holds a Ph.D. from Kent State University and is an Associate Professor at Old Dominion University. Her expertise is in the area of consumer psychology, and her research focuses on social influence in the context of consumer-brand relationships and advertising. Dr. Thomas is an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Advertising and sits on the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Advertising, the Journal of Advertising Research, and Psychology & Marketing. Her research appears in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Marketing Letters, and other prestigious peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Thomas has received national media coverage for her expertise in outlets such as MarketWatch, Forbes, and Cosmopolitan.