Influencer transgressions: The impacts on endorser and brand

ABSTRACT

Social influencer marketing has developed into a powerful form of marketing communication. Influencers, akin to any type of endorser, may commit transgressions. As influencers’ main field of activity is the internet, a transgression can propagate swiftly and cause damage to both an influencer and an endorsed brand. Against this backdrop, we contribute a framework that includes eleven transgressions typically caused by influencers and map the size of the detrimental impacts on the influencer and brand. We verify our assumptions with two empirical investigations including 237 and 616 data sets. In this way, we fill a gap in scandal frameworks and align our work with research on other types of celebrities. The results provide an overview of the impacts of transgressions. Likewise, we examine the specific characteristics of influencers that may appease the transgression. The results show that even supposedly minor transgressions, such as the use of swearwords or commercial sharenting, have negative impacts on an influencer and the endorsed brand. Overall, the effects for the brand may be mitigated to some extent if the influencer has a “bad girl” personality.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy and/or ethical restrictions.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08997764.2023.2232769

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Walter von Mettenheim

Dr. Walter von Mettenheim is a Research Associate at the Chair of Marketing & Management at Leibniz University Hannover. His subjects of research and teaching are Celebrity and Influencer Marketing, Luxury Marketing, Brand Management and B2B Marketing. Mr. von Mettenheim is a member of the Academy of Marketing Science and speaker at the AMS Annual Conference and World Marketing Congress. He is a visiting lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences FOM.

Klaus-Peter Wiedmann

Dr. Klaus-Peter Wiedmann is a Professor of Marketing at the Institute of Marketing and Management at Leibniz University Hannover. Subjects of research, teaching and consulting are: Societal Marketing, Strategic Marketing, International Marketing, Innovation Marketing, Brand Management, Corporate Identity, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Research and Online Marketing. Professor Wiedmann has published over 600 academic publications. Some of the publications received awards from important organizations. Moreover, Professor Wiedmann has been appointed as Board Member of five international journals.