The Effect of Influencer Sponsorship Disclosure on Consumer Responses: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

In recent years, the growth of the influencer marketing industry has increased significantly. Social media influencers have a strong ability to influence consumer responses as trusted sources of information and role models. This has encouraged brands to collaborate with influencers to promote their products. The success of influencers’ sponsorship of brands has raised concerns about consumer transparency. This prompted regulators to require influencers to disclose sponsorships in their content. Therefore, researchers have become more interested in examining the effects of influencer sponsorship disclosure on consumer responses. This study conducted a systematic literature review and synthesis of 40 articles in marketing and psychology journals with ratings of 4*, 4 and 3 stars on the Chartered Association of Business Schools (“ABS list”) to provide a comprehensive understanding of how influencer sponsorship disclosure affects consumers’ cognitive processes, attitudes and behaviours It also considered the factors that can mediate this effect, such as the influencer characteristics, consumer characteristics and advertising characteristics. The results of the study contribute to the identification of the methodological, theoretical and empirical gaps that can determine the direction of future research. They also provide business marketers recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of influencer marketing in light of the disclosure requirement.