The authenticity of influencer collaborations

In an era dominated by digital media, the role of social media influencers in sports marketing has grown exponentially. Online influencer marketing has gained immense popularity, with over 90% of newly established brands partnering with influencers as a means of connecting with consumers and increasing sales or awareness (Santora, 2022).

In our YouTube video and podcast, we analysed a prime example of this strategy where NCB collaborated with 27 influencers during the 2024 Paris Olympics, crafting wide-spread, modern and engaging content as a means of increasing the awareness and publicity of the Olympics among younger, tech-savvy audiences (NBC, 2024). While these collaborations may effectively capture attention, a key question arises: what factors make these collaborations successful and how authentic are they perceived to be?

Determinates of Success: The role of Trustworthiness

Cascio et al. (2024), identified perceived trustworthiness as a critical determinate of the success of these collaborations. Similarly, Moreira (2021) found that perceived trustworthiness had the strongest impact on brand attitudes and purchase intentions. However, establishing trust in influencer collaborations may be challenging, especially when looking to enter new demographic markets via influencer collaborations. Research from Kukreja (2024) found that around 26% of influencer followers felt that consistency in content was the most important factor to be deemed as trustworthy. This poses a challenge for collaborations, such as the NBC’s Olympic campaign, where the content might differ significantly from what the influencer regularly posts, potentially risking perceived authenticity and losing the trust of followers.

Ensuring authenticity and building trust in mismatches between organisations and influencer content?

Audiences hinges on relatability and honesty, with these traits fostering a sense of trust among followers that collaborations are genuine, and not solely for profit. Dhanesh and Duthler (2019) emphasize the importance of transparency- such as disclosing sponsorships- in building trust and enhancing credibility. Cascio et al. (2024) further recommend avoiding exaggerated or overly promotional language, which can diminish authenticity.

For collaborations that venture into unfamiliar territories, it is essential to find a balance between content consistency whilst creatively introducing new aspects (the brand/service) to the audience. Ultimately, Influencers know their audience the best (Chitrakorn, 2021). We should therefore look to provide them with creative freedom with adherence to content guidelines, ensuring that the content feels authentic and unscripted (Santiago and Castelo, 2020).

For instance, lets imagine that Sky Sports were collaborating with a food influencer to promote its coverage of the FIFA World Cup. Rather than creating standard football-focused content, their collaboration could centre on food traditions and cultural dishes from countries participating in the tournament. The influencer might create content comparing iconic dishes from two nations playing a head-to-head match, choosing a winning dish while subtly incorporating mentions of the football action and Sky Sports.