Qualitative Look at Influencer Disclosure – Multi-stakeholder Perspectives

Almost all research on native advertising, influencer marketing, and disclosure has focused on attitudinal and behavioural outcomes. The present study sought to expand this research area by looking at the emotions involved in influencer native advertising. The present study explored influencer native advertising, disclosure, and emotions through convergent interviews with three stakeholder groups (consumers (n=17), brands (n=5), and influencers (n=5)). The results of this research involve four areas of contribution. First, it further confirms the importance of disclosure, though confirming this for multiple stakeholders involved. It found that textual and visual cues can assist in advertising recognition. Third, it recognised that misrecognition of content as advertisements by influencers occurs. Finally, it found that emotions related to influencer advertisements were largely positive. These findings provide theoretical contribution, practical contributions for influencers and brands, and contributions to policy makers regarding disclosure legislation.