How the Impact of Social Media Influencer Disclosures Changes over Time

Abstract

Despite substantial research on disclosure-related effects in social media influencer advertising, less is known about the impact of varied exposure levels on social media influencer advertising outcomes over time. Through a mixed-factorial online experiment, the authors of this study explore how evaluative persuasion knowledge expressed through skepticism mediates the effects of disclosures and exposure level on brand attitude and purchase intention measured at an initial data collection point and a second one 20 days later. Of specific interest to managers using social media influencer advertising, this article finds that multiple exposures to promotional social media influencer content has negative short-term effects for the brand that appear to dissipate over time.