Journal of Marketing Management

Social Influencers: For Good and Ill – The Potential and Pitfalls of Social Influencer Marketing

From global health campaigns to activism, influencers have become powerful messengers of social change. The World Health Organization partnered with virtual media influencer Knox Frost to reach Gen Z with COVID-19 safety measures (Dodgson, 2020). Other social media influencers amplified the #MeToo movement. However, influencers could also face severe backlash when trying to advocate for social change. German influencer Fynn Kliemann was accused of selling faulty face masks to refugee organisations and lying about the origin of production (Dodgson & Ankel, 2022).

Social influencers, both human and virtual, are increasingly leveraged in social marketing campaigns aimed at promoting societal well-being—whether encouraging sustainable consumption, healthy lifestyles, civic engagement, or other pro-social behaviors (e.g., Harff & Schmuck, 2024; Li et al., 2024; Smit et al., 2022). While influencer marketing offers significant opportunities for positive impact, it also raises important questions about ethics, effectiveness, inclusivity, and potential unintended consequences, (e.g., Fowler & Thomas, 2023; Joshi et al., 2025).

This Special Issue in the Journal of Marketing Management invites scholars to examine both the potential and pitfalls of influencer marketing in social marketing contexts. Influencers can use their reach to bring social issues closer to an audience that would otherwise have little access to them, and by embedding these issues in their content, they may be able to create compelling narratives that are potentially more accessible and understandable than professional campaigns (Li et al., 2024). This is also related to production-related considerations regarding the cost of reaching an audience for the issue in question. However, in terms of negative aspects, this use of influencers also carries risks (Mardon et al., 2023). On the one hand, influencers’ authenticity could suffer, or complex social contexts could not be presented comprehensively enough due to a lack of expertise, which would lead to the failure of the campaign. Another potential problem is the commercialization of social content, which dilutes the seriousness of the issues.

The aim of this Special Issue is to contribute to the Journal of Marketing Management’s mission of advancing both theoretical and practical understanding of marketing phenomena by critically examining influencer marketing within social marketing contexts. In line with the journal’s aims and scope, we particularly welcome contributions that not only identify opportunities for leveraging influencers to foster positive social change but also address the conceptual, ethical, and managerial challenges that arise from this practice. We encourage work that bridges rigorous scholarship and practical implications, offering insights for academics, policymakers, and practitioners who seek to design more effective and inclusive social marketing strategies.

We encourage submissions that explore social influencer marketing on three interconnected levels:

1. Processes of Influence
– What psychological, social, or cultural mechanisms explain how influencers affect attitudes and behaviors for pro-social purposes?
– How do parasocial relationships, social identity, topical expertise, and perceived authenticity contribute to effectiveness?
– How does platform choice (e.g., TikTok vs. Instagram) alter the nature of social influence?
– Under which circumstances and why do such campaigns backfire or create resistance?

2. Reception and Impact
– Who are the audiences of social influencer campaigns?
– How do audiences respond to and evaluate social influencer campaigns?
– What are the effects on audience well-being, trust, and long-term engagement?
– How do vulnerable or marginalized audiences perceive and experience these campaigns?
– What are the risks of perceived hypocrisy, tokenism, or influencer fatigue?

3. Production of Social Influencer Campaigns
– How are influencers recruited and managed in campaigns promoting social good?
– How do organizations and influencers balance authenticity, persuasion, and ethical considerations?
– How do platforms, algorithms, and sponsorship models shape which social causes gain attention?
– What regulatory or cultural challenges emerge?

Examples of potential topics (illustrative, not exhaustive):

• Influencer campaigns in public health (e.g., vaccination, mental health awareness).
• Promoting sustainable lifestyles via micro- or nano-influencers.
• Cross-cultural analyses of influencer-driven pro-social campaigns.
• Virtual influencers and artificial intelligence in social good marketing.
• Critical perspectives on exploitation, authenticity, and representation.
• Evaluating long-term behavioral change vs. short-term attention.
• Network analyses of influencers in advocacy or non-profit contexts.

Methodological Openness
We welcome conceptual work and submissions using all methodological approaches, including qualitative, quantitative, experimental, longitudinal, critical, and mixed methods. The goal is to foster a diverse and critical conversation on the opportunities and challenges of social influencer marketing.

The full Call for Papers including references can be found at the JMM blog site: https://www.jmmnews.com/social-influencers/