Ethics in influencer marketing: a review, synthesis and research directions

Influencer marketing has evolved into a dynamic marketing strategy. Despite this surge, its associated ethical implications have been largely overlooked in scholarly discourse. This study addresses this critical gap by delving into the ethical issues of influencer marketing through a two-stage study. Study 1 carried out a systematic literature review of 116 research articles using the 5W1H framework to synthesize existing fragmented literature. Through thematic analysis, this study identified five key themes that encapsulate ethical concerns within influencer marketing. Study 2 incorporated 24 in-depth interviews to capture consumers ethical evaluations of influencer content. The interview analysis triangulated the findings from literature review, with significant thematic convergence. This study extends the existing knowledge by providing a comprehensive framework of ethical influencer marketing and suggests future research avenues. The findings support brands and influencers in crafting responsible marketing campaigns while enabling policymakers to develop targeted guidelines and regulations for ethical influencer marketing.