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

Deadline for submissions 15 June 2026

Summary

This special issue of JMM invites research which critically examines influencer marketing within social marketing contexts.

Call for Papers

Guest Editors

  • Gaëlle Ouvrein, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium;
  • Sofie Vranken, University of Vienna, Austria;
  • Brigitte Naderer, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.

Scope of the Special Issue

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 organizations 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.

Themes & Potential Topics of Interest

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

  • 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?

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.

Submission Guidelines

Authors should submit manuscripts of between 8,000–10,000 words (excluding tables, references, captions, footnotes and endnotes). All submissions must strictly follow the guidelines for the Journal of Marketing Management. These are available at
https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=rjmm20
Submissions which do not follow these guidelines will be returned to authors for correction prior to being passed to the SI Editors.

Please note the requirements to include a Summary Statement of Contribution, and to place figures and tables at their correct location within the text. Please also read the following guidelines prior to submitting your manuscript:

Manuscripts should be submitted online using the T&F Submission Portal for Journal of Marketing Management:
https://rp.tandfonline.com/submission/create?journalCode=RJMM
Authors should prepare and upload two versions of their manuscript (only use alpha-numeric characters or underscores in the filename). One should be a complete text, while in the second all document information identifying the author should be removed from the files to allow them to be sent anonymously to referees.

When uploading files authors will be able to define the non-anonymous version as “Manuscript – with author details”, and the anonymous version as “Manuscript – Anonymous”. To submit your manuscript to the Special Issue choose “Research Article” from the Manuscript Type list in the Submission Portal. On the next screen (Manuscript Details), answer ‘yes’ to the question ‘Are you submitting your paper for a specific special issue or article collection?’. A drop down menu will then appear and you should select the Special Issue Title from this list.

Informal queries regarding guest editors’ expectations or the suitability of specific research topics should be directed to the Special Issue Editors via:

Guest Editor Contact Details

Key Dates

  • The online system will be open for submissions to this issue from 15 May 2026.
  • The closing date for submissions is 15 June 2026.

Technical queries about submissions can be referred to the Editorial Office: rjmmeditorial@westburn.co.uk

References

Dodgson, L. (2020, April 5). The World Health Organization has recruited a CGI influencer to get young people interested in safe practices around the coronavirus. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/who-using-cgi-influencer-to-spread-safe-coronavirus-practices-2020-4
Dodgson, L. & Ankel, S. (2022, May 12). A German YouTuber apologizes after facing allegations of sending faulty masks to refugees. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/youtuber-denies-claims-fair-trade-covid-masks-refugees-2022-5
Fowler, K., & Thomas, V. L. (2023). Influencer marketing: a scoping review and a look ahead. Journal of Marketing Management, 39(11-12), 933-964. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0267257X.2022.2157038
Harff, D., & Schmuck, D. (2024). Who relies on social media influencers for political information? A cross-country study among youth. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 30(3), 841-864. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241234898
Joshi, Y., Lim, W.M., Jagani, K. et al. (2025) Social media influencer marketing: foundations, trends, and ways forward. Electronic Commerce Research 25, 1199–1253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-023-09719-z
Li, X., Liu, Y., Zhu, J., & Lou, J. (2024). Encouraging prosocial consumer behaviour: A review of influencer and digital marketing literature. Psychology & Marketing, 41(11), 2711-2727. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22079
Mardon, R., Cocker, H., & Daunt, K. (2023). When parasocial relationships turn sour: social media influencers, eroded and exploitative intimacies, and anti-fan communities. Journal of Marketing Management, 39(11–12), 1132–1162. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2022.2149609
Smit, C. R., Bevelander, K. E., de Leeuw, R. N., & Buijzen, M. (2022). Motivating social influencers to engage in health behavior interventions. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 885688. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.885688

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