How do influencer marketing agencies work with sustainability as intermediaries? : A multiple case study on influencer marketing agencies presented as a strategy

How do influencer marketing agencies work with

sustainability as intermediaries?

A multiple case study on influencer marketing agencies presented as a strategy

AUTHOR: NILSSON ESKESEN, LOVISA AUTHOR: HAMULIC, ALMA

School of Business, Society & Engineering

Course: Master Thesis in Business Administration Supervisor: Harun Emre Yildiz

Course code: FOA403 Date: 2021-06-02

Acknowledgements

The authors of this research want to express gratitude to everyone who contributed and supported this thesis.

Firstly, we want to show our genuine appreciation to our research participants, which provided us with essential insights, information, and discussions. Without them, we would never be able to complete this study.

Lastly, we want to thank our supervisor Emre Yildiz for providing us with constructive feedback, information and discussion materials during the process to ensure we were on the right path.

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ABSTRACT

Date: 2021-06-02

Level: Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr

Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Alma Hamulic Lovisa Nilsson Eskesen

(98/07/11) (96/04/11)

Title: How do influencer marketing agencies work with sustainability as intermediaries?

Tutor: Harun Emre Yıldız

Keywords: Influencer Marketing, Sustainability, Sustainable Marketing, Future of

Influencer Marketing, Intermediaries.

Research question: “How do influencer marketing agencies work and promote sustainability

to their influencers?”

Purpose: The authors aim to investigate how the agencies work with the influencers in

terms of sustainability, whether the influencer marketing agency has a given strategy for the influencer to communicate sustainably or not.

Method: The interpretivist research paradigm was chosen as the most suitable one in this qualitative study. The interpretivist research philosophy tends to lead to an Inductive approach and the research method is exploratory. For this research, a multiple case study has been chosen, carried by four semi-structured interviews chosen by the purposive sampling method.

Conclusion: The results show thee main findings where none of the participating agencies

for this research has a given strategy for promoting sustainability to their influencers even though they agree that it is of great importance to include in their work. Another finding is to be selective with the companies the agencies choose to work with and the fact that they can affect what is being

communicated in terms of sustainability. A sustainability action plan has been created that illustrates how a new strategy can be brought in to create a

Table of Content

2.2.1 Sustainability in Companies Marketing communication 7

2.3 Influencer Marketing 8

2.3.1 Influencer Marketing Agencies 10

2.3.2 The important role influencer marketing agencies have as an intermediary 11

3. Method 13

3.1 Research Philosophy 13

3.2 Research Design 13

3.3 Research Strategy 14

3.3.1 Multiple Case Study 14

3.3.2 Sampling methods 15

3.3.3 Sample Selection 15

3.4 Introduction of cases 16

3.5 Data Collection Method 18

3.5.1 Semi-Structured Interviews 18

3.5.2 The Interview Format 18

3.5.3 Transcription 19

3.5.4 Data Analysis 20

3.7 Reliability, Validity and Trustworthiness 22

4.1 Effektiva Media 25 4.1.1 The agencies view on sustainability and how they work with it 25

4.1.2 The Agencies Influencer Marketing Strategy 27

4.2 Disrupt 27

4.2.1 The agencies view on sustainability and how they work with it 27

4.2.2 The Agencies Influencer Marketing Strategy 30

4.3 SIO 32

4.3.1 The agencies view on sustainability and how they work with it 32

4.3.2 The agencies Influencer Marketing Strategy 33

4.4 SBA 35

4.4.1 The agencies view on sustainability and how they work with it 35

4.4.2 The agencies Influencer Marketing Strategy 38

4.5 Conclusion of empirical findings 39

5.Analysis & Discussion 41

5.1 Model on how the agencies are promoting sustainability through influencer marketing

strategy 43

5.1.2 Company 43

5.1.3 Influencer Marketing Agency 45

5.1.4 Social Media Influencer 48

5.1.5 Content 50 6. Conclusion 52 8. Practical Implications 53 7. Research Limitations 53 9. Further Research 54 10. References 55 11. Appendix 60 11.1 Interview Guide 60 11.2 Sustainability Models/Indicators 61

1.Background

Social media influencers are captivating the internet and impacting people, particularly the younger generation. They act as opinion leaders that communicate with a set of people on their social platforms. Influencer marketing is increasingly popular amongst advertisers; therefore, relationships with social media influencers have become a vital marketing strategy. Influencers also play an important promotional role when setting trends and influencing consumption. (Veirman, Cauberghe & Hudders, 2017). Wielki (2020) further implies that using the concept of influencer marketing is one of the most important trends in the current market. The author also emphasizes the importance of the implementation of the influencer marketing concept on sustainable development.

Sustainability and marketing can be seen as opposites since marketing is known as pushing consumption. On the contrary, sustainability involves environmental and social issues and economies to grow in a sustainable manner (Lim, 2015). Recent marketing literature has highlighted the importance of companies acknowledging sustainability preferences and implementing a strategic plan for incorporating sustainability into their business model (Yalcin, Nistor & Pehlivan, 2020). Kotler (2011) further argues that due to the increased demand for sustainability efforts in businesses, marketing practices need to adapt to sustainable requirements. This correlates with the importance of the impact influencer marketing concepts have on sustainable development, which Wielki (2020) highlighted earlier.

Environmental and sustainability issues are growing and putting pressure on companies to act environmentally responsible by incorporating sustainability in marketing activities (Akturan, 2018). According to Marciniak (2009), marketing is one business area where environmental issues have received a great deal of discussion. Companies that do not effectively consider incorporating sustainability issues will not succeed in the long run (Epstein & Buhova, 2014). The number of companies that market their environmental activities have, however, increased. Some of these companies communicate their sustainable actions in their external marketing communication, even though they might not deliver sustainability in their content to the extent claimed. This is a misleading behaviour towards customers and shows practice referred to as

greenwashing (Griese, Werner & Hogg, 2017). Based on sustainability aspects, it is of great importance to be a driving force in influencing how sustainability can be promoted by influencer marketing agencies in terms of content in influencer marketing further in the future, without leading to greenwashing.

Partnerships between social media influencers and marketing agencies have during the past years increased, where agencies provide services to look for the right influencers, influencing tools that help them get to know their followers better and to create more interesting content (Kádeková & Holienčinová, 2018). Influencer marketing agencies also exist to help drive brand efforts forward and to innovate within influencer marketing (Mediakix, 2021). Alshehh, Nobanee & Khare (2018) claim that it is vital to identify the value received from the influencers regarding investment and sustainability enrichment. The influencer marketing agencies are therefore responsible for their influencers since they have a significant role in how their influencers create content and if they are compatible with the companies' desired goals of sustainability. Other responsibilities they have is establishing publishing schedules and guidelines for their influencers, reviewing content, negotiating rates and contracts, reporting on campaigns etc. The influencer marketing agencies are the central and vital force of knowledge and experience within the influencer marketing area, working in order to ensure that campaigns are as successful and valuable as possible (Mediakix, 2021).

Therefore, the influencer marketing agencies might become a driving force in how sustainability is promoted in the influencer's content. Their position is unique in the sense where it allows them to optimize campaigns on both sides (Mediakix, 2021). Keegan, Rowley & Tonge (2017) further explain that marketing agencies also play a significant role in marketing strategy development. One strategy for the influencer agencies might be to carefully choose their influencers to work with in order to advocate the media created by the influencer. It is clear that influencer marketing agencies have a significant role in how their influencers use marketing communication to create content. The relationship between influencer marketing agencies and influencers is important since the benefits of using influencers become clearer for both brands and marketers. However, in terms of creating content, the agencies can offer critical insights into campaigns and the influencers themselves (Mediakix, 2021).

1.1 Research problem

There are many scientific articles within the field of influencer marketing; the researchers of this paper, however, found a research gap within the field of influencer marketing agencies and how they work with sustainability as intermediaries. Keegan et al. (2017) and Childers, Lemon & Hoy (2019) express that the complexity of the relationship between the agencies and clients has increased as digital and social media marketing continues to grow. For this reason, many companies take advantage of using several different marketing agencies that have developed innovative strategies regarding influencer marketing. The influencer shares their lifestyle, hobbies and trends on social media and can create a strong link between their followers and hold the power of consumers' minds, who are quick to pick up the latest trends. Therefore, it is of great importance how influencers are expressing their communication towards their followers. The influencers may act as the communication intermediate that can both strengthen and influence the relationship between sustainable behaviour. Influencers can influence attitude and morality through conscious and unconscious normalization of sustainability values. Therefore, the messages influencers spread can be a contributing factor to the increased unsustainable messages being communicated today (Johnstone & Lindh, 2018). The problem here lies in the conflict between how the influencing marketing agencies encourage this type of unsustainable messages and advocate a sustainable lifestyle. (Berne-Manero & Marzo-Navarro, 2020).

The literature on intermediaries' relation to sustainability is also still very limited. In general, the literature focuses on innovation intermediaries, which is a more technical exploration of the concept. There is a lack of clear definitions of intermediaries and their role in their position between two actors. This results in a need for research that exposes relationships and their connections as well as the work of intermediary organizations because they are key players in long-term and complex changes such as when incorporating sustainability.

The influencers and intermediary promoting the product or service in a greenwashing manner can affect the company and the influencer in various negative consequences. For example, they might get "punished" in the public eye by consumers not wanting to choose the influencer or the company to work with again, nor consumers supporting the company. Therefore, it’s of great importance how the messages from the company are being used through the intermediary and passed on to the chosen influencer. The problem lies within how influencer marketing

agencies promote content to their influencers. The question is if it is for purely monetary purposes or if there is something that the agencies do to incorporate sustainability to prevent greenwashing from occurring.

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of this research is to investigate how influencer marketing agencies work with sustainability as intermediaries. The authors aim to investigate how the agencies work with the influencers in terms of sustainability, whether the influencer marketing agency has a given strategy for the influencer to communicate sustainably or not. The thesis aims to provide results and show how influencer marketing companies can promote sustainability as an intermediary.

1.3 Research Question

R1 “How do influencer marketing agencies work and promote sustainability to their

influencers?”.

1.4 Delimitation

For this paper, a delimitation was made regarding the perspectives that exist within the relevant subject. Instead of starting from the consumer perspective and how the influencers perceive sustainability, the authors chose to start from influencer marketing agencies and their perspective in relation to the purpose and problem formulation of the research. The reason for this is that influencer marketing agencies possess broadly nuanced knowledge. They work with many clients, and that there is not much previous research in the field from the perspective of these types of marketing agencies. Therefore, the researchers saw this as an opportunity to present how companies that want to implement influencer marketing can act and promote sustainability as an intermediary.

2. Theoretical Framework

2.1 Sustainability

Sustainability has become an increasingly important issue in recent decades. Whether it is discussed about climate change, loss in biodiversity, poverty or other sustainable issues, sustainability issues are central and affect everyone on earth, including how companies and consumers act today. One of the most frequently used definitions of sustainability was coined by Elkington (2006) that stated the following;

“[...] Today's generations have to take responsibility for the future; future generations' ability should not be compromised to meet their own needs as much as individuals on earth need to [...].”

Furthermore, the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland's most 68cited definition of sustainable development is: “[...] Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs [...]” (Brundtland, 1987).

It was not until the late 1990s that the view between the environment and economic growth changed. The two paradigms are now considered to be intertwined in the newly developed term ecological modernization. Ecological modernization does not mean that companies need a balance between economic gain or environmental considerations. It is rather about developing a strategy that results in economic profitability while taking the environment into account (Ottosson & Kotler, 2013). Eklington (2006) illustrated the model “Triple Bottom Line”, which includes environmental, social and economic aspects. These three dimensions are often named profit, planet and people, and the balance between these three dimensions is what creates the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). From a sustainable perspective, companies can base their businesses on the mentioned aspects and can be included to varying degrees within the field of marketing (Kumar, Rahman & Kazmi, 2012; Isaksson, Garvare & Johnson, 2015).

Interest in sustainability has increased, and consumers are more conscious of their choices affecting the environment (Chen & Chang, 2013). According to Paul, Modi and Patel (2016), this type of environmental awareness increases consumer intention to buy more sustainable

products and the willingness to pay for higher prices. Besides, it also shows that more environmentally educated consumers are more willing to purchase sustainable products.

Recent marketing literature has emphasized the importance for businesses to acknowledge sustainability issues and has a strategic plan for incorporating sustainability into their business model. Businesses must adjust their approach to sustainability efforts and adopt a customer-centric approach to sustainability marketing (Yalcin et al., 2020).

2.2 Sustainable Marketing

Sustainability issues need to be incorporated within companies when choosing marketing campaigns and communication strategies since they are expected to contribute sustainability development in both their business and in relation to what they offer their consumers

(Ottosson & Parment, 2016). Sustainable marketing is an area that has been studied by Kotler (2011) and Bridges & Wilhelm (2008), among others, where all researchers agree that

marketing practices need to change due to the aspect of sustainability. Gordon, Carrigan and Hastings (2011) explain that sustainable marketing seeks to advertise sustainability in a cautious way by bringing up sustainable factors which subsequently can target a solution.

The sustainable factors within sustainable marketing are defined as the integration of environmental, social and economic aspects of companies’ marketing communication, which includes everything from strategy to implementation (Ottosson & Parment, 2016).

Grant (2007), however, claims that it could be tricky to use sustainable marketing practices since marketing intends to promote consumption and increase sales while sustainability is about preserving resources. Baldassarre & Campo (2016) also argue that sustainability can be seen as a tool in companies’ marketing, which further opposes the notion that sustainability and marketing function can be incompatible. The incompatibility is yet being challenged by the fact that sustainability in marketing is becoming more widespread and important. Awareness about sustainability among today’s consumers has created a significant value, and for that reason, it is given to companies to emphasize and incorporate sustainability (Baldassarre & Campo, 2016).

Kotler (2011) argues that marketing practices need to adapt to the sustainable requirements due to the increased demand for sustainability efforts in businesses. Therefore, applying sustainable marketing could influence consumers to make more conscious buying decisions (Gordon et al., 2011). Furthermore, when consumers are more involved with sustainable issues and concerns, advertisement in which sustainability issues are incorporated is perceived to be a lot more credible and trustworthy, and environmentally themed ads are greater regardless of the degree of sustainable issues in the promotion (Tucker, Rifon, Lee and Reece, 2012).

In addition to what is mentioned above, companies cannot rely on outdated strategies when designing sustainable marketing strategies. Instead, it should be crucial to incorporate sustainability in all of their marketing activities, according to Tata, Hart, Sharma and Sarkar (2013), which Yalcin et al. (2020) resemble with. The authors highlight the importance of acknowledging sustainability preferences and creating a strategic plan for incorporating sustainability into their business model when working with sustainable marketing.

2.2.1 Sustainability in Companies Marketing communication

Sustainable communication concerns the future development of society, according to Confetto & Covucci (2021), in which they aim to develop a critical awareness of problems of the relationship between human beings and their environment. Sustainability can no longer be seen as an alternative in companies’ marketing communication. It is a requirement for maintaining competitiveness and interest and should be a key component of a marketing strategy (Kumar et al., 2012).

Baldassarre et al. (2016) further emphasize the importance of communicating sustainability in the marketing strategy. Implementing sustainable marketing communication could further also build trust in the minds of those in society. Spreading knowledge about sustainability to people nowadays can increase ecological sustainability. (McDonagh, 1998). It is highlighted that it is of great importance to start thinking beyond business performance towards strategies that preserve the world for future generations (Yalcin et al., 2020).

Kapoor, Balaji & Jiang (2021) argues from another perspective that sustainable communication is challenging, but an important note worth mentioning is that marketing messages that incorporate notable environmental or sustainable messages can overperform traditional

marketing communications. The authors also claim that the way in which sustainability has to be communicated must evolve in terms of digital platforms, such as the web and social media. Social media has, in fact, shown the potential of impacting attitude formation and change (Confetto & Covucci, 2021). Marketers have, however, also recognized the potential for influencing the content created and shared by influencers (Yalcin et al., 2020).

2.2.2 Green Washing

Many companies are striving to improve their environmental positions by presenting their environmental efforts. Hence, to do so, marketing strategies need to be applied in order to gain a competitive advantage and appeal to sustainability-conscious consumers. However, not all marketing strategies accurately reflect companies' environmental conduct and can

therefore instead be viewed as greenwashing (Szabo & Webster, 2020). McKinley (2021) further explains the concept of greenwashing, where companies claim to be sustainable in some way and that it has arisen through marketing efforts towards a sustainable approach. The underlying reason for this is to create an image of responsibility (McKinley, 2021). A common tactic in the field of greenwashing applied by companies is, for instance, spending more money on advertising environmental achievements than actually taking real actions in this field (Marciniak, 2009).

2.3 Influencer Marketing

According to Veirman et al. (2017), social media influencers are opinion leaders captivating the internet and impacting people. Influencers create a strong link between their followers by sharing their lifestyles, hobbies and trends. Glucksman (2017) implies that influencer marketing is a new phenomenon within social media because of the continuously growing and changing market. The author claims that there is a lack of scholarly research in this area since this is a popular and modern topic discussed widely in the media. There is, however, little to no scholarly research on how influencer marketing agencies operate today (Glucksman, 2017). Influencers are individuals who possess the power to affect their followers or other people’s purchase decisions because of their position, authority, knowledge, or relationship with their audience. They are marketing tools and social relationship assets in which companies can collaborate to achieve successful marketing goals (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2021). Influencers typically generate greater interaction in brand-related messaging in a more powerful and personal way than companies do (Cambell & Farell, 2020).

Fredberg (2010) explains social media influencers as a strategy for brands to connect with consumers directly and more organically. Social media influencers sponsor brands through their personal lives, making themselves relatable to the regular consumer on a daily basis. Therefore, the influencers create a strong connection between the brand and the consumers, which creates a more credible relationship and brand loyalty (Buyer, 2016). In addition, the influencer has the capability to target their niche market and is a vital marketing strategy for brands which Forbes (2018) also resembles with. Cambell and Farrell (2020) explain that there is a range between influencers from celebrity influencers, mega influencers, macro-influencers, micro-influencers and nano influencers. These categories are formed not only based on the number of followers but also through perceived authenticity, accessibility, experience and cultural capital.

Enke & Borchers (2019) implies that strategic social media influencer communication is an important topic in strategic communication. Businesses today have found social media influencers important to intermediaries since they may target the “hard-to-reach stakeholders”, such as young adult consumers and special interest groups. Social media influencers have therefore gained a strong influential position in the organisation’s goals and objectives. Enke & Borchers (2019) constructed Figure 1 to illustrate how social media influencer marketing works in practice. In addition, the researchers of this paper have constructed a Figure presented in Chapter 3.2 Research design to clarify what areas this paper focuses on.

2.3.1 Influencer Marketing Agencies

Several new companies have developed in recent years to bind influencers and brands. These entrepreneurs, known as intermediaries, provide a wide range of products and services to both influencers and brands (Stoldt, Wellman, Ekdale & Tully, 2019). For example, Abidin & Ots (2016) claim that influencers can enter financial and contractual relationships with advertisers and product brands, directly or indirectly, through intermediary agencies. In addition, Keegan et al. (2017) highlight the importance of the relationship between the agency and their clients, which consists of both contractual and relational aspects. The two parts work together to create a successful campaign outcome. However, the complexity of the relationship between the agencies and clients has increased as digital and social media marketing continues to grow in terms of usage as well as expenditures on online promotional activities. Therefore, many companies use several different marketing agencies, which have been forced to develop innovative strategies, such as influencer marketing (Keegan et al., 2017; Childers et al., 2018).

Influencer marketing agencies can capture the attention of brand consumers and promote relevant and relatable content to clients. In these types of public relations, social media has shaped the success in social media influencer marketing; it has changed the strategy that brands interact with consumers on a daily basis. Social media is highly central in an average consumer's life and has become more valuable in communication strategies. According to Gilin (2008), social media influencers enhance relationships with key markets to spread the reputation of the business being promoted, making customers aware of their online activities, providing customers feedback and comments.

Brown & Hayes (2008) expresses that when a product is marketed with influencer marketing, it is essential to determine what result is to be achieved in connection with the collaboration. First and foremost, preparatory work is required to determine which potential target groups are of importance to the company. After that, the influencer's target group in question is mapped in order for the company behind the collaboration to maximize their message. The next step is to establish strategies for the collaborations they initiate with influencers, using different approaches depending on the area of interest in which the influencer is active. Based on these, companies can then choose their strategies to convey their message with the greatest effect. Other aspects that can be considered when selecting a strategy, whether the goal is to create

awareness about the brand or to directly influence direct purchasing decisions (Brown & Hayes, 2008).

Hörnfeldt (2018) describes collaborations as partnerships between companies and influencers where the influencer is paid to show the company's products on their social media. The format can be varied endlessly, and the influencer is usually given free hands, with guidelines from the company, to personify their posts. Stoldt et al. (2019) express that through partnerships created in structured flexibility, influencers are contractually guaranteed to produce specific content while given the liberty to provide "on-brand" content. Having the freedom to decide on what matches their audiences' interests leads influencers to create more favourable content for brands as well as creating posts in a positive sense. Structured flexibility is formalized agreements where a brand provides an organizational scheme designed to suit the influencers campaign goals yet open enough for influencers to satisfy their unique needs on their pages. The method is flexible and allows influencers the power to form content that reflects their brands while also making the most influencers' existing relationship with their consumers. A collaboration must meet the four Ms; make, manage, monitor and measure, and similarly to advertising tools, clear goals and results presented in statistics are needed for successful collaboration (Brown & Fiorella 2013).

2.3.2 The important role influencer marketing agencies have as an

intermediary

Edelman (2014) claims in Harvard Business Review that intermediaries often provide valuable benefits such as facilitating the process for buyers to find what they need and improving standards, efficiency and keeping markets operating easily. The article also expresses that most companies feel that they have no choice but to "put up with intermediaries'' with their rules and fees, which is not the case. Intermediaries usually have a strong awareness of the customer market and insight into establishing customer relationships; intermediaries, also referred to as a middle hand, are still needed even though companies have been using E-commerce directly by cutting out their intermediaries (Anderson, 2002). Andersson (2002) claims that the roles of the intermediaries are changing and can add value in different ways by providing information about the market from both buyers, sellers, goods and services as well as creating other functions such as economies of scale and arranging up to date activities to present growth opportunities for companies. Intermediaries create value by meeting consumers wants and

needs, which can create the best-situated fit for the companies being served. The article also states that there is a need for intermediaries to be open to new ways of doing business with their suppliers.

Stoldt et al. (2019) explain that intermediaries seek to resolve tensions between influencers and brands by accomplishing two things; the first one is to ease the relationship between the influencers' brands by managing their expectations as well as guiding both sides. Many influencers may lack formal training in the industry; here is how intermediaries can help strengthen and professionalize these relationships. Intermediaries also formalize and strengthen their role within the industry; they work by promoting and facilitating influencer-brand relationships that support structured flexibility. The techniques involved might be vetting influencers, creating contracts, monitoring campaigns and payments. Intermediaries may profit from the influencers by creating events, e-books amongst other things. Parag & Janda (2014 p.104) claims that intermediaries face a high risk of losing their independent entity and capabilities if they become mediators rather than actors to change.

3. Method

3.1 Research Philosophy

In this particular study, an interpretivist research philosophy has been chosen as the most applicable one. Collis and Hussey (2014, p. 45) explain that this paradigm “[...] focuses on exploring the complexity of social phenomena [...]” and intends to understand social phenomena through the interpretation of qualitative data. The study is of an investigative nature and is intended to study questions as to how and why, which is characterized by a qualitative approach. The question of the study is investigated from a business perspective in order to apply the empirical data in a larger marketing perspective. The study further intends to capture an underlying structure, as well as put emphasis on understanding and interpreting the informants’ perceptions. Theoretical formulations and concepts will thereafter put the basis for the data collection.

3.2 Research Design

The interpretivist research philosophy often tends to lead to an inductive research approach (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2019). When it comes to topics that are up to date and where there is little existing literature, the inductive approach might be considered more appropriate in order to generate data and reflect on theoretical themes (Saunders et al., 2019). Saunders et al. (2019) also express that the inductive approach is..” less concerned with the need to generalize” and “ gaining an understanding of the meanings humans attach to events. The researchers of this paper have chosen to focus on the relationship between influencer marketing agencies, social media influencers and the content aspect, which corresponds to Figure 2, which illustrates what the research is based on.

Figure 2. Model based on Enke & Borchers (2019)

The model in Figure 2 illustrates a new construct created by the researchers based on Enke & Borchers (2019) to show how the influencer marketing agencies are an intermediary between the company, the social media influencers and the content that the influencer creates. The social media influencers are seen as interdependent for the company and agency since both need to confirm the content before it publishes. Considering the research follows an exploratory research design, this thesis aims to investigate the following relationships between the four aspects presented in Figure 2.

3.3 Research Strategy

This research is an exploratory study, meaning “[...]” what is happening, seeking new insights: to ask questions and to assess phenomena in a new light [...]” (Saunders et al., 2019 p.133). The authors of this paper chose the exploratory research design since it creates a flexible and adaptable approach to change. The research strategy implied for this paper is conducted through a multiple case study.

3.3.1 Multiple Case Study

As mentioned, a multiple case study has been used as a research design for this research. A multiple case study may be used when a complex social phenomenon is to be understood (Yin, 2017). This fits well with the purpose of this particular research and its interpretivist paradigm. Saunders et al. (2019 p.139) express that a case study is “[...] a strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context using multiple sources of evidence [...]”. The authors of this paper aim to gain a rich understanding of the context of the research being enacted. Therefore, the interview questions were formed to generate answers to “why, what, how”, which fits the exploratory

research strategy well. Sanders et al. (2019) also express that a small sample could be more appropriate than a large sample when using an inductive approach. Therefore, the primary data in this research was conducted through a multiple case study with in-depth interviews carried out by a purposive sampling method.

3.3.2 Sampling methods

A non-probability sampling method has been applied to this research as it works well with studies with a qualitative approach, and it allows researchers to focus their efforts on a small sample. It might not be feasible to include a large number of examples in this study, and the researchers have more freedom to choose the interviewees that they believe are most suited for the study. Non-probability sampling provides a range of alternative techniques to select samples based on subjective judgement. The sampling technique applied in this research is purposive sampling. Purposive sampling enables the authors of this research to use judgements and focus on particular characteristics of a certain type of company in order to select cases that will be best enabled to answer the research question and meet the objectives of the research. This form of sample is often used when working with small samples, such as in case study research and when you wish to select cases that are particularly informative, as in this case, where the authors aim to investigate influencer marketing agencies. This delimitates perspectives within the subject and focuses on one, which is how they work as an intermediary (Saunders et al., 2019).

3.3.3 Sample Selection

The authors focused on connecting with marketing companies who work closely with influencer marketing in terms of the sample collection for the research. No specific industry was of interest since the research question aims to answer how influencer marketing agencies promote and incorporate influencers to promote sustainability, in which agencies are not niched into a specific industry; they focus on their competencies. A small number of agencies were chosen in order to spend more time designing and piloting the collected data. Furthermore, collecting data from fewer cases means that the collected information has been processed more in detail. This sampling method gives higher overall accuracy than a census, according to Saunders et al. (2019). The marketing companies are presented further in section 3.4, Introduction of cases.

The participating marketing agencies, based in both Sweden and the UK, were contacted via email, in which the authors presented how the research would be designed. The authors explored whether they had any interest in participating and contributing with valid information by conducting interviews. When the interest was confirmed, the participants did, in a later stage, get scheduled for the interviews, which were held through Zoom and Google Meetings. The authors aimed to create a deliberate variation by benchmarking, which is one reason for including a marketing agency from the UK. Another aspect of it is that using only Swedish agencies in this multiple case study would make the research too homogenous. By including the UK, the research contributes with different perspectives on how influencer marketing companies can promote sustainability as an intermediary. The authors for this research have therefore been testing the transferability in different contexts by investigating both Swedish and UK companies. One factor that could, however, alter the generalizability of the findings is the fact that three of the chosen companies have their domicile in Sweden and only one that is based in the UK. The researchers of this paper chose an Influencer Marketing Agency based in the UK to test the transferability; read more about Transferability in Chapter 3.7 Reliability, Validity and Trustworthiness.

3.4 Introduction of cases

Influencer marketing agencies

The following cases are marketing agencies that work closely with influencer marketing. The agency Disrupt works solely with influencer marketing, and the remaining have additional marketing departments in their agency. These agencies were chosen by purposive sampling since all work with influencer marketing. Sustainability issues are not addressed in either agency, and the aim was not to choose agencies that work actively with sustainability since the purpose is to explore these issues in this research. Two out of the four agencies chose to be anonymous hence the made-up acronyms SBA and SIO.

SBA, Sweden

This Stockholm-based marketing agency works with influencer marketing, where they build and nurture relationships choosing and adapting to the most suitable type of communication for their clients. SBA offers modern PR services and expertise in their marketing department, where influencer marketing is one of them. They also claim that they have highly creative

teams and competencies that work with openness, trust and prestige less. SBA works with clients in different industries domestically with international companies.

Disrupt, UK

Disrupt is a London-based agency that was established in 2010 as a youth marketing agency and was acquired by a digital growth agency in 2017. Disrupt is driven by a passion for youth culture; they are leaders in disruptive social content and influencer marketing. Disrupt elevates the way brands market to young customers and encourages them to think in new ways. They assist brands in connecting with their followers in native and meaningful ways by generating stand-out content and activations that are leveraged by influencer and paid social. Disrupt has won several awards, receiving two rewards from “ Great Places to Work” in 2020 and Best use of date from Digital Growth Awards 2020; they have also been recognized for the integrated content campaign of the year from UK Content awards in 2018 (Disrupt, 2021).

SIO, Sweden

SIO is an agency based in Stockholm that works with content creators, both influencers and micro-influencers, to help brands of all sizes interact and evolve. SIO invites creators to collaborate, communicate, and act as an extension of the marketing department, all while strengthening the relationship and loyalty between brand and consumer. They operate in the Nordic countries and will soon enter countries in Europe as well. SIO works with clients such as H&M, Klarna, Hemtex, Spotify, ICA Group, Universal Music, artists, creators, music festivals and more. They want to rethink media and marketing by focusing on real, shared interests and value for all parties involved.

Effektiva Media, Sweden

Effektiva Media is a marketing agency located in Stockholm, Sweden. They claim that they have creative consultants and project managers driven by curiosity. In their daily work, they help companies and organizations to reach their target groups in various ways. Sometimes with the goal of increasing profitability, attention, or to create engagement in pressuring issues. They have been involved in driving the development of the PR market in Sweden. This allows them to have great experience and a large network of contacts, and a unique sense of how to create a successful PR job. They claim that they are a small agency that wants to make a big difference. Effektiva Media also claims that they love working with customers who strive for

building up special expertise in areas that concern medicine and health. Effektiva Media helps companies as well as influencers to create their own digital presence. They offer strategies throughout the entire chain, from strategy, teaching to implementation. Effektiva Media claims that if they listen, learn and engage in the conversations that take place online, they can build brands and increase interest in their services and products.

3.5 Data Collection Method

3.5.1 Semi-Structured Interviews

The primary data for the qualitative study was collected by semi-structured interviews. An advantage of applying interviews in a qualitative study is that the data collected is up-to-date and is particularly adapted to the research problem. This is an interview method that allows flexibility in the sense that all questions do not have to be prepared in advance. Collis and Hussey (2014) further mention that semi-structured interviews can be useful when concepts and ideas have to be understood in order to find the opinions and beliefs of the interviewee. This fits well with the exploratory nature of this research and research questions. The interview questions were formed by the theoretical framework; see Interview Guide 10.1 in Appendix.

The interviews were conducted through Zoom due to COVID-19 since travelling is limited and not preferred in the current situation. The interviews were also held in the interviewee's first language to not make any misunderstandings due to language barriers. The interviewees were asked for permission to record the interviews in order for the researchers to return to the data in a later stage to gain a deeper understanding, see 3.6 Data analysis for how the data was interpreted.

3.5.2 The Interview Format

Each interview followed the same structure as presented in the 10.1 Interview Guide, see appendix. All of the participants in this study see Table 1 hold different positions in their agencies, which means that they have different views on how they incorporate sustainability in their daily work. Some of them might have a broader perspective of their agency, while others might be specified just within their position. This is an aspect that was considered when the interviews were conducted. The authors did therefore conduct questions for the interviews by

focusing on how the agency's views are rather than personal opinions based on their positions in respective agencies.

Agency Participant Position Date Duration

SBA Interviewee 4 Anonymous 2021-04-19 45 min

Effektiva Media Gustav Ceder Business Developer

2021-04-20 50 min

SIO Interviewee 3 Anonymous 2021-04-26 55 min

Disrupt Stevie Johnson Managing Director

2021-04-26 40 min

Table 1: Interview Participants

3.5.3 Transcription

Each interview was recorded and then transcribed to use the participants' words in the results chapter. The content was checked separately by each author, with the most useful parts of the interviews highlighted individually. The data together was categorized together and the information broken down into codes to make similar topics easy to find. The analysis part is explained more in section 3.6, Data Analysis. The topics make it convenient to find relevant information by interpreting it into results. The advantage of audio recording and transcription is that there is not any risk of missing any important and valuable information. Furthermore, all transcriptions were sent to all interviewees that r to confirm the information that has been given throughout all interviews, and they were all asked if they wished for anonymity, hence two out of four being presented anonymously.

3.5.4 Data Analysis

The data collected for this research was analyzed through non-quantifying methods of analysis as an interpretivist research paradigm was chosen. The thematic analysis was selected to systematically analyse this study's data (Collis and Hussey, 2014). The procedure encompasses a six-phase guide for the thematic analysis conducted by Braun and Clarke (2006). This procedure is a flexible method in order to find patterns, common themes and relationships between the data.

The first step in this procedure is familiarizing yourself with your data made by transcription and reading the interview repeatedly. The second step is to generate initial codes; these codes organize the data into meaningful groups and are intended to be data-driven, which means that the codes evolve from the data rather than from previous theory. The third step is searching for themes in order to organize identified codes into overarching topics and their corresponding sub-themes. The fourth step entails reviewing, which means that the topics have been sufficiently distinguished and facilitate creating a context for the study questions.

This process will necessitate a return to phase three to double-check original codes and themes and ensure they fit the data collection. Following this, the study will proceed to step five, which involves identifying and naming themes. This consists of capturing "the meaning" of each theme and how they represent the data collection, which is essential for writing an in-depth review. Furthermore, in order to find relationships and patterns, it is necessary to understand the themes in relation to one another. The final step is to start producing the report; this can be structured to explain a description of each theme in a compelling, rational, and effective way where the conclusions are presented from each interview (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Following this methodology, using phases one to five of the thematic analysis creates the final analysis from the interviews. It will be further discussed in the analysis and result section of the report. The researchers found two main themes followed by subthemes. See Table 2 Theme descriptions for examples of how the process went from quote to final theme. The final themes followed by the subthemes are presented in Chapter 4, Empirical Findings.

3.7 Reliability, Validity and Trustworthiness

Reducing the possibility of getting the answer misinterpreted in research means that attention has to be paid to two particular emphases on research design: reliability and validity (Saunders, 2019, p. 149). Bryman & Bell (2017) also implies the importance of the quality assessment of these terms.

Reliability refers to the extent to which the data collection techniques or analysis procedures will yield consistent findings. This study intends to investigate a constantly evolving and competitive market, which means that difficulties could arise for other observers to reach similar observations and especially difficulties regarding if the measures of this research will yield the same results on other occasions. This, also since the results of this research are based on four interviewees and their views at a specific time and context. However, the study can be used as a directive for studies that intend to investigate similar contexts. Hence, to confirm the reliability of this research, all conducted interviews have been recorded and carefully transcribed. This was done in order to show the relevance between what has been observed during the interviews and the theories presented and that the relevance between is given and confirmed. Nevertheless, the researchers are aware of the great importance of bringing clarity to the research in order for other researchers to understand and be able to follow up the procedure to manage to conduct a corresponding study. Therefore, the study approach has been constructed in a clear manner throughout the research (Bryman & Bell, 2017).

Validity is about whether the findings are really about what they appear to be. The researchers have implemented an informant validation, which means that the selected interviewees have taken part in the results in order to ensure that the information is perceived in a correct way. Secondary data was also gathered from the agency's websites to collect information and strengthen their statements by triangulation in order to increase the validity. Secondary data is described as already existing data according to Collis and Hussey (2014), and Saunders et al. (2019) refer to secondary data that are gathered from newspapers, websites, books and journals. In the case of this research, secondary data was gathered from the companies' websites in order to collect more information and strengthen their statements by triangulation.

Bryman & Bell (2017) explains that the validity can be described both as internal and external validity. The internal validity can be confirmed in this research by the fact that the researchers

aim to investigate marketing agencies and put focus on understanding their role as an intermediary as well as the relevance between the chosen companies for this research and the theories. The external validity, also referred to as generalizability (Saunders et al., 2019 ), is about to what extent the research results are generalizable. That is, whether the finding may be equally applicable to other research settings, such as other agencies. This can be confirmed since the researchers of this study aim to provide a result that could contribute to influencer marketing agencies which can be important when they aim to incorporate and promote sustainability in their work.

Transferability is referred to what degree the findings of qualitative analysis can be appropriated, extended, or adapted to other contexts or circumstances (Saunders et al., 2016). By supporting the study with thorough descriptions of the research issue, literature, design, data, and interpretation, the researchers allow the reader to examine the transferability of the research to other circumstances in which the reader is interested in further studies (Saunders et al., 2016).

All of these steps in the research process and data collection have been carefully presented in order to increase the trustworthiness of this study. The importance and relevance of the research are explained by the authors in chapter 1.1 Research problem where it is highlighted that there is a lack of clear definitions of intermediaries role they have as an actor between the influencer and the company, and how sustainability could be incorporated in their role as an intermediary. To increase the relevance of the research further, the authors have argued throughout the study for the choices they have made in terms of the procedure and to state clearly why the choices have been the right ones in order to get a trustworthy result.

All interviews that have been conducted for this research have been recorded and transcribed in order to ensure that the findings are true and accurate; therefore, triangulation has been applied to show that the findings are credible. The interviews were recorded and transcribed in order for the authors to present correct data without any misinterpretations and also to present quotations correctly, which further increases the trustworthiness of the research. This also ensures that researcher biases do not distort what a participant has said to fit a certain circumstance and show high levels of relevance. The interviews were conducted in the participant's native language, three participants were Swedish, and one participant was

English. This way, it is ensured that the participants could express themselves regarding the subject without making any misunderstandings due to language barriers, which increases the trustworthiness of the collected data.

3.9 Ethical Considerations

Therefore, research is crucial for the development of society; therefore, it is the suggested ethical principles included in this research to give guidance to the researchers. It is essential for researchers to be aware of these issues and identify their impact on nature and the design of the research. The ethical principles that will be presented further below are informed consent, confidentiality, participant’s right to privacy, disclosure of findings/results, false predictions and harm for the participants. (Bryman & Bell, 2017).

The topic of the research was described in general with the purpose before conducting the interviews. The participants also had the permission to refrain from answering questions that were asked or leave the interview completely if they felt uncomfortable. The principle of confidentiality applied where the participant’s personal data has been stored in order for the researchers to use it in such a way that unauthorized persons do not have access to the data. The audio recordings were deleted as soon as the transcription for each participant was finished to ensure that the collected data was only used for this research. In chapter 4, where the findings are presented, some quotations from the participants are added from the interviews in order to support the data. To avoid any type of misleading information and representation of primary data in a biased way was avoided by the researchers. The participants got informed about what the research aimed to contribute and got an option to be anonymous if they felt that the research in some way could harm them or the company they are working for. Two of four participants, therefore, chose to be anonymous in this research. (Bryman & Bell, 2017).

4. Empirical Findings

4.1 Effektiva Media

The interviewee Gustav Ceder’s role is within business development, new customer contact focusing on International PR in Effektiva Media.

4.1.1 The agencies view on sustainability and how they work with it

Effektiva Media associates sustainability with social issues rather than climate and environmental sustainability. Gustav Ceder claims that he wishes to see a systematic perspective on social sustainability. He also emphasizes the importance of “informative sustainability”, which is the significance of the influencers being able to stand behind the evidence-based and correct information. Otherwise, it can cause resistance towards false information being sent out. “[...] Society needs real and correct information, and that is for me what sustainability is about [...] “. Gustav Ceder claims that the whole profession is being threatened by sending out wrong and non-evidence-based facts that can lead to greenwashing as a consequence of messaging out false information.

“[...]“Information being sent out in social media that is in the centre of attention that is not correct and in a sustainability point of view is not making influencers profession sustainable [...].”

Active decisions the agency takes in regard to sustainability

Effektiva Media takes a stand and avoids projects that are not uncertain from an ethical and sustainability point of view; Gustav Ceder claims that the industry is “ fresh produce”. He also claims that instead of following societal trends, the company aims to create societal trends instead by using influencer marketing to engage and provide knowledge of a certain subject that might be seen as popular. He further claims that they work with companies they stand behind that aim to improve social sustainability, and in addition to that, the agency removes sectors and companies that do not have a clear impact and usefulness for people and the society itself.

Ceder also emphasises that there is a lot of space for deeper and more profound questions in the future of influencer marketing. People are longing for deeper discussions in social media touching upon complex topics. He mentions that he aims to be involved in those types of development and that there is room for development in those types of areas as well. An example of this is the application Clubhouse that is a platform that can provide these types of conversations.

In regard to the development and future of influencer marketing, Ceder claimed that it is highly important to be careful that young people are not being taken advantage of. People who are consuming media are getting younger; young kids can therefore potentially be influencers; this has to be handled carefully, according to him.

Another aspect regarding sustainability that Ceder touched upon was that it could be hard to have the same demands internationally since people might not have the same rights to express themselves in the same way as we do in Sweden. Traditionally, Sweden is developed in that sense, and a lot of countries may learn how “we” look at working conditions and contracts. Ceder claims that demand for guidelines and policies are good and important and that they follow both Swedish legislation and European laws and rules. Another sustainability aspect that was brought up by Ceder was the Global Agenda 2030 goals which they believe is a great reference point when working internationally since they act globally.

Intermediaries impact and role as an Influencer marketing agency

Being the intermediary provides the influencer with the knowledge to understand the deeper relationship with the subject. The influencer marketing part in their business leans towards being more complex and create deeper relations, and in that way, guide the influencers with correct knowledge. Being an intermediary is important in the complex issues they work with when challenging sustainable problems such as women's health, equal pay and questions of power. Ceder claims that they are challenging tabu and sensitive subjects and therefore feel responsible for providing correct and evidence-based facts as an intermediary. In addition, they provide correct facts in order for the influencer to stand behind the information.

The influencer marketing agency is contributing to sustainability by providing evidence-based information and reviewing their facts continuously by creating sustainable contacts, relationships and other long-term, stable relationships. Ceder also claims the importance of whom they are partnering and working with throughout their whole value chain, all from their

clients, projects and influencers, for example. Another important aspect for intermediaries, according to Ceder, is the importance of matching the influencers' interest correctly, their drive and values in order to find and match a project together.

4.1.2 The Agencies Influencer Marketing Strategy

The interviewee defines their influencer marketing strategy as creating an impact, opinion formation and advocates not purely selling as their purpose compared to fast-moving consumer goods. The marketing agency focuses more on the education and knowledge aspect by supporting and working with complex projects.

Influencer Marketing Strategy from start to finish

The first step of their influencer marketing strategy is to have a casual meeting to get to know each other and emerge a potential mutual interest in working together. If it goes hand in hand, the next step is to create a deeper connection with the company and the influencer to develop projects together, find a budget, work effort, and a schedule that feels reasonable for both parties. The company also claims a creative process in developing communication and key messages together; a clear implementation plan is then created. Since the influencers usually have more knowledge on what social media platform to communicate on, they encourage the creative process to their influencers. However, they are still involved to make sure that the facts presented are correct. Ceder mentions that it is important to maintain a close connection with both parties as well as evaluating the work together “[...] it is important to hold our hands together the whole time[...]”, which indicates that they have a close relationship with both parties. If it becomes successful, the agency will continue with the partnership.

4.2 Disrupt

Stevie Johnson, Managing Director at Disrupt, describes an influencer marketing agency similarly to a more traditional agency where many moving parts lie behind every single campaign. Johnson claims that their influencer marketing and doses offer an "end to end experience" of an influencer kind of campaign.

4.2.1 The agencies view on sustainability and how they work with it

In terms of sustainability, Johnson describes that Disrupt likes to partner up with specific brands that have sustainability as their core value. Disrupt wants to drive critical messages behind campaigns, but it might not be suitable for all campaigns. Johnson claims that they will always try to push for the sustainability angle behind the purposes of their campaigns. He discusses that it is essential to demonstrate sustainability naturally and not by forcing the message; the influencer must convey the message authentic and believable for the consumer. He also claims that it is essential to align the influencers with people that can already showcase the type of messaging.

“[...]I think those that demonstrate that they care about sustainability is important, whether that's in the type of places that they shop, the type of food they eat and ensuring that it feels natural to them...it's not like all of a sudden, we're working with someone that doesn't have that sustainability angle “[...].."

When discussing promoting sustainability as an intermediary, Johnson explains that promoting sustainability depends on their brand/client-side. He claims that they would try and incorporate that messaging when they are briefing their influencers to make sure that it “ties together”. Johnson further claims that brands come to their agency to activate their campaigns, and it is the agency’s responsibility to educate the influencers on what to do. He also claims that they cannot say no to partner up with a person. It is up to the intermediary to educate them on what works and what they should do. Johnson describes that the brands they partner up with generally are very open and collaborative and indicates that there are many moving parts in their creative process.

Future of Influencer marketing from an agency point of view

When discussing the future of influencer marketing from an agency point of view, Johnson believes that the influencer marketing industry will grow and get bigger. Today, people view influencer marketing as more of a specialist subject. Johnson claims that specific agencies like Disrupt solely focus on influencer marketing and that there are traditional agencies that outsource. He believes that we will see a more mass-market approach and see influencer marketing as an essential part of a company's digital strategy since the industry is growing each year. He also believes that agencies will have their kind of influencer marketing departments

and become more of an integrated part of a company “[...]Even now, a lot of brands, they are not just experimenting with it anymore, it’s a part of their marketing strategy[...]”.

Johnson discussed that the industry has a pay gap and people are not being paid the same amount based on gender or race; he wishes to see a more transparent strategy on costs and that people are getting paid the right amount.

“[...]I don't want to see brands choosing influencers just based on how big they are, or they're following. I think it's so much more believable, and the relationships are stronger when someone shares the ethos with a brand and is aligned with their messaging [...]".

When discussing sustainability and how significant an impact the intermediary has in terms of sustainability, Johnson claims that it needs to come from the brand; the brands need to want to push the message. Today it is a big turnoff for many consumers if brands do not share this kind of sustainability vision.

“[...]For us as the intermediaries the agency, it is vital that we can work with the right people that can align with ambition because it looks bad for the influencer if we partner them with a brand that’s it’s not believable...the results won’t come through the way they want.[...]”

Johnson expresses the importance of ensuring a shared ethos that aligns across influencers, brands and the content that can lead to great results.

Intermediaries impact and role as an influencer marketing agency

Johnson claims that when working with influencers, "[...] you're partnering with that person because of the content they create and how well they know their audience, and that's what we're trying to tap into.[...]" Johnson also states that it is a pretty vital position to play as an intermediary. Disrupt tries to have an impact in a way to make sure that the brand is getting what they need out of their content. The influencer is also remaining authentic and genuine to their audience. Some brands want the content to be brand heavy, and there are also times when the influencers are not willing to do kind enough; therefore, Disrupt intends to have a close relationship with them based on the influencers work to ensure that "[...] Everyone can leave

at the end of the campaign happy with their output there… because the last thing we want to do is then have another campaign a different brand, and then an influencer turns around to us and says I don't enjoy working with you [...]".

Johnson also claims that managing expectations on the brand side and the influencers side is important to fill as an intermediary and create impact and maintain a good relationship with their influencers. The vital role as an intermediary is the amount of experience Disrupt has when running different campaigns and working with multiple other influencers that need to contract, brief etc. Johnson explains that Disrupt has a creative team that puts ideas together for what the content might look like. They use different tech platforms to see the data to ensure that the influencers got the correct kind of audience.

“[...] If a brand went directly to an influencer, there is no kind of guarantee that they would be able to kind of have access to any of that kind of stuff artists quite time-consuming as well [...]”.

Johnson also claims that they could be seen as a matchmaker to an extent and feel responsible as an influencer marketing agency. He says that they like to push the real purpose behind the campaigns they run regarding inclusion, diversity and other sustainable messages.

“[...] We do feel a responsibility to do things the right way, and in that sense, rather than just kind of partnering with an influencer, because they feel like they can make money of this specific brand, we like getting a little bit deeper [...]".

4.2.2 The Agencies Influencer Marketing Strategy

Their strategy timeline begins as soon as they get the information regarding an agreed budget with the clients/brand and their aim. After that, Disrupt determines how many influencers will work with what platform and set a target to those social media platforms such as Instagram, Youtube, or Tiktok. The step after is to determine what reach and impressions they can get from the influencers' content and deliverables. Once all of this is set out, the team they have in place will kick off with the client. This means that they run through different aesthetics that the brand wants to see their influencers with. Examples of this might be a fashion influencer or a