Digital Influencers in Brand Communication : Between Value Creation Mechanisms and Image Risk Management Challenges

Abstract

The proliferation of social media platforms has established digital influencers as central actors in contemporary brand communication strategies. While their contribution to value creation is well-documented in the marketing literature, the reputational risks inherent to influencer partnerships remain largely examined in isolation. This theoretical fragmentation constrains a holistic understanding of the strategic stakes involved in brand-influencer collaborations a gap this article seeks to address. Drawing on a narrative and structured literature review spanning digital influencer marketing, strategic brand communication, and reputational risk management, this study analyzes the dual mechanisms through which influencers simultaneously generate brand value and introduce organizational vulnerability. The review demonstrates that influencers enhance brand awareness, credibility, consumer engagement, and brand equity, while concurrently exposing firms to risks of negative image transfer, authenticity erosion, fraudulent practices, and transparency failures. The central theoretical contribution of this article lies in the development of an integrative exploratory framework designed to reconcile value creation and reputational risk governance within a unified analytical structure. By foregrounding the inherently ambivalent nature of influencer collaborations, this model offers a structured foundation for future empirical investigation particularly in emerging market contexts where such dynamics remain understudied. Implications are discussed for both scholars working at the intersection of strategic communication and risk management, and practitioners seeking to optimize influencer portfolio governance.

JEL Classification : M14, M31.

Type du papier : Recherche Théorique