CHOOSING TO HAVE AN OFFICIAL BRAND PARTNER? UNDERSTANDING WHICH TYPE OF PARTNERSHIPS GENERATE GREATER INTEREST FOR CONTENT CREATORS.

Abstract

The last few years have seen a significant digital evolution that has transformed both the consumer decision-making process and the business models of many brands. Companies have recognised the influential potential of digital tools as a means of communicating and sharing and have consequently put in place innovative approaches to adapt to this evolution. One such approach is influencer marketing, which links online content creators with brands. This thesis provides an insight into content creators views on partnerships in influencer marketing. Six content creators were interviewed to provide an answer to the research questions: • What are the advantages and drawbacks of a short-term partnership and a long-term partnership in influencer marketing? • What are the motivations of content creators to choose between the two partnerships? The results show that even though the majority of the partnerships of the creators questioned were short-term, their responses showed that these influencers had a greater preference for long-term partnerships. The future of these two types of collaborations will therefore depend on the brands and, most importantly, their finances but over time, brands will begin prior long-term collaborations to influencers with whom they have built a long-term relationship of trust.