The influencer’s power in strategic brand decisions: Consequences for Spanish advertising agencies

Abstract

The advertising agencies are affected by the need to adapt to a commercial phenomenon that is present in a large part of the communication actions in digital social networks of major brands; the influencer. This profile is presented as a new opinion leader very interesting for brands which take advantage of the leadership of these microcelebrities to attract new consumers. Through twenty-one in-depth interviews with Spanish agencies and a Delphi panel of fifteen experts, a complex domain of forces between advertiser and agency can be found. The media impact of these personalities causes the advertiser to have greater control over strategic decisions, resulting in a strategic challenge for the advertising professionals that affects the structures of the agencies, as well as an increase in the demand of this type of strategies.