MediaPicks, an advertising and marketing media outlet operated by Eyse Inc. (located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Noriyuki Fukushima, Representative Director and President), has published content explaining the conditions for trusted PR posts in influencer marketing and key casting and post design tips for practical application. This explanation is based on the paper "Authenticity in Influencer Marketing" published in the Journal of Marketing in 2025.
Influencer marketing is a method that aims to expand awareness, facilitate understanding, and promote purchases of products or services through influencers who hold influence on social media and video platforms.
On the other hand, poor initiative design may lead consumers to perceive posts as "too ad-like," "seeming like the influencer does not actually use it," or "appearing to be forced by the company." This can negatively impact not only the performance of individual posts but also brand trust.
"Authenticity" in influencer initiatives is not determined solely by the influencer's personality or content style; it is formed by a variety of factors.
This article provides practical explanations of key points to check when selecting influencers, the scope of management in post creation, and compliance with stealth marketing regulations.
Article Summary:
1. Five Elements for Building Authenticity The paper organizes five elements that build influencer authenticity: "expertise," "connection," "trustworthiness," "uniqueness," and "transparency." Specifically, when selecting influencers, it is crucial to look beyond follower counts and engagement rates to evaluate "whether there is a clear reason for this specific person to introduce this product."
2. Designing Influencer Initiatives in Three Stages In influencer selection, checks include past posts, comment sections, PR tags, and actual usage. In building relationships with the brand, evaluating alignment of values, competitor projects, campaign frequency, and the influencer's own satisfaction is vital. In post creation, retaining the influencer's own voice while clearly stating ad labeling and usage experience is required. Influencer marketing agencies are expected not just to present a list of candidates, but to adjust context mismatches between the brand and the creator, designing the project around "why that specific person is speaking."
3. Separating Brand Control from Influencer Creative Freedom One major reason PR posts look overly commercial is that brands control post content too minutely. The article introduces a framework for separating what the brand decides from what is left to the influencer, providing specific practical tips for balancing compliance with natural expression.
Recommended for: - Those struggling to choose an influencer marketing agency. - Those who want to design trusted PR posts while minimizing ad-like feel and stealth marketing risks. - Those organizing evaluation points for request for proposals (RFPs) or interviews in influencer initiatives. - Those wishing to grasp points for post design, legal compliance, and disclosure checks in influencer campaigns.
Article Full Text: https://media-radar.jp/mediapicks/article/knowledge/influencer-marketing-authenticity?a=pt
Checklist Document: https://media-radar.jp/detail34976.html?a=pt
Reference Paper: - Paper Title: Authenticity in Influencer Marketing: How Can Influencers and Brands Work Together to Build and Maintain Influencer Authenticity? - Journal: Journal of Marketing - Authors: Barbara Duffek, Andreas B. Eisingerich, Omar Merlo, Guan Lee - URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00222429251319786
*When citing this article, please credit the source as "Media Radar (https://media-radar.jp/mediapicks/article/knowledge/influencer-marketing-authenticity)".
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