Phd in COMMUNICATION, SOCIAL RESEARCH AND MARKETING

Thesis title: Costruzione, Rafforzamento e Crisi della Relazione Influencer-Follower: strategie di comunicazione e implicazioni per i brand

The expansion of digital media and the growing centrality of social networks have fostered the emergence of influencers, a new type of independent endorser capable of shaping consumer attitudes and behaviours through the production of authentic and engaging content. In this scenario, influencer marketing has established itself as a structural component of corporate communication strategies. At the heart of its effectiveness lies the influencer-follower relationship, a parasocial bond that can be interpreted according to the logic of the life-cycle model, divided into three phases: construction, reinforcement and crisis. However, the literature has so far analysed this relationship in a predominantly static way, neglecting its evolution and the mechanisms that regulate it in the different phases. Taking the perspective of the life-cycle model, the thesis therefore aims to understand how influencers build, strengthen and, sometimes, undermine the relationship with their followers through their communication practices on social media, and what implications this has for brand partners. The work consists of three empirical studies: a first qualitative study, which investigates the construction phase, showing how the relationship arises from the symbolic alignment between the identity communicated by the influencer and the cognitive, affective and social needs of followers; a second quantitative study, which demonstrates how influencer storytelling, especially of an emotional nature, represents a crucial lever for strengthening the bond, acting through the mechanism of narrative transportation and generating positive effects on attitudes and behavioural intentions; Finally, a third quantitative study analyses the phenomenon of influencer betrayal, highlighting how the loss of credibility triggers defensive strategies in followers (avoidance and negative word of mouth) and also has reputational repercussions on associated brands. Overall, the results show that the influencer-follower relationship is a complex and constantly evolving relational process, in which the very conditions that favour its creation – above all, credibility and authenticity – also determine its stability and possible crisis. The construction of the bond is based on the influencer's ability to define a credible and authentic self-identity, geared towards satisfying the needs of followers; the strengthening of this bond is fuelled by communication practices based on credibility, authenticity and narrative engagement, with storytelling proving to be a key lever for maintaining it; finally, crises are often triggered by behaviour perceived as inconsistent or inappropriate and the consequent loss of credibility of the influencer, the most fragile but at the same time most decisive resource in the entire relationship.