Introduction to a joint research project by early career academics at the University of Edinburgh innovation and entrepreneurship group, the Center for Market Studies at the Stockholm School of Economics and the Stockholm University department of social anthropology.

1. THE MARKET FOR
INFLUENCERS
Valuation as performativity
LancStock Presentation
5 October 2018

2. Co-authors of the research project
Left to right, the co-authors are….
 Fábio Rocha
 Fabio.rocha@ed.ac.uk
 @fnevesdarocha
 Jessica Backsell
 jessicainez.backsell@phdstudent.hhs.se
 @JessicaBacksell
 Johan Nilsson
 Johan.nilsson@socant.su.se
 @StockholmUni
 Duncan Chapple (Corresponding author)
 duncan.chapple@ed.ac.uk
 @DuncanChapple

3. Definition of an influencer
Someone
- Open for business as an influencer
- Whose influence can be monetized
- Who can be tracked and traced

4. Approaches
What comprises an influencer?
The market for influencers4
Framings and readings
Adorno (Duncan Chapple)
•Rendering understandings of independence and authority
Foucault (Jessica Backsell)
•Panopticon normalises things so they can be observed
Goffman (Johan Nilsson)
•Presentation and self-presentation
Goldenweiser (Fábio Rocha)
•Involution of replicated, internalised patterns
Gramsci (Duncan Chapple)
•Interventions that allow the winning of active consent with popular layers
Notions of methods
Analysis of interviews with people in the domain
Walk through analysis of digital tools
Qualitative analysis of self-expressed accounts of valorisation

5. Questions
Native and researcher understandings
The market for influencers5
What comprises
an influencer?
• Emics native
to the context
• Etics which
offer our
explainations
Self-valorisation
• How do
people
describe their
own value?
Valorisation
• What are the
valorisation
tactics?
Organization
• How do
buyers
speculate?

6. Author roles
Our Process

7. Working model
The market for influencers7
Documents store
• Dropbox
• Drafts
• Presentations
• Photos
• Journal articles
Monthly Cycles
• Working
• Editing
• Speaking
Key roles don’t need to
be fixed
• Scribe
• Annotates meetings;
notes responsibilities.
• Initially Johan
• Driver
• Convenes meetings;
prepares agenda.
• Initially Duncan

8. Our path to publication
Draft by March 31st
The market for influencers8
Agree on the
central research
question, working
questions and
theoretical framing
that fits our
materials and
corpus
Tentative
agreement on the
initially intended
journals,
Marketing Theory
and a special issue
of Organization
Studies (Power and
performativity as
interweaving
dynamics of
organizing)
Tentative outline of
the different parts
of the text, using
bullet points to
show the paper’s
framing and
anticipated
discussions
Assess resources
and deliverables,
to produce a
timeline
Divide the
responsibilities.
Not hierarchical.
Instead both fitting
together what we
have, and
allocating
responsibilities to
ensure parity.
Conduct research.
Identify
phenomena.
Get writing.
Produce sections.
Integrate &
reorganise.
Feedback from
peers and reviews.
Regroup and edit.

9. Why this paper matters
The market for influencers9
•Literature review will show the limited degree to which our targeted journals address the market for influencers
Challenge naïve, naturalist and instrumentalist notions of influence
•Impact on regulatory factors, transparency, potential market distortion and broader policy
Impact of influencer markets
•Accountability
•Commensuration
•Valorisation (e.g. content is valued, influencers’ control and network power, what work is done on the message)
•Valuation (e.g. audience is valued, closeness to the templates for intended results)
•What the market for influencers undervalues (community, regional difference)
Understanding crucial aspects of the market for influencers

10. Whatremains unsolved?
Effects of influencer marketing
Issues of legitimacy
• For marketing via influencers
• Of influencer marketing strategies
The market for influencers10

11. Please email us your questions
..and comments
 Fábio Rocha
 Fabio.rocha@ed.ac.uk
 Jessica Backsell
 jessicainez.backsell@phdstudent.hhs.se
 Johan Nilsson
 Johan.nilsson@socant.su.se
 Duncan Chapple
 duncan.chapple@ed.ac.uk