From likes to brands: Social media influencers as co-founders : A multiple case study investigating social media influencers' effect on brand knowledge of e-commerce companies.

Abstract: Background: Social media influencers (SMIs) have become an important asset to the constantly changing world of marketing. The impact SMIs have within e-commerce and the influence they have on consumers have been observed. Therefore, the use of SMIs as a marketing tool in improving brand knowledge has been vastly adopted by many companies. However, the extent to which SMIs as co-founders contribute to creation of brand knowledge, remains undiscovered.  Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate how SMIs as co-founders in e-commerce companies contribute to creating brand knowledge. It aims to contribute with valuable knowledge in how e-commerce companies can implement modernized marketing and branding strategies by including SMIs as co-founders in a company.  Method: This qualitative study is based on semi-structured interviews with six relevant participants operating in four companies within the same industry. A deductive approach was implemented, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis, enabling interpretations and extractions of important themes and patterns. Conclusion: The research concludes that SMIs as co-founders significantly impact brand knowledge in e-commerce companies. Consumers form associations with the SMIs that are transferred into the companies. Further, SMIs contribute with an already existing engaged consumer base through their established relationships of trust and credibility. However, it is important to refrain from completely relying on the SMIs.