Wanted: social media campaign support! A principal-agent study on the management of influencer collaborations by political parties in three EU countries

Purpose While corporate communicators have been quick to embrace collaboration with social media influencers, communication managers in political parties have been more hesitant. However, as it is becoming obvious that the influence of influencers extends also to the political domain, political communicators are increasingly starting to consider influencer collaborations. This study draws on principal-agent theory (PAT) to examine the reasons for political communicators' hesitancy and investigate how they manage influencer collaborations. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on 26 expert interviews with communication managers from political parties in Finland, Germany and Romanian. Interviews were analyzed in a qualitative content analysis. Findings This study identifies procedures to evaluate influencers' characteristics, intentions and actions that communication managers apply to cope with information asymmetries. While interviewees are generally confident that these procedures help them cope with the information asymmetries PAT implies, their confidence levels vary widely. Notably, confidence levels depend less on the concrete procedures the communication managers have developed but rather on individual information needs. Originality/value This study expands research on the management of influencer campaigns by examining campaigns in the political domain and by theorizing the client–influencer relationship. Furthermore, this study offers the first cross-country investigations in research on the management of influencer campaigns.