“What? This post is sponsored?”: sponsorship awareness negatively moderates influencer credibility and parasocial relationships for longtime followers

Purpose Social media influencers can exert considerable persuasive impact among their followers. This study aims to explore whether this impact will be undermined once followers recognize the presence of sponsorship in influencers' persuasive messages, by examining the moderating effects of sponsorship awareness (SA) on follower purchase behaviors (PB), which impact the underlying processes of source credibility (SC), parasocial relationships (PSRs) and follow length (FL). Design/methodology/approach A survey was distributed through a collaboration with a YouTube influencer (N = 494) among her 74K followers. The mediation and moderation analyses were performed using Hayes PROCESS Modeling in SPSS. Findings The results indicate that SA negatively moderates the influence of FL on perceived influencer credibility and on PSRs, which sequentially impact purchase behaviors (PB). Practical implications This research provides a strategic direction for influencer professional development. Influencers should prioritize publishing professional reviews and transparently disclosing sponsorships. Additionally, the impact mechanisms identified in this study help explain why some top-tier influencers may yield weaker promotional results. When selecting influencers for sponsored promotions, brands should evaluate the strength of these parasocial connections and followers' perceived influencer credibility. Originality/value This study expands the current understanding of influencer promotional communication in the context of follower stickiness and sponsorship disclosure. It is recommended that brands and social media creators develop thoughtful and innovative approaches to communicating sponsorship disclosures in ways that preserve the influencer's perceived credibility.