Pup-ularity contest: The advertising practices of popular animal influencers on Instagram

Given the rise of online influencers, this research aims to analyze non-human social media influencers. Using a qualitative in-depth content analysis of Instagram images and captions, we analyze the social presence strategies—affective, interactive, and cohesive strategies—and the social media influencer advertising practices of top animal influencers. While all three social presence strategies were used, animal influencers most often employed affective and cohesive strategies. The results suggest that emotion and community are more important than interaction for animal influencers. Most of the influencers engaged in social media advertising by sharing brand-related posts, yet their social media feeds do not overly feature advertising messages. As an implication of the research, the research shows how animal influencers grow their parasocial relationships with followers in a way that is beneficial to brands. Thus the research reveals the role that digital animal influencers play in the social customer journey for the brands that work with them.