Influencer marketing: a scoping review and a look ahead

The interdisciplinary nature and rapidly expanding literature stream devoted to influencer marketing makes it difficult to stay abreast of the current research while simultaneously moving the field of knowledge forward. The goal of this article, then, is to take a look back, reviewing the disparate literature, in order to look ahead, guiding future research towards fruitful underexplored avenues of discovery. Using a framework-based scoping review, a retrospective examination of 150 articles is provided with emphasis on identifying publication trends, theories, contexts, constructs/concepts, and methodological approaches. These findings allow for a thorough discussion of gaps in extant knowledge, emerging themes and trends, and directions for future research. As such, this review provides a sound theoretical and practical basis for continued development within the field.