Exploring personal branding determinants and pro-social organizational behaviors of employee influencers on LinkedIn
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22421943 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joyce Costello (0000-0003-1392-4766, Cardiff Metropolitan University Department of Marketing and Strategy), Balint Brunner (Bournemouth University – Talbot Campus), Oliver Kozsla (Bournemouth University – Talbot Campus) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-19 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Corporate Communications: An International Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1356-3289 • E-ISSN: 1758-6046 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/ccij-08-2025-0226 |
| OpenAlex | W7138866976 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 59 |
Purpose Within social media networks, a new form of influencers is emerging in the form of employee influencers. The development of social media platform creator tools allows companies to identify potential employee influencers for campaigns. It is not understood, though if employee influencers use personal branding to their advantage, like mainstream influencers. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzes 362 profiles of employees at a British pharmaceutical company using multinomial logistic regression to explore the predictability of employee influencer activity and pro-social organizational behavior based on personal branding. Findings Our findings show personal branding is likely to predict employee influencer activity. We also found that personal branding can predict pro-social behavior toward other employees. Research limitations/implications Certain elements of personal branding, in conjunction with reach, relevance and resonance, can help organizations to select employee influencers to integrate into influencer marketing campaigns. Practical implications Organizations need to consider which criteria are most effective when selecting employee influencers to integrate into influencer marketing campaigns. Originality/value This research contributes to our understanding of employee influencers' online personal branding habits and how to identify potential “employee influencers”.
Corporate branding · Influencer marketing · Mainstream · Multinomial logistic regression · Social media · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Mental Health via Writing
Applied Logistic Regression
Construction and Validation of a Scale to Measure Celebrity Endorsers' Perceived Expertise, Trustworthiness, and Attractiveness
What makes followers loyal? The role of influencer interactivity in building influencer brand equity
Employee influencer management
How recommendation letters affect career Mobility
The commercialization of social media stars
A Proposed Model of Self-Perceived Authenticity of Social Media Influencers
Exploring the credibility of online celebrities' Instagram profiles in influencing the purchase decisions of young female users
Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods
Employees as Corporate Influencers
Exploring the Value of Multi-Modal Corporate Influencers
Individualism‐collectivism as an individual difference predictor of organizational citizenship behavior
Influencers are just mannequins’
Using available signals on LinkedIn for personality assessment
Gender Dimensions of Public Service Motivation
Exploring variation in active network size
You have one identity
Self-branding, 'micro-celebrity' and the rise of Social Media Influencers
| Highly cited | No |
|---|