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Emotional language within influencer marketing on YouTube

A qualitative case study of twelve videos from Spanish YouTubers

ORCiD logo with link | University of Turku
Published online: 18 February 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.23056.pel
Abstract
This case study of twelve videos of Spanish YouTubers explores emotional language within influencer marketing. Special consideration is given to whether hedonic values were prevalent in the emotionally charged evaluations without neglecting the utilitarian values involved. The analysis of this interdisciplinary study reveals that most of the evaluations, the majority of which were directed toward feeling products, were generally positive. Expressions were categorized into different overlapping reasons, reflecting the co-occurrence of both hedonic and utilitarian rational values. Nonetheless, a general correlation can be established between hedonic values and feeling products, and between utilitarian values and thinking products. Furthermore, the YouTubers consistently employed the same linguistic and lexical patterns throughout the observed data, giving the impression of a rather spontaneous way of speaking in these videos. The videos were characterized by a certain amateurism on a discursive level, but with some features of professionalization particularly in the case of thinking products.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Influencer marketing on YouTube
  • 3.Perspectives on emotional and rational appeals within IM
  • 4.Data and methodology
  • 5.Findings: Reasons behind the evaluations of different types of products
    • 5.1Feeling products and the focus on hedonic values and emotional language
    • 5.2Thinking products and the focus on utilitarian values
  • 6.Discussion and conclusion
  • References
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Alsaad, Abdallah & Abdullah Alharshani
2025. Conveying Closeness and Expertise Through Influencer Communication Styles: Implications for Influencer Marketing Effectiveness. Journal of Internet Commerce ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo

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