INFLUENCER MARKETING AND ITS ROLE IN PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES (SDG 11 & 12)

Povzetek

This paper discusses the place of influencer marketing in promoting sustainable lifestyles with reference to Sustainable Development Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Because consumer behavior is being more and more influenced by digital ecosystems, influencers have become potentially influential actors who can help to bridge the gap between abstract sustainability goals and everyday practices that people can relate to. The study describes influencer-led campaigns on Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok, and, based on a qualitative content analysis, the main strategies, such as authenticity, credibility, and interactive engagement, contribute to the effectiveness of sustainability communication. The results indicate that micro-influencers in building close and trust-based communities are especially efficient in fueling the behavioral adoption, whereas macro-influencers are efficient at scale-based awareness. The discussion also highlights the ongoing issues, especially the dangers of greenwashing and consumer inquisitiveness in the event that influencer messaging does not seem to tally brand actions or fails to be transparent. It also exhibits sectoral differences: though the campaigns of sustainable fashion and food movements resulted in a high level of consumer interest, those actions which refer to the metropolitan way of life, such as mobility and zero-waste plans, turn out to exert disproportionate impact based on the cultural and economic context. The paper has determined that influencer marketing has received a window as a tool of sustainability communication, unless there is the application to regional realities in a genuine, responsible, and pre-emptive fashion. With re-congruence of the strategies of the influencers with the global, sustainability imperatives, it becomes possible to mount a battle of digital influencing power via the ethical redirection not only on the construction of awareness, but also the help of creating a meaningful behavioral reaction to sustainable living by the brands and policymakers.