The human brands of name, image and likeness (NIL) influencers: A content analysis
Abstract
The name, image and likeness (NIL) market has grown exponentially in the last two years, but our understanding of its impact is still very limited. Building on human brand theory and the concept of self-presentation, a quantitative content analysis was conducted to explore how top college athlete influencers create unique human brands through visual self-presentation and their correlations with brand partnerships and post engagement. Descriptive analyses identified dominant human brand content and self-presentation tactics. Chi-square results suggested differences between male and female athletes. Human brand content type and sponsorship disclosure method were also found to have affected post engagement. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
Fei Xue is a professor in the School of Media and Communication at The University of Southern Mississippi. He has a PhD in communication from the University of Alabama. His primary research interests are advertising message strategies, digital advertising and social impact of advertising. His work has appeared in such journals as Journal of Advertising, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Asian Journal of Communication, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, etc.
Srividya Karuturi is a doctoral student in the School of Media and Communication at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her research focuses on digital advertising and intercultural communication, particularly how brands connect with diverse audiences both locally and internationally. She has presented her work at major communication conferences and has published research on social media influencers. As a social media influencer herself, Srividya brings practical experience into her research and teaching, helping students understand the fast-evolving digital media landscape. She received both her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Osmania University.
Monira Begum is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of South Florida, where her research explores health communication, with a focus on the health of marginalised populations in the global south. Her research has received multiple awards and she has presented her work at various conferences. Her book, ‘Genres of Film Criticism in Social Media’, was funded by the Bangladesh Film Archive. She has previously worked as an assistant professor at the University of Barishal in Bangladesh. She holds an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, in addition to a second master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, USA.
