Influencers as support for public relations campaigns

The article is a collection of analyses carried out on the basis of literature on the subject and data collected with the utilization of desk research method. It also presents conclusions from surveys conducted by means of a qualitative method – IDI technique – during the Congress of Public Relations Professionals, which took place in April 2018 in Rzeszów. In the group of respondents there were representatives of public relations branch who cooperate with influencers and on top of that have rich experience in the area of PR activities conducted by means of the Internet. The goal of this article is assessment of the relationships occurring in the context of cooperation of PR specialists with influencers, as well as identifying the prospects for changes and potential trends in this area. Among the key conclusions drawn in course of the conducted research we find the one which suggests that using influencers for communication and promotion-related activities is recognized as both a chance and threat for the public relations industry. However, the aspect of threats is particularly important, as it has a direct impact on the emerging and persisting image crises. Due to the fact that influencers enjoy a lot of freedom in their activity in combination with the faith of their clients in their professional approach, there is a risk of emergence of actions which will not just fail to satisfy the assumptions of a promotional campaign, but may also directly hit the image of a given entity. Experts predict that using influencers for promotion will also in the nearest time be a growing trend, which will take hold among solutions used in communication with target groups.