ABSTRACT
Understanding the degree of responsibility that an individual who is regarded as relevant to the public holds towards their audience is often downplayed. Being aware of this responsibility would most certainly cause most individuals to question themselves twice before sharing their opinion on a specific matter. In the case of crisis management and decision making, an individual’s statement could have unforeseen consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic has put forward the complexity of managing multiple sources of information by individuals, who in a sea of data and opinions have a hard time dissecting between truth, rumor, suggestion, and mandate, since the emphasis on the best course of action is not clearly pointed out for them. This chapter focuses on the relevance of being aware of the consequences of such inconsistencies in terms of how a well thought out influencer marketing strategy could benefit brands in the process of selecting individuals who will shed a positive light on their products and not end up behaving in questionable ways which end up forcing brands to sever their relationships with them.
