Performance in a digital world : Navigating commercial drama in WeChat blogs

Bai, Yuxin and Cocker, Hayley and Zhao, Xin (2025) Performance in a digital world : Navigating commercial drama in WeChat blogs. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

Drawing upon performance theory, this study investigates the dynamics of commercially driven blogs created by WeChat influencers. It examines three of the most critical yet still unanswered questions in our understandings of influencer marketing: How WeChat influencers captivate both readers and advertisers, generating commercially driven digital performance that meet the expectations of both sides? How marketers analyse criteria when selecting influencers and assess their cooperation to acquire valuable information that may enhance their digital performance? What challenges and negative aspects of influencer marketing manifest as dark side of performance and what barriers and hazards to the sector? In this study, the WeChat official account platform is conceptualized as a stage, where influencers assume the roles of both playwrights and directors, while brands act as sponsors and readers as the audience. In addressing these important issues, I first explore the strategies used by WeChat influencers in their digital performances. Then, I investigate the processes used by marketers in their selection of WeChat influencers. Lastly, I examine the dark side of the process that may arise from the performance and the strategies used in sustaining commercial success. Moving beyond one-sided narratives, I focus on the intricate interplay of influencers, brands, and audiences on the WeChat official account platform. Employing a netnographic approach, this dissertation reveals that celebrity influencers enhance persuasiveness, excitement, and reader engagement through different techniques of digital performance. They adopt the strategies of role-playing, emotional expression, and interactions with audience to create successful digital performance with commercial purposes. They use digital impression management to sustain an audience as well as attract marketers. The findings have important implications for marketers when selecting influencers and highlight three evaluation criteria: engagement metrics (reading rate; conversion rate; fan growth rate); AISAS model (attention-interestsearch-action-sharing); and the subjective approach (such as anecdotal feedback, qualitative impressions, or subjective assessments). Lastly, it uncovers the negative repercussions of marketing on WeChat official accounts, shedding light on the dark side’s impact on influencers, brands, audiences, and broader society. The dark side of influencer marketing stems from the numerous pressures on influencers, including mental, physical, and financial strains. Negative impacts extend to brands, facing risks from setbacks and financial losses due to lack of transparency in fees and other detrimental practices. Heightened competition among brands may lead to increased marketing expenses, with brands essentially operating as conduits for influencers. Additionally, adverse effects on readers and society such as economic losses, misleading erroneous values, fostering negative social norms, and giving rise to unhealthy psychological issues which can lead to societal anxiety and conflicts. In addition, this research extends performance theory to the online realm and explores theoretical issues beyond self-presentation within a commercial context. It offers practical insights for researchers exploring marketing-related fields within the Chinese market, providing a comprehensive understanding of WeChat commercial blogs and the integration of performance theory.