WSU study explores environmental cost, perceptions of influencer PR gifts

PULLMAN, Wash. - As part of their marketing strategy, many companies send public relations packages full of curated products to social media influencers, who film themselves opening the gifts on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

While such "PR unboxings" promote the brand, they also produce a lot of waste - which goes virtually unmentioned by those posting comments on the videos, according to new research from Washington State University. The findings, published in the Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, suggest influencers have an opportunity to educate consumers about excessive packaging and hold companies accountable when their packaging practices don't match their "green" rhetoric.

"Sustainability values in influencer marketing are often communicated silently through a company's packaging practices," said Ting Chi, the study's corresponding author and chair of WSU's Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles (AMDT). "Influencers are receiving an increased amount of PR gifts with excessive packaging, but there seems to be minimal consumer awareness of how much waste is being generated. We hope this study will help educate consumers, influencers, and brands about environmental impact."

A relatively new phenomenon, PR gifting is driven mainly by younger generations, who prefer to learn about products through social media influencers.

"Influencers can impact their followers by promoting certain behaviors," said Chi, who co-authored the study with AMDT graduate students McKenzie Duqaine, Joshua Mollel, and Juan Doria. "If influencers neglect environmental sustainability considerations in their unboxing videos, consumers won't see it as a priority. Likewise, if they discuss how they'll redistribute those gifts or describe the amount of packaging as unnecessary, that could have a very positive influence on their followers in relation to sustainability."

The study focused solely on fashion and beauty brands, which rely heavily on influencers to effectively market their products.

To avoid the influence of algorithms based on existing preferences or searches, the researchers created a new TikTok account. Using search terms such as "PR haul," "PR unboxing" and "PR sustainability," they gathered and analyzed a sample of 131 public, unsponsored videos posted by U.S.-based fashion and beauty brands during a yearlong timeframe.

After analyzing more than 34,000 user comments, they discovered that less than 1% mentioned packaging sustainability.

"We were surprised that such a small percentage of videos and consumer comments included sustainability considerations," Chi said. "Many brands use influencer marketing while claiming to be sustainable, but their behavior suggests the opposite. These findings indicate that excessive packaging has been normalized and that environmental impact is not a consideration for many brands and consumers."

He added that the research could help increase consumer awareness, hold brands accountable, and support the development of policies that restrict excessive packaging and encourage the use of recyclable, biodegradable, or plastic-free materials.

"This type of research is key to understanding consumer behavior, especially in regard to sustainability and the increasing impact of social media influencers in our society as a whole," said Raj Khosla, Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean of WSU's College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. "I look forward to seeing how Dr. Chi's research findings influence the consumers in the future."

Studying a larger geographical area, longer posting timeframe, and additional social media platforms are among the opportunities for increasing the research's scope.

"We'd like to conduct a cross-cultural comparison that includes other countries or perhaps explore what types of products tend to have excessive packaging and which tend to have better regulated, more sustainable packaging," Chi added.

He also emphasized that consumers may have more control over the behavior of brands and influencers than they realize.

"It's important for consumers be clear about their expectations," Chi said. "If they demand a more proactive approach to sustainability, brands and influencers will likely pay attention."

Media Contacts

• Ting Chi, WSU Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design & Textiles, [email protected]
• Angela Sams, WSU College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences communications, 509-335-2960, [email protected]