Guy Golan, Associate Professor of Strategic Communication.
Guy Golan, professor of strategic communication, has received the John E. Hunter Award, the International Communication Association’s highest honor for excellence in meta-analysis scholarship.
The award recognizes Golan’s co-authored study, “Do Influencers Influence? A Meta-Analytic Comparison of Celebrities and Social Media Influencers Effects,” which analyzed 39 experimental studies involving more than 13,700 participants. The research found that social media influencers outperform brand-only advertising and are generally as effective as traditional celebrity endorsers.
“What our research shows is that influence is no longer something brands can manufacture through paid media alone,” Golan said. “Authenticity, credibility and relationships are the new currencies of persuasion.”
Golan teaches social media strategy and has published extensively on influencer relations and digital communication. The ICA award recognizes scholarship that advances understanding of how communication shapes public attitudes and behavior in an increasingly digital world.