,COM4806 ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 2 2026
DUE DATE: 2026
The Communicative Construction of Identity and Power: A Qualitative Study of Brand-
Influencer Relationships in the South African Spice Industry
1. Introduction
The rapid growth of social media has significantly changed the way brands communicate
with consumers and construct their identities in competitive markets. Traditional forms of
advertising generally positioned organisations as the primary producers of commercial
messages, while consumers occupied a relatively passive role as receivers of information.
The emergence of social media platforms has altered this relationship by creating
communication environments in which brands, influencers and consumers interact
continuously. Within these environments, meaning is not simply transferred from a brand to
an audience. Instead, meaning is produced through communication, interaction, negotiation
and interpretation (Khamis, Ang and Welling, 2017). This development has made influencer
marketing particularly important because influencers operate between brands and consumers
and can affect how products, organisations and lifestyles are represented in digital spaces.
The relationship between a brand and an influencer is therefore more complex than a simple
commercial arrangement. It involves the communication of values, identities, expectations
and forms of authority. Influencers may be selected because their personal identity,
communication style and relationship with followers appear compatible with the identity that
a brand wishes to project. At the same time, influencers possess their own identities,
audiences and reputations, meaning that they are not simply neutral channels through which
brands distribute promotional messages. They actively interpret, reshape and communicate
brand meanings to their audiences (Abidin, 2016). Consequently, the relationship between
brands and influencers can be understood as a communicative relationship in which both
parties participate in the construction of meaning and identity.
, This is particularly relevant in the South African spice industry, where products are closely
associated with food, culture, family traditions, taste and everyday social practices. Spice
brands do not merely sell physical products. Through advertising and social media
communication, they can also associate their products with particular understandings of
South African identity, cultural belonging, family life, hospitality and culinary tradition.
Influencers can strengthen these associations by incorporating products into everyday content
such as cooking demonstrations, family meals, recipes and lifestyle posts. In this way,
communication becomes an important mechanism through which commercial products
acquire cultural and social meanings.
The concept of identity is therefore central to understanding brand-influencer relationships.
From a social constructionist perspective, identity is not regarded as something that exists
independently of communication. Rather, identities are continually constructed and
reconstructed through interaction and discourse (Barker, 2012). Individuals communicate
who they are through the language they use, the stories they tell, the images they present and
the social relationships they establish. Organisations similarly construct identities through
branding, advertising and interaction with stakeholders. Social media intensifies this process
because it provides brands and influencers with constant opportunities to present, modify and
negotiate their identities in public spaces.
Power is equally important in this relationship. Power should not be understood only as the
ability of one party to control another. Foucault (1978) argues that power operates through
relationships, knowledge, discourse and everyday practices. This perspective is useful for
understanding influencer marketing because power can exist through the ability to define
what is desirable, authentic, trustworthy or commercially appropriate. A brand may possess
financial resources and control over contractual arrangements, while an influencer may
possess social credibility, audience access and cultural knowledge. Both therefore have
resources that can influence the relationship. The resulting power dynamic may involve
cooperation, negotiation and dependence rather than straightforward domination.
The purpose of this study is consequently to explore how identity and power are
communicatively constructed within relationships between brands and influencers in the
DUE DATE: 2026
The Communicative Construction of Identity and Power: A Qualitative Study of Brand-
Influencer Relationships in the South African Spice Industry
1. Introduction
The rapid growth of social media has significantly changed the way brands communicate
with consumers and construct their identities in competitive markets. Traditional forms of
advertising generally positioned organisations as the primary producers of commercial
messages, while consumers occupied a relatively passive role as receivers of information.
The emergence of social media platforms has altered this relationship by creating
communication environments in which brands, influencers and consumers interact
continuously. Within these environments, meaning is not simply transferred from a brand to
an audience. Instead, meaning is produced through communication, interaction, negotiation
and interpretation (Khamis, Ang and Welling, 2017). This development has made influencer
marketing particularly important because influencers operate between brands and consumers
and can affect how products, organisations and lifestyles are represented in digital spaces.
The relationship between a brand and an influencer is therefore more complex than a simple
commercial arrangement. It involves the communication of values, identities, expectations
and forms of authority. Influencers may be selected because their personal identity,
communication style and relationship with followers appear compatible with the identity that
a brand wishes to project. At the same time, influencers possess their own identities,
audiences and reputations, meaning that they are not simply neutral channels through which
brands distribute promotional messages. They actively interpret, reshape and communicate
brand meanings to their audiences (Abidin, 2016). Consequently, the relationship between
brands and influencers can be understood as a communicative relationship in which both
parties participate in the construction of meaning and identity.
, This is particularly relevant in the South African spice industry, where products are closely
associated with food, culture, family traditions, taste and everyday social practices. Spice
brands do not merely sell physical products. Through advertising and social media
communication, they can also associate their products with particular understandings of
South African identity, cultural belonging, family life, hospitality and culinary tradition.
Influencers can strengthen these associations by incorporating products into everyday content
such as cooking demonstrations, family meals, recipes and lifestyle posts. In this way,
communication becomes an important mechanism through which commercial products
acquire cultural and social meanings.
The concept of identity is therefore central to understanding brand-influencer relationships.
From a social constructionist perspective, identity is not regarded as something that exists
independently of communication. Rather, identities are continually constructed and
reconstructed through interaction and discourse (Barker, 2012). Individuals communicate
who they are through the language they use, the stories they tell, the images they present and
the social relationships they establish. Organisations similarly construct identities through
branding, advertising and interaction with stakeholders. Social media intensifies this process
because it provides brands and influencers with constant opportunities to present, modify and
negotiate their identities in public spaces.
Power is equally important in this relationship. Power should not be understood only as the
ability of one party to control another. Foucault (1978) argues that power operates through
relationships, knowledge, discourse and everyday practices. This perspective is useful for
understanding influencer marketing because power can exist through the ability to define
what is desirable, authentic, trustworthy or commercially appropriate. A brand may possess
financial resources and control over contractual arrangements, while an influencer may
possess social credibility, audience access and cultural knowledge. Both therefore have
resources that can influence the relationship. The resulting power dynamic may involve
cooperation, negotiation and dependence rather than straightforward domination.
The purpose of this study is consequently to explore how identity and power are
communicatively constructed within relationships between brands and influencers in the
