Sponsored videos have rapidly emerged as an important marketing tool as video sharing platforms and the popularity of video influencers have grown. However, little research explores how sponsored videos’ design strategies affect viewer engagement. Using field data, this study highlights influencers’ authenticity dilemma in sponsored video design and tests which features drive digital engagement. Specifically, this study conceptualizes and empirically tests a comprehensive framework, involving passion- and transparency-based strategies as well as platform- and brand-factors, to determine how influencers can best manage the authenticity dilemma. Results show that explicitly disclosing brand sponsorship, alone, and in combination with platform-generated disclosure, positively impacts digital engagement, indicating an evolution in consumer persuasion knowledge. Early brand appearance, high video customization, and influencers’ subjective endorsements, such as sharing personal experiences or opinions about the sponsored product, impair sponsored videos’ digital engagement. In addition to contributing theoretical insights on authenticity management strategies and sponsorship disclosure in influencer videos, this research offers practical recommendations to influencers on how to design more engaging sponsored videos.

随着视频共享平台和视频影响者的普及，赞助视频已迅速成为一种重要的营销工具。然而，很少有研究探讨赞助视频的设计策略如何影响观众参与度。本研究使用现场数据突出了影响者在赞助视频设计和测试中的真实性困境，这些特征推动了数字参与。具体而言，本研究概念化并实证测试了一个综合框架，包括基于激情和透明度的策略以及平台和品牌因素，以确定影响者如何最好地管理真实性困境。结果表明，单独明确披露品牌赞助，并结合平台生成的披露，对数字参与产生积极影响，表明消费者说服知识的演变。早期的品牌形象、高度的视频定制以及影响者的主观代言（例如分享个人经验或对赞助产品的看法）会损害赞助视频的数字参与度。除了为影响者视频中的真实性管理策略和赞助披露提供理论见解外，本研究还为影响者提供了有关如何设计更具吸引力的赞助视频的实用建议。