Influencers' “organic” persuasion through electronic word of mouth: A case of sincerity over brains and beauty

Despite the growing importance of influencers' word-of-mouth through audiovisual content, little is known about its effect on consumers' brand evaluation, purchase intentions, and decisions. Drawing on Ohanian's source credibility framework, we conducted two studies across different influencers, product categories, and respondents' gender and tested the hypotheses using covariance-based and partial least square structural equation modeling. Study 1 focuses on a mega-influencer of cosmetic and beauty brands and predominantly involves female respondents. The findings show that the influencer's attractiveness affects perceptions about source expertise and source trustworthiness but not brand attitude, while source expertise predicts source trustworthiness, and both mediate the effect of source attractiveness on brand attitude. In contrast, brand attitude predicts purchase intention and mediates the impact of source credibility dimensions. Study 2 focuses on various influencers of hedonic products (lifestyle, fashion, and beauty). The results confirm the influence of source attractiveness and expertise on source trustworthiness, which ultimately predicts consumer purchase decisions. This study reveals the interdependencies between different source constructs, contributing to source credibility theory. Furthermore, we show that the effect of source dimensions that are relevant in the celebrity endorsement literature, such as source attractiveness, do not directly influence consumers' intentions and decisions in the context of influencers' electronic word of mouth. Finally, the two studies confirm that only influencers perceived as honest and sincere can influence consumers' purchase decisions.     

How do social media influencers inspire consumers' purchase decisions? The mediating role of parasocial relationships

In recent years, social media influencers (SMIs) have become part of the strategic communication of firms because the traditional form of mass media communication is losing its effectiveness. Thus, it is imperative to study the effects of communication through SMIs on marketing outcomes, such as purchase intentions. Based on the fairness dimensions, that is, information, distributive, interpersonal, and procedural, and dimensions of source credibility, that is, attractiveness, expertise, trustworthiness, and similarity, this research investigated how technology-oriented SMIs (T-SMIs) foster parasocial relationships (PSRs) with followers. Purposive sampling was employed to collect data from 506 active social media users. Data were analysed through IBM AMOS and SPSS 26. The results of the study suggested that attractiveness, expertise, trustworthiness, similarity, interpersonal, procedural, and information fairness are positively related to fostering PSR with followers. In contrast, distributive fairness does not strengthen PSR with followers; furthermore, the study findings suggested an indirect positive influence of attractiveness, expertise, trustworthiness, similarity, interpersonal, procedural, and information fairness on the purchase intentions of consumers via PSR. This study is useful for academia and industry since it fills important gaps in the literature and provides recommendations to brand managers of technology companies about selecting appropriate SMIs for the endorsement of their brands.     

Judging a book by its cover? The role of unconventional appearance on social media influencers effectiveness

Social media influencers (SMI) have gained undeniable importance as brands endorsers. However, although their credibility can be affected by the way they look, no known studies have applied appearance stereotypes to SMI's perceived attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise, particularly when that appearance is unconventional (e.g., use of body tattoos). Therefore, building on extant endorsement research and the Stereotype Content Model (SCM), the study examines how the use of tattoos impacts SMI's credibility, attractiveness, and effectiveness. Based on a sample of 260 young adults, a 2 x 2 x 2 (SMI gender x tattoo x domain) experimental design was conducted. Results indicate a tattoo premium effect, regardless of SMI's domain. By extending the SCM framework to the influencer marketing literature, this study contributes to both research fields, while providing valuable insights to brands and SMI.     

Investigating the impact of intelligent personal assistants on the purchase intentions of Generation Z consumers: The moderating role of brand credibility

Consumers increasingly use intelligent personal assistants for shopping, given their advantages of being hands-free and voice-controlled, enabling individuals to multi-task during interactions, and identifying users through voice printing. Members of Generation Z (Gen Z), the world's most populous generation, who focus on experiences and innovation and are familiar with using the internet, are increasingly using smart technologies. However, the factors that influence Gen Z consumers' purchase intentions as they use intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) are unknown. Drawing on the computers are social actors (CASA) paradigm, this paper explores how the intelligent features of IPAs affect Gen Z consumers' purchase intentions and investigates the moderating effect of brand credibility. Using structural equation modeling on a sample of 428 Gen Z consumers who use IPAs, the results show that personalization and a conversational tone have significant positive effects on informational support and emotional support. Autonomy and responsiveness have significant positive effects on informational support. Informational support and emotional support have a positive impact on purchase intentions. Brand credibility positively moderates the relationships between informational support and purchase intentions and between emotional support and purchase intentions. This study deepens our understanding of the antecedents of purchase intentions that affect Gen Z's use of IPAs and provides practical guidance for the development of IPAs. In addition, the results could help companies develop strategies to improve brand credibility to increase the purchase intentions of Gen Z consumers.     

Buying a sponsor's brand: the role of affective commitment to the sponsored team

Sponsorship is increasingly important in a firm's communication mix. Research to date has focused on the impact of sponsorship on brand awareness and its subsequent consequences for image congruency and consumer attitudes towards sponsors' brands. A lesser studied area is the effect of sponsorship on consumers' purchase intentions and behaviours. We argue that existing models of sponsorship driven purchase behaviour fail to account for affective commitment, which mediates relationship between affiliation with the team and social identification with the team. We propose a modified framework describing the effect of sponsorship on purchase intentions in the context of low and high performing sports teams. The framework is tested using structural equations modelling; employing PLS estimation and data collected via online survey of AFL chat room participants. Results confirm the role of affective commitment in sport sponsorship purchase intentions and indicate that team success has a significant influence on fans' purchase behaviours.     

Exploring the relationship between celebrity endorser effects and advertising effectiveness

This study provides a quantitative summary of the relationship between celebrity endorser source effects and effectiveness in advertising. The Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test is used to identify the most influential celebrity endorser source effects on effectiveness. The role of celebrity/product fit, interaction effects, sample type, study setting, and country of study are also included as moderators. Results suggest negative celebrity information can be extremely detrimental to an advertising campaign. The source credibility model composed of celebrity trustworthiness, celebrity expertise, and celebrity attractiveness appears to capture the three most influential source effects on purchase intentions, brand attitudes and attitudes towards the advertisement.     

Engaging fans on microblog: the synthetic influence of parasocial interaction and source characteristics on celebrity endorsement

Brand managers use celebrity microbloggers to endorse their products on microblogs. Previous studies on celebrity endorsement mechanisms concentrated on source factors such as celebrity's characteristics and celebrity—product congruence. This study introduces a new audience factor: the fan–celebrity parasocial interaction (PSI) to explore the celebrity endorsement mechanism within a microblog context. The study hypothesizes that PSI and source factors (credibility, attractiveness, and congruence) significantly influence endorsement effectiveness. The results of an online survey (N = 862) indicate that PSI and celebrity–product congruence are salient antecedents of endorsement effectiveness. PSI serves as a mediator of the effect of source attractiveness on endorsement effectiveness. Source credibility and celebrity–product congruence are mediators between PSI and endorsement effectiveness. The study develops and tests a conceptual model to illustrate the influential mechanism of celebrity endorsement on microblog platforms.     

The CEO endorser and message source credibility: an empirical investigation of antecedents and consequences

This article investigates the antecedents and consequences of source credibility within the context of the relatively new but growing phenomenon of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) endorsers. The study results indicate that source credibility is a central determinant of a CEO endorsers' ability to effect desired outcome states. Results also indicate that the effect of message source credibility on purchase intentions, though strong, is not direct because beliefs about critical product attributes mediate the effect of a message source's credibility on behavioural intentions. The results of the study also indicate that models of source credibility derived from the celebrity endorser literature do not generalize to the CEO endorser context. Specifically, the attractiveness and expertise of the message source had no significant impact on receivers' perceptions of credibility.     

Social media influencers: The formation and effects of affective factors during online interactions

Social media influencers emerged as powerful sources in affecting and guiding consumers' purchase decisions through self-generated content and online interactions with their followers. A large number of studies have so far focused on cognitive aspects such as perceived credibility, trustworthiness, and expertise of these influencers. This study aims to further advance the existing literature on social media influencer marketing from an affective perspective, with a focus on the emotional bonds generated by online interactions between the influencer and their followers. Based on the interpersonal process model of intimacy and theories in celebrity endorsement and social media influencer marketing, it examines the impact of self-disclosure and perceived responsiveness on familiarity and intimacy, which, in turn, affect purchase decision. An online survey was conducted with 304 social media users in Mainland China who have followed social media influencers. The results highlight the formation of two affective factors, namely, familiarity and intimacy, via self-disclosure and perceived responsiveness. Theoretically, this study provides a fresh perspective to better understand the endorser effect outside the regular set of cognitive factors. Marketing practitioners and companies can follow the suggestions of this study to select more effective social media influencers for their marketing campaign, and to build closer relationships with their target customers.     

An exploration of celebrity business ventures and their appeal to fans and non-fans

Recently, an increasing number of celebrities have launched their own businesses. Although celebrity entrepreneurs may expect their credibility to enhance customers’ purchase intentions, this study does not find this effect. Instead, it finds that customers’ purchase intentions rely mainly on customers’ attitudes toward the celebrity's venture brand. Customers’ perceived congruence between a celebrity and the celebrity's business significantly affects their brand attitudes. Additionally, this study finds that a celebrity's credibility can only increase fans’ positive attitudes toward the celebrity's venture brand; therefore, being a celebrity entrepreneur is riskier than being a brand endorser in terms of consumer attitude.     

In God we hope,in ads we believe: the influence of religion on hope,perceived ad credibility,and purchase behavior

This research proposes and demonstrates that religiosity positively affects consumers’ hope for advertised benefits, leading to greater perceived advertisement credibility and, consequently, a greater likelihood of purchasing the advertised products. A multiple-step mediation analysis revealed that both hope for advertised benefits and perceived ad credibility play pivotal roles in explicating the effect of religiosity, whether measured (study 1) or manipulated (study 2), on purchase intentions of advertised products. The authors also investigated the interactive effect between religiosity and perceived product materialism on the observed effects (study 3). The effect of religiosity on hope for advertised benefits, perceived ad credibility, and purchase intentions was moderated by perceived product materialism, such that the positive effects of religiosity on hope, perceived ad credibility, and purchase intentions were observed only for non-materialistic (vs. materialistic) products. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Signaling trust in print advertisements: An empirical investigation

Trust is a key component of many successful businesses, and while there are many factors in advertising that can aid in establishing trust, this paper focuses on business tenure and local ownership as potential cues of trustworthiness. Additionally we consider industry type as a potential moderating variable. Two studies were conducted. Study 1 examined the use of the statement ‘locally owned and operated’ while Study 2 looked at the length of time in business. Dependent variables were trustworthiness, brand attitude and purchase intent. Ads were created promoting consumer services from both high-trust and low-trust industries. Study 1 found the claim ‘locally owned and operated’ has no impact on attitudes and intentions as compared to relevant control. Study 2, however, shows that length of time in business accounts for differences in consumers' perception of the company and subsequent purchase intent. Consumers use trust as the foundation for making purchase decisions through the reduction of uncertainty. We examine several possible candidates for how businesses might signal trustworthiness. This paper attempts to answer this question by taking two very prevalent phrases in advertising and testing their ability to encourage a higher level of trust in the advertised service and purchase intent among consumers.     

Customer retention in sports organization marketing: examining the impact of team identification and satisfaction with team performance

Over the past two decades, relationship marketing efforts have assumed a prominent role in sports organization marketing. A sports organization that successfully implements relationship marketing programmes is able to develop long‐term relationships with its fans, thus increasing the likelihood of customer retention. This study examines customer retention in sports organization marketing by considering the impact of team identification and satisfaction with team performance on four fan consumption behaviours: in‐person attendance, media‐based attendance, purchase of team merchandise and word‐of‐mouth communication related to the team. Survey data were collected from 300 fans of more than 40 professional and collegiate teams involved in seven sports. Results suggest that both team identification and satisfaction with team performance impact multiple consumption behaviours, as represented by fans' intentions to engage in future consumption. Team identification was found to have the greater impact on consumption behaviours, suggesting that a sports organization's continuing efforts to bond with its fans may provide greater benefits than efforts to improve the team's competitive performance.     

The impact of message appeal and message source on Gen Y consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions toward American Apparel

A 3 × 2 experimental design was used to examine the impact of message appeal (fair labor, sex, or a combination of fair labor and sex) and message source (company advertisements or third-party publicity) upon Gen Y consumers' (N = 258) intent to patronize the retailer, American Apparel. Results supported models of hierarchical effects of advertising on patronage intention as well as the inclusion of external variables in the theory of reasoned action. Findings revealed that Gen Y consumers' attitudes toward ad, attitudes toward brand, and purchase intentions toward American Apparel varied by exposure to message appeal in advertisements viewed. Participants' evaluations of source credibility, attitudes toward brand, and purchase intentions toward American Apparel were influenced by message source. Additionally, purchase intentions toward American Apparel were directly predicted by attitudes toward American Apparel and indirectly by perceptions of source credibility. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Exploring effects of source similarity,message valence,and receiver regulatory focus on yelp review persuasiveness and purchase intentions

This study is among the first to investigate the impact of message, source, and receiver characteristics on user attitudes toward Yelp reviews, with the subsequent impact of these attitudinal evaluations on review persuasiveness. Specifically, it examines the roles of review valence (positive/negative) and sidedness (one-sided/two-sided), as well as perceived similarity with the reviewer, on user perceptions of helpfulness, trustworthiness, and credibility of the review. The study also tests moderating effects of perceived source similarity and user regulatory focus on the relationships among message characteristics, attitudinal variables, and purchase intentions. Our results disconfirm the negativity bias reported in previous studies and indicate that positive reviews are perceived as more trustworthy, credible, and helpful than negative or two-sided reviews. Review helpfulness and credibility, in turn, positively impacts its persuasiveness, with regulatory focus playing a complex nuanced role in the persuasiveness – behavioral intentions relationship. Based on the findings, future research avenues and managerial implications are proposed.     

Normative influence and masstige purchase intention: Facilitators,inhibitors, and the moderating effect of celebrity endorsement

Masstige marketing has gained considerable attention in the recent past as a theoretically significant and practically relevant concept. Masstige strategy encompasses all those activities directed to position the products for the masses, neither by offering drastic price reductions nor discounts. Rather its success depends on product innovation and promotion. Although it has been recognized as an important strategic construct, the nascent concept needs further investigation for better understanding. This research identifies significant gaps in the extant literature on fashion accessories masstige brands and intends to bridge them. The objective of the current study is to empirically investigate the factors that facilitate or inhibit masstige purchase intentions. Our study uncovers the role of normative influence in influencing the purchase intentions of a masstige fashion accessory brand, that is, Armani Exchange. Data were collected from 395 respondents, and structural equation modeling was applied to check the proposed hypotheses. The study's results revealed that conspicuous and social values play an important role as facilitators. In addition, the study highlighted that masstige brands need to overcome inhibitors like identity avoidance and deficit-value avoidance to develop masstige purchase intention. Moderation analysis highlighted the significant influence of celebrity endorsement in strengthening the facilitators and overcoming inhibitors associated with masstige purchase intention. The study's results can help marketers to position their masstige brands by adopting the right strategies that can be formulated by taking into account the influence of stimulus, facilitators, inhibitors, and a moderating variable examined in the study.     

When transparency pays off: Enticing sceptical consumers with two-sided advertising

It has been generally assumed that higher levels of scepticism towards advertising invariably lead to higher resistance to advertising appeals. The main purpose of the present research was to examine whether highly sceptical consumers' resistance can be overcome by appeals associated with higher credibility. We tested our hypotheses using message sidedness as an advertising variable that has been associated with higher (two-sided) versus lower (one-sided) credibility. In three experimental studies, we examined more versus less sceptical consumers' responses to two- versus one-sided appeals. We found that two-sided messages are more effective in increasing purchase intentions, through enhanced credibility, but only for consumers who are more sceptical of advertising. Less sceptical consumers trust both messages equally and their purchase intentions are not affected by the type of message. Importantly, we also showed that highly sceptical consumers trust two-sided appeals as much as their less sceptical counterparts. The study contributes to the literature on advertising and persuasion knowledge by showing that advertising scepticism does not elicit a single response tendency, as originally conceptualized. Rather, advertising scepticism is more consistent with the underpinnings of the Persuasion Knowledge Model, in that higher knowledge about persuasion tactics aids consumers to better cope with, and not invariably resist persuasion attempts. We conclude that transparency pays off because it may entice a more sceptical audience and, at the same time, it does not harm less sceptical consumers' trust and purchase intentions.     

The effects of the visual presentation of an Influencer's Extroversion on perceived credibility and purchase intentions—moderated by personality matching with the audience

Influencers are ordinary individuals who have amassed large followings by demonstrating expertise in various niches on social media sites. We aim to propose (1) the visual presentation of an Influencer's extroversion as an antecedent to source credibility and purchase intentions and (2) personality matching in terms of extroversion between an Influencer and their audience as a moderator of such relationships. We chose the source credibility model and the similarity-attraction model as our theoretical frameworks. In our controlled online experiment (n = 165), the profile of a brand ambassador of a fashion brand was curated to create two levels of extroversion (i.e. low vs. high extroversion). Participants' self-reported extroversion levels were counterbalanced in these two conditions to create a personality match with the Influencer, entitled “extroversion congruence.” Our results suggest that the visual presentation of an Influencer's extroversion increases the perceived credibility of the Influencer and subsequent purchase intentions. Additionally, our findings show that these relationships were asymmetrically moderated by extroversion congruence: the positive effects of extroversion increase in the case of high extroversion among both the Influencer and their audience but decrease in the case of low extroversion.     

Sport sponsorship,team support and purchase intentions

This research assessed the influence of team support and perception of sponsors on the purchase intentions of sport consumers. In a case study of a not‐for‐profit, membership‐based Australian professional football club, 1647 respondents reported their perceptions of team support, sponsor integrity and purchase intentions for the sponsor's products. Results revealed that the key pathway to purchase intention is associated with fan passion and a perception of sponsor integrity. This implies that the best mechanism for sponsor return on investment comes in the form of activities to bolster both passion for the team and perceptions of sponsor integrity.     

Consumer Responses to English Accent Variations in Advertising

Abstract

With the growing use of different types of English accents in international advertising, it is important for marketers to understand the factors that influence the credibility of the spokesperson in order to select the most persuasive character. This study investigates the effects of a spokesperson's accent on spokesperson's perceived credibility across high and low involvement products and products of different country-of-origin. Two different accents-the standard English accent and the local Singaporean English accent (Singlish)-were tested. Results indicated that accent, product country-of-origin and product involvement significantly influence the spokesperson's perceived credibility and attitude towards the ads. The accent effects appeared to be strong enough to offset the country-of-origin, gender and product involvement effects, attesting to the importance of considering this factor in advertisements. Specifically, the Standard English accent outperformed the Singlish accent in terms of spokesperson credibility, attitude towards the ad, attitude towards the brand and purchase intentions. However, the Singlish accent outperformed the Standard English accent in terms of attention to the ad. Implications for marketers are discussed.