Article

‘You really are a great big sister’ – parasocial relationships, credibility, and the moderating role of audience comments in influencer marketing

Taylor & Francis
Journal of Marketing Management
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Abstract

This study examines the moderating role of audience comments in influencer marketing. A YouTube vlog entry by a social media influencer featuring the endorsement of a brand was studied, and an experimental design featuring two conditions related to audience comments was created. The results indicate that a parasocial relationship with the influencer builds the perceived credibility of the influencer, while comments by other audience members moderate the effect. Influencer credibility positively affects brand trust and purchase intention. The findings enhance the understanding of the role of an active audience in influencer marketing.

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... The effects on customers (consumers) (Mardon et al., 2023a) relate to their creditability, trustworthiness and perceived expertise (Han & Balabanis, 2024;Jin et al., 2019), and the effectiveness of e-word of mouth (Singh, 2021). The general belief is that social media influencers are more closely positioned to the consumers in terms of their identification (Reinikainen et al., 2020). As such, their effect on consumer decision making includes both their roles in the marketplace as players between peers and professionals, and their ability to create content. ...
... Meanwhile, we indeed acknowledge how social media influencers array across some different characteristics. While social media influencers were initially seen as "big sisters" or online friends providing recommendations to peers (Reinikainen et al., 2020), social media influencing have, for some, become a profession with a stardom expanding beyond those past supermodels and popstars. Social media influencers today array from those randomly posting on social media while still having the power to affect others, to those making a living of promoting products, themselves or a healthy lifestyle (cf. ...
... Unfortunately, inappropriate comments and hate were difficult to manage and were seen as a widespread problem among the influencers. This being connected with having achieved some type of stardom (Jin et al., 2019;Reinikainen et al., 2020) and thereby associated with being a successful influencer, leading to a third paradox: ...
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This paper describes and discusses social media influencers’ health-related costs of keeping traction as influencers. The paper is based on interviews and social media posts. Four paradoxes highlight the social media influencers’ contradictory circumstances: (1) the social media influencer’s well-being is situated between not being dependent on income and earning the income to avoid monetary stress; (2) well-being becomes associated with playing a role, while authenticity is crucial for the influencer; (3) the premises of being a successful social media influencer is what creates their despair; and (4) being exposed as a healthy role model risks harming the well-being of the social media influencer. The paper takes a unique perspective on social media influencers, focusing on their well-being rather than their promotional power. The paper helps to create socially sustainable conditions for influencers, while it adds to theory through outlining influencers’ paradoxical conditions.
... Trustworthiness relates to the influencer's honesty, integrity, and transparency. Research shows that consumers are more likely to engage with influencers they perceive as genuine, as trust plays a pivotal role in shaping consumer attitudes (Reinikainen et al., 2020). Attractiveness encompasses both physical appeal and social likability, making the influencer's content more engaging and relatable (Djafarova & Rushworth, 2017). ...
... It can also be defined simply as "the practice of utilizing social media channels to promote business products or ser vices" (American Marketing Association). Influencer marketing is regarded as a form of social media marketing that assists companies and brands in increasing awareness and bolstering their image (Reinikainen et al., 2020;Sokolova & Kefi, 2020). It is defined as a strategy in which "a firm selects and incentivizes online influencers to engage their followers on social media, leveraging these influencers' unique resources to promote the firm's offerings, with the ultimate goal of enhancing firm performance" (Leung et al., 2022). ...
... Interactivity in the context of this research is the ability of influencers to create engaging, participatory experiences with their followers. Interactivity reflects the degree to which a communicator fosters two-way communication, allowing for real-time engagement and personal connections (Reinikainen et al., 2020). Influencers who engage in interactive activities, such as live sessions, polls, and Q&A features, enhance audience involvement, fostering a sense of belonging and deeper emotional connections. ...
... Influencers, often regarded as "opinion leaders", are prominent social media users who are considered role models for their audiences (Barta et al., 2023). Influencers representing internet celebrities are leveraged by companies to promote their products on Instagram, YouTube, blogs, and other social media platforms to gain trust and attention (Reinikainen et al., 2020). Influencers provide advantages both for brands and for themselves, offering a degree of influence that is considered more effective than traditional influencers (Reinikainen et al., 2020;Southgate, 2017). ...
... Influencers representing internet celebrities are leveraged by companies to promote their products on Instagram, YouTube, blogs, and other social media platforms to gain trust and attention (Reinikainen et al., 2020). Influencers provide advantages both for brands and for themselves, offering a degree of influence that is considered more effective than traditional influencers (Reinikainen et al., 2020;Southgate, 2017). ...
Article
In today’s social media landscape, internet celebrities, often regarded as "opinion leaders", play an essential role in marketing. This study investigates the influence of opinion leaders on social media platforms, with a particular focus on TikTok and Instagram. This study used a quantitative empirical approach through online and offline surveys. Based on the survey results, 327 respondents met the criteria. The findings demonstrated that key factors, such as perceived originality, perceived quality, perceived quantity, and humor, enhanced the persuasive power of influencers, making them role models for consumers. The central concept of this study, the personal fit theory, posits that an opinion leader's success in influencing purchasing behavior and engagement depends on how well their content aligns with their followers' personal interests. The empirical evidence supports this theory, showing a significant increase in purchase behavior when opinion leaders create a personal fit between their content and their followers' interests.
... Influencers, often regarded as "opinion leaders", are prominent social media users who are considered role models for their audiences (Barta et al., 2023). Influencers representing internet celebrities are leveraged by companies to promote their products on Instagram, YouTube, blogs, and other social media platforms to gain trust and attention (Reinikainen et al., 2020). Influencers provide advantages both for brands and for themselves, offering a degree of influence that is considered more effective than traditional influencers (Reinikainen et al., 2020;Southgate, 2017). ...
... Influencers representing internet celebrities are leveraged by companies to promote their products on Instagram, YouTube, blogs, and other social media platforms to gain trust and attention (Reinikainen et al., 2020). Influencers provide advantages both for brands and for themselves, offering a degree of influence that is considered more effective than traditional influencers (Reinikainen et al., 2020;Southgate, 2017). ...
Article
In today’s social media landscape, internet celebrities, often regarded as "opinion leaders", play an essential role in marketing. This study investigates the influence of opinion leaders on social media platforms, with a particular focus on TikTok and Instagram. This study used a quantitative empirical approach through online and offline surveys. Based on the survey results, 327 respondents met the criteria. The findings demonstrated that key factors, such as perceived originality, perceived quality, perceived quantity, and humor, enhanced the persuasive power of influencers, making them role models for consumers. The central concept of this study, the personal fit theory, posits that an opinion leader's success in influencing purchasing behavior and engagement depends on how well their content aligns with their followers' personal interests. The empirical evidence supports this theory, showing a significant increase in purchase behavior when opinion leaders create a personal fit between their content and their followers' interests.
... Credibility of the influencer has a major role in influencing consumers' opinions about advertising (Ata et al., 2022). Research continuously demonstrates that buying intention and brand trust are significantly impacted by influencer credibility (Reinikainen et al., 2020). There are many studies which explored the liaison among a consumer's inclination to buy and the credibility of an influencer (Schouten et al., 2020). ...
... According to Sussman and Siegal (2003), source credibility is one of the peripheral cues setting arguments for those undergoing central processing, directly impacting how one perceives the argument quality. According to Reinikainen et al. (2020), it has been identified that influencer credibility positively influence brand trust and buying intention. The integrity of the influencers seems to be the prime determinant governing majorly the buyers' affective states and behaviours (Sokolova and Kefi, 2020;Ata et al., 2022). ...
Article
The study involves the impact of Instagram food vloggers on customer intentions to visit restaurants, aiming on the part of credibility, attractiveness, homophily, and parasocial relationships. The research employs a quantitative survey methodology, targeting Instagram users who follow food vloggers. It analyses the collected data using PLS-SEM and SPSS to comprehend relationships between influencer characteristics and restaurant visit intentions. Findings reveal that credibility and parasocial relationships have a significant influence on restaurant visit intentions. Attractiveness, while influential on credibility, does not directly affect visit intentions, highlighting the importance of vlogger-subscriber relationships over superficial traits. The study involves the emerging sector of influencer marketing research by focusing on the food industry and highlighting the paramount importance of credibility and parasocial relationships in influencing consumer behaviour, offering valuable insights for marketers and vloggers alike. Keywords: Instagram; food vloggers; restaurant; influencer marketing; credibility; homophily
... Consequently, SMIs can contribute to brands' efforts to create demand for their products by increasing the purchase intentions of their target market and creating awareness about their products through consumers' eWOM behaviors. In the same manner, it was determined in a past study that SMIs' brand recommendations can reduce the uncertainty surrounding these brands and positively affect purchase intention toward their products (Reinikainen et al. 2020). Also, according to Bi et al., (2019), eWOM is persuasive and may change people's attitudes and behaviors, provided that the content's credibility, authenticity, professionalism, and usefulness are ensured. ...
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With the rise of social media and influencer marketing, unboxing videos have become key for connecting with customers. Drawing on the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) and Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this study examines how motives for watching unboxing videos influence consumers’ purchase and eWOM intentions, and the mediating role of ad involvement. Analyzing survey data from 499 YouTube viewers, the research finds that information-seeking, entertainment, and interpersonal utility motives significantly affect purchase and eWOM intentions, while pass-time motives do not. The study contributes a novel UGT-ELM-based model with consumer-focused insights and discusses its theoretical and practical implications. The study also offers implications for marketing analytics.
... Additionally, social media marketing activities, especially through influencers, influence purchase intentions in the tea industry and tourism destinations (Aji et al., 2020;Reinikainen et al., 2020). Social media influencers are users who regularly upload content, have many followers, and are utilized by brands for marketing purposes . ...
Article
Although the intention to visit tourist destinations has been extensively studied, no particular study has examined the intention to visit man-made destinations that make use of social media, destination branding, and personality. The purpose of this research is to evaluate whether social media (vlogs, e-WOM and influencers), destination brand and personality can drive and moderate the intention to visit man-made destinations. A total of 424 tourists participated in an online survey through Google forms, which was shared via social media and email. Structural equation modelling based on Partial Least Squares was used to analyze the data. The research findings indicate that social media and the congruence of destination brand and brand personality act as drivers and mediators for prospective tourists to visit man-made destinations.
... Magano et al. (2022) argue that expert, knowledgeable, and trustworthy influencers are mandatory requirements to be prioritized by brands for collaboration. Certain studies confirmed that followers' positive attitude toward 36 | International Journal of Academe and Industry Research, Volume 6 Issue 1 influencers and created content affected brands, with a tendency to increase purchase intention (Bakar & Musa, 2020;Djafarova & Rushworth, 2017;Reinikainen et al., 2020). Attractive influencers were also found to provide a positive effect on promoted products (Hwang & Zhang, 2018;Taillon et al., 2020). ...
Article
Social media influencers are popular marketing partners, requiring the focus of brands to enhance the purchase intention. The majority of brands are passionate to collaborate with favorable social media influencers but lack the understanding to maintain followers' attitude. These circumstances could jeopardize the reputation of brands, leading to a waste of investment. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to examine the effect of credible sources and advertising content (stimuli) on purchase intention (response), mediated by followers' attitude toward social media influencers (organisms). A quantitative study design with purposive sampling was used to select 291 respondents living in Indonesia. The respondents were active social media users and followers of influencers. An online survey questionnaire was distributed through WhatsApp. Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied for data analysis. The results showed that credible social media influencers as source of information and entertainment are the main reason for followers to show a positive attitude towards themselves leading to intention to purchase product. Trustworthiness serves as a mandatory element to establish healthy long-term relationships with followers and brands. Those who succeed in maintaining credibility and the ability to share valuable content are the best investment of brands.
... Extant work on source credibility theory has extended the foregoing three dimensions. Previous studies, for example, have considered similarity (Munnukka et al., 2016;Xiao et al., 2018), congruence (Breves et al., 2019;Dhun and Dangi, 2023) and parasocial relationships (Reinikainen et al., 2020;Masuda et al., 2022) as extension of source credibility theory in influencer marketing. Lou and Yuan (2019) added the dimensions of entertainment and informativeness and then proposed a social media influencer value model. ...
Article
Purpose Health and fitness influencers who directly affect one’s well-being through their messages create situations of vulnerability that require trust. To understand the various dimensions of trust, this study integrated a typology of trust into source credibility theory. The purpose of the study is to explore the typology’s four trust dimensions concomitant with the perceived attractiveness and expertise of such influencers to identify consumers’ attitudes toward micro-health and fitness influencers. Design/methodology/approach This study used a manipulated-stimuli online survey and gathered 414 micro-influencer evaluations. Variance-based structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings The results supported the four of trust building. However, a less complex trust formation process was revealed, thereby contrasting the original trust theory formulation. Specifically, the effect of disposition to trust on institution-based trust was higher for regular than for heavy social media users. Also, compared to regular social media users, trusting intentions had a greater impact on heavy social media users’ attitudes toward micro-influencers. In addition, the effect of institution-based trust on trusting beliefs was higher for older than for younger participants. Furthermore, placement of congruent compared to noncongruent products created differences in perceived attitudes toward micro-influencers. In particular, disposition to trust had a larger effect on institution-based trust for noncongruent than for congruent product placements. Originality/value This study extended source credibility theory by including alternative trust dimensions – notably, non-situation-specific disposition to trust and institution-based trust, as well as situation-specific trusting beliefs and trusting intentions – into source credibility.
... Social media influencers are social media users who gained large following (Ki et al. 2020) by creating and curating content that portrays an appealing online personality (Tafesse and Wood 2021). Influencers form parasocial relationships with their followers: members of the audience feels close, as if they know the influencers intimately (Reinikainen et al. 2020). Although parasocial relationships are known within traditional mass media, they may increase in the context of social media, because of its interactive nature (Conde and Casais 2023;Lou and Yuan 2019), and the disclosure of the influencers' personal lives (Conde and Casais 2023). ...
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Societal and personal values are transmitted to younger generations through interaction and exposure. Traditionally, children and adolescents learned values from parents, educators, or peers. Nowadays, social platforms serve as a significant channel through which youth (and adults) consume information, as the main medium of entertainment, and possibly the medium through which they learn different values. In this paper we extract implicit values from TikTok movies uploaded by online influencers targeting children and adolescents. We curated a dataset of hundreds of TikTok movies and annotated them according to the Schwartz Theory of Personal Values. We then experimented with an array of Masked and Large language model, exploring how values can be detected. Specifically, we considered two pipelines -- direct extraction of values from video and a 2-step approach in which videos are first converted to elaborated scripts and then values are extracted. Achieving state-of-the-art results, we find that the 2-step approach performs significantly better than the direct approach and that using a trainable Masked Language Model as a second step significantly outperforms a few-shot application of a number of Large Language Models. We further discuss the impact of fine-tuning and compare the performance of the different models on identification of values present or contradicted in the TikTok. Finally, we share the first values-annotated dataset of TikTok videos. Our results pave the way to further research on influence and value transmission in video-based social platforms.
... Nesse caso, é necessário equilibrar a tensão entre a necessidade de ser verdadeiro e a possível percepção de inautenticidade da promoção estratégica (Maares, et al., 2020). A percepção de autenticidade ou inautenticidade é uma área extensa a ser investigada (Reinikainen et al., 2020), já que o conteúdo patrocinado pode assumir diferentes percepções resultantes (Van Reijmersdal et al., 2016). ...
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RESUMO Objetivo: O presente estudo tem como objetivo identificar as estratégias de gerenciamento de autenticidade nos conteúdos de endosso compartilhados pelas categorias de SMIs, considerando as tipologias que descrevem influenciadores nativos, natos; isto é, aqueles que obtiveram fama a partir das mídias sociais, diferenciando-os das celebridades tradicionais. Proposta: A análise buscou identificar os sinais de autenticidade presentes nos endossos a marcas a fim de descobrir qual a estratégia da autenticidade é adotada por cada categoria. Abordagem Teórica: Este estudo utilizou-se dos conceitos de marketing de influenciadores, de autenticidade e de estratégias do seu gerenciamento Provocação: Estudos exploram como a autenticidade se relaciona com a comunicação do influenciador e como sua diminuição pode afetar as campanhas de marketing associadas. Métodos: Adotou-se a abordagem qualitativa de caráter exploratória. A construção dos dados foi realizada por meio da coleta de dados secundários analisados por meio da técnica de Análise de Conteúdo. Resultados: Identificou-se novas características de autenticidade, validação e responsividade, além das propostas pela literatura anterior para compor o modelo teórico e revelou-se que os microinfluenciadores adota estratégias de autenticidade mais alinhadas com a autenticidade absoluta, considerada a mais eficaz. Conclusões: O estudo demonstra que a paixão é a matriz contextual que orienta o desenvolvimento do conteúdo dos influenciadores analisados. O modelo poderá auxiliar profissionais de marketing a avaliar a autenticidade dos SMIs antes de estabelecer colaborações. Para os SMIs, as contribuições destacam a importância de avaliar os conteúdos para que estes transmitam as características que permeiam a integra do seu lifestyle. Palavras-chave: Influenciadores digitais; Categorias; Estratégias de autenticidade; Modelo Conceitual.
... Many content generators professionalise and monetise this activity and exercise a prescriptive capacity over their followers through their publications on networks (Cárdaba et al., 2023;Freberg et al., 2011). Their content is used by commercial brands to more effectively reach their target audience (Reinikainen et al., 2020). In this way, these new opinion leaders or influencers have emerged as essential pillars, especially in branded content strategies. ...
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Este trabajo presenta una aproximación al mundo de los menores influencers desde una perspectiva cualitativa dado el carácter exploratorio de esta investigación y escasez de estudios previos. Se han realizado tres entrevistas en profundidad de carácter semiestructurado a menores creadores de contenido con el objetivo de explorar identidades y experiencias, medidas de control parental y contextos legales que rodean a estos niños. Además, se realizaron tres grupos de discusión con niños y adolescentes (de 10 a 16 años), seguidores de kids influencers. El posterior análisis de la información con la herramienta WebQDA ha permitido concluir, entre otros aspectos, información relevante sobre: los procesos de socialización y adquisición de conciencia de los kids influencers sobre sus actividades en la red; ciertas prácticas de autocontrol de los menores y de tutela de los padres; los elementos identificados como un riesgo tanto para los menores generadores de contenido como para menores seguidores de influencers.
... Cognitive and affective identification were assessed using six items from Hsieh (2023), such as "My self-identity is partly based on being a follower of this virtual influencer," and "I feel happy to be a follower and part of this influencer's community." Parasocial relationships were measured using five scales from Reinikainen et al. (2020), including items like "I think the virtual influencer is like an old friend." ...
Conference Paper
The role of parasocial relationships in social media influencer research has garnered substantial attention, particularly in the context of virtual influencers. Drawing from social identity and parasocial relationship theories, this research examines how followers' social identification influences their perceived parasocial relationships with virtual influencers. An empirical analysis of survey data from 372 followers of virtual influencers reveals that both cognitive and affective identifications enhance followers' perceived parasocial relationships with virtual influencers, with affective identification exerting a more pronounced effect than cognitive identification. Moreover, the type of virtual influencer moderates these effects, with the impact of social identification on parasocial relationships being stronger for followers of human-like influencers compared to those of non-human-like ones.
... Reinikainen points out that the credibility of influencers significantly impacts brand trust and purchase intentions [6]. Due to the vast reach and speed of information dissemination on social media, an influencer's authenticity and reliability directly affect consumer trust in a brand. ...
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Through its healthy tea drinks, unique brand culture, and effective social media marketing, CHAGEE has successfully attracted many young consumers, rapidly expanding in the market and establishing a strong brand influence. This study explores how CHAGEE enhances high school consumers' purchase intentions through new media marketing, beverage taste, and packaging design, product visual appeal and brand image, collaboration with KOLs, and brand partnerships. In order to ensure the representability of the data, the author set several multiple-choice questions on the program, and then published the online survey on the Chinese platform Little Red Book for two weeks, collecting some data from high school students in various regions of China. The survey shows that consumers mainly learn about CHAGEE through TikTok and word-of-mouth, and choose to purchase because of its taste and appearance. The visual appeal of the brand and the brand image are also very important. It is also suggested to collaborate with KOLs or launch co-branded limited editions to enhance social media marketing effectiveness.
... Additionally, they should provide young people with genuine and transparent information about their services, without resorting to flattery, to convey a more authentic message (Cornelis & Peter, 2017;Jin et al., 2023;Loebnitz et al., 2022;Shoenberger et al., 2020). The emergence of social media networks (SMNs) has created new opportunities for brand owners to increase brand awareness and image through influencer marketing (Reinikainen et al., 2020;Sokolova & Kefi, 2020). Although the use of brand-opinion leader collaborations on SMNs is increasing, there is still limited research on their effectiveness and contribution to Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) (Conde & Casais, 2023;Schouten et al., 2020). ...
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Understanding Gen Z consumer-brand identification through Other Customer perception as diversity-driver in marketing strategy
... Presently, business people employ diverse methods to move away from traditional media platforms. Before engaging in marketing communication, there exist interrelated strategies aimed at achieving success in line with the desired target market (Reinikainen et al., 2020). ...
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This article discusses the strategies for overseeing the marketing communication of a Local Coffee Brand, utilizing both digital and conventional methods. In conventional marketing, Local Coffee Brand use media promotion tools such as banners and word of mouth in their stores. However, there is a limited number of target markets in stores, and Local Coffee Brand uses other digital tools in the promotion. As such, this article aims to shed light on the challenges concerning the use of digital marketing and traditional methods in the Local Coffee Brand industry. To achieve this, content analysis and semi-structured interviews have been utilized to glean comprehensive insights from both the owner and the brand marketing team, all of whom possess significant experience in steering the digital marketing communication strategy. In digital marketing, Local Coffee Brand leverages its application, social media platforms, and website to gain significant advantages. These channels serve as swift and cost-effective tools for marketing communication, particularly in product promotion, advertisement dissemination, and brand awareness. It’s emphasized that managing marketing communication through digital platforms is a strategic approach to inform, persuade, and remind consumers about the offerings of Local Coffee Brand. The study's findings indicate that digital marketing, along with conventional methods, has emerged as an effective communication tool for swiftly and cost-efficiently disseminating promotional messages to consumers compared to traditional media.
... Проте за допомогою сценаристів вони досить вдало імітують людські реакції, почуття та взаємини, створюючи сприятливу психологічну основу для спілкування. Цю тезу підтверджують результати досліджень (напр., Reinikainen et al, 2020), що парасоціальні стосунки послідовників з інфлюенсерами сприяють виникненню довіри та виводять взаємодію на новий рівень. Своєю чергою, прихильники розвивають парасоціальні стосунки зі своїми цифровими кумирами на основі уявної подібності, фізичної привабливості та емпатії. ...
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The object of the study is virtual influencers – digital characters created with the help of computer programs and artificial intelligence, on behalf of which agencies maintain pages in social networks to increase the number of supporters and promote branded goods and services among them. This concept emerged in the last decade in a practical environment and is currently actively developing, attracting the attention of researchers. The relevance of the article, on the one hand, is related to the novelty of the phenomenon of virtual influencers, its lack of research, and on the other hand, the significant potential of influencing the formation of public opinion and changes in the principles and formats of communications in the digital age. The purpose is to conceptualize the “virtual influencer” phenomenon, define its role and place in modern digital communication, and outline its opportunities and risks. The research methods are a critical review of theoretical sources, publications in the industry media, and expert blogs of recent years, as well as a SWOT analysis based on consideration of practical aspects: content specifics, methods of interaction with the audience, and statistical indicators of the profiles of the most popular virtual influencers in social networks. The main conclusions are that virtual influencers are a new specific type of communicators, artificial technological and informational products of collective creativity that compete with live bloggers in digital reality. Currently, virtual influencers cannot communicate with the audience on their own. However, with the development of artificial intelligence technologies, they will learn this based on the analysis of the content of social networks. They will not just imitate live contact but will conduct meaningful communication. Over time, virtual influencers will overcome the evolutionary distance from exotic communication tools to self-managed carriers of meaning. They will become independent actors of social communications, bringing society closer to the metaverse.
... The Instagram platform has been focused in this study because the majority of virtual influencers are active on Instagram (Chan et al., 2023), and they utilize this platform to interact and communicate with their followers (Xie-Carson et al., 2023a). Moreover, Instagram is the leading platform for influencer marketing (Reinikainen et al., 2020). The visually appealing aesthetics and filters offered by this platform create an ideal environment for advertising products, especially beauty products, and endorsing luxurious lifestyles and high-end brands. ...
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The swift progress in machine learning algorithms, artificial intelligence, and interactive immersive media technologies has led to the introduction of computer-generated imagery on Instagram. This feature, so-called "human-like virtual influencers (VIs)", has revolutionized the way people interact with technology. Using a combination of cutting-edge AI technologies, in a novel application of computer vision algorithms, and large language models to extract the content posted by two popular human-like VIs on Instagram, the present study is the first to categorize and classify types of human-like virtual-influencer-generated content. Quantitative methods, such as partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), were used to examine the impact of human-like virtual-influencer-generated content on consumers' willingness to follow as well as purchase intentions. The information was gathered from 650 Thai customers. The findings showed that consumers' willingness to follow and purchase intentions were significantly influenced by the positive effects of emotional appeal content, which includes relational, entertaining, positive emotion, and negative emotion content. These effects outweighed those of rational appeal content, such as informative and remunerative content, as well as authenticity appeal content. Meanwhile, disclosing sponsored content had no effect on consumers' willingness to follow. The theoretical underpinnings of uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, parasocial relationships and Richins' hierarchical model of emotions are confirmed and expanded upon in this work, and the suggested inclusive approach also significantly advances the expanding corpus of research on VIs. Our research also provides a contribution to the recent literature on human-like VI marketing.
... Additionally, they should provide young people with genuine and transparent information about their services, without resorting to flattery, to convey a more authentic message (Cornelis & Peter, 2017;Jin et al., 2023;Loebnitz et al., 2022;Shoenberger et al., 2020). The emergence of social media networks (SMNs) has created new opportunities for brand owners to increase brand awareness and image through influencer marketing (Reinikainen et al., 2020;Sokolova & Kefi, 2020). Although the use of brand-opinion leader collaborations on SMNs is increasing, there is still limited research on their effectiveness and contribution to Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) (Conde & Casais, 2023;Schouten et al., 2020). ...
... interacting with followers, disclosing sponsorships, using hashtags) affect either perceptions of the influencer, the brand, or both. In addition, research by Reinikainen et al. (2020) considers how followers' actions (e.g. commenting) can influence others' perceptions of the influencer. ...
... According to a study by Wang [6], businesses are recalibrating their financial key performance indicators (KPIs) to include metrics linked to consumer engagement and word-of-mouth in addition to traditional financial indicators, considering the growing influence of SMIs. Although there has been a rapid expansion in influencer marketing (IM), there is still a research gap concerning its use in the beauty industry [7], particularly in South Africa. ...
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The South African beauty and personal care industry has been significantly impacted by digital technologies, with social media influencers (SMIs) playing a pivotal role in shaping consumer behaviour. Despite the significant role of SMIs, there is a notable research gap in optimising their influence to boost customer engagement and drive sales. This study addresses this gap by introducing a comprehensive digital framework integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalisation to enhance influencer marketing (IM) strategies in South Africa’s beauty and personal care industry. The primary objective is to present a novel approach that digitally overlays traditional SMI marketing processes, enhancing engagement and effectiveness. A mixed-method approach was employed, integrating quantitative data from web scraping and sentiment analysis (SA) of Instagram posts with qualitative insights from the existing literature. This approach facilitated data-driven decision-making and optimised IM efficacy through technology-driven feedback analysis. The empirical findings confirmed that incorporating AI into influencer marketing (IM) campaigns significantly improves data collection and sentiment analysis, enhancing consumer engagement and purchase intent. This study underscores the transformative impact of digitalisation on marketing practices and the potential of digital tools to optimise SMI strategies in the beauty and personal care sector. This research also provides a valuable framework for marketers aiming to enhance IM campaigns, emphasising the strategic advantage of an automated response workflow based on feedback analysis. This study contributes to developing more impactful digital marketing strategies, maximising the effect of SMIs, and ensuring market competitiveness.
... absence of face-to-face interactions (Reinikainen et al., 2020). Engaging with their audience and sharing authentic and relatable content are the ways in which influencers cultivate parasocial relationships (Sokolova & Kefi, 2020). ...
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As Artificial Intelligence and machine learning (ML) permeate diverse aspects of daily life, a new category of 'consumer mimic technology' has emerged, promising personalised and efficient user experiences. The purpose of this chapter is to gain a better understanding of consumer mimic technology in relation to influencer marketing through a robust methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative analysis and discusses its applications , impacts and ethical ramifications. The analysis reveals how mimic technology shapes consumer behaviour via highly tailored influencer content. Findings suggest these systems effectively drive engagement and purchasing decisions by leveraging emotional connections and projecting credibility. However, the extensive tracking of personal data to enable mimic algorithms frequently disregards user privacy and transparency. As this chapter highlights, personalisation must be balanced with ethical boundaries, and mimicry technology should be developed in a manner that empowers consumers while avoiding harm to them. At the intersection of marketing, consumer behaviour, ML and privacy, this work elucidates the promise and peril of this rapidly evolving field. With the advancement of these technologies , further research can help promote ethical innovation.
... However, perceived expertise and trust may wane when influencers attain high popularity and are associated with a wide range of products . However, it is important to recognize that the parasocial relationship with the influencer (Belanche et al., 2021) serves as a crucial emotional dimension fostering perceived credibility (Reinikainen et al., 2020). The role of the parasocial relationship established with social media influencers, based on feelings of friendship and connection, is evident in the literature (Vrontis et al., 2021). ...
... Companies may engage internet celebrities for influencer marketing to promote items to their fans and followers on their platforms. Internet celebrities frequently serve as lifestyle gurus, promoting a specific lifestyle or attitude in fashion, technology, video games, politics, and entertainment (Reinikainen et al. 2020). Internet celebrities may reach their audiences differently depending on their rise to fame. ...
Article
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Chapter
The case study explores the transformative journey of “Heritage Haven Hotel,” a traditional heritage hotel located in the culturally rich city of Jaipur in the Asia Pacific region. With its historical significance and authentic cultural experiences, the hotel faced challenges in attracting modern tourists, particularly the younger generation seeking personalized and immersive experiences. The case's protagonist is Mukesh Tiwari, a manager whose management team plays a central role in driving the influencer marketing initiative. The hotel showcases its cultural heritage, authenticity, and unique offerings through influencer-generated content while strategically collaborating with influencers for themed events to enhance its presence and engagement in the Asia Pacific market. Using this fictional narrative, the case study evaluates the success of influencer marketing campaigns concerning traditional heritage hotels in India. The case study provides insights into how influencer marketing can be used effectively in the tourism and hospitality industry and the role of user-generated content in building brand awareness and attracting more customers. The study also highlights the importance of partnership management and how it can help hotels build lasting relationships with influencers and other stakeholders.
Chapter
The rise of Web 2.0 has dramatically altered consumer-brand relationships. Social media has enabled consumers to share their consumption experiences and product evaluations in user-generated content. Some content creators, called “influencers,” have differentiated due to their attractiveness, content quality, communication skills, or expertness. Influencer marketing has received growing scholarly attention, parallel to the huge interest of brand executives. Influencer marketing literature has provided evidence that social media influencers have a positive effect on numerous consumer-brand relationship outcomes, such as brand awareness, brand attitude, brand love, and purchase intention. Influencers have great influential power in promoting destination brands and shaping the attitudes and behavior of tourism consumers; however, research in influencer marketing in the tourism context is in its infancy and more scholarly attempts are needed. This chapter aims to address gaps in influencer marketing in the tourism context and review the literature and successful cases in practice. The implications will shed light on how to implement influencer marketing strategies to create a positive impact on consumer-brand relationships in a tourism context.
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In this paper, we explore how video blogs (vlogs) evoke the sense of “presence”, by examining famous U. K. video blogger (vlogger) Zoe Sugg’s “Haul” videos. As a result of this analysis, we argue that vlogs could evoke presence through two main elements: sensory and social elements. Sensory elements refer to colour, camera usage, video image and sound qualities. Social elements are eye contact, facial expression, conversation and gesture. Past studies have rarely applied “presence” theory to vlogging. As vlogs have become a popular format on the Internet, this study could provide new directions for research into the experiences of vlog viewers. It also offers video bloggers initial understandings of how their content could affect their popularity by altering audiences’ feelings of presence.
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Purpose Online brand communities (OBCs) are an effective avenue for brands to engage consumers. While engaging with the brand, consumers simultaneously interact with other OBC members; thus engaging with multiple, interrelated engagement objects concurrently. The purpose of this paper is to explore both positively and negatively valenced consumer engagement with multiple engagement objects, the interplay between these, and the spillover effect from consumers’ engagement with the OBC to their engagement with the brand. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on 16 in-depth interviews with OBC members of a luxury accessory brand, a constant comparative method was adopted using axial and selective coding procedures. The objective was to understand the nature of participants’ engagement with the brand, the OBC, and the interplay between individuals’ engagement with these objects. The coding framework and resultant interpretive frameworks address engagement valence, outcomes, and direction. Findings This study illustrates consumer expressions of consumers’ positively and negatively valenced engagement with a focal brand, and with the OBC. Further, it demonstrates the interplay (spillover effect) that occurs between consumers’ engagement with the OBC, to their engagement with the brand. While the existence of positively valenced engagement with the OBC was found to further enhance consumer brand engagement (i.e. reflecting an engagement accumulation effect), negatively valenced engagement with the OBC was found to reduce consumer brand engagement (i.e. reflecting an engagement detraction effect). Originality/value While consumer engagement has been recognized to have both positive and negative manifestations, this study demonstrates that consumers’ engagement valence may differ across interrelated engagement objects (i.e. the brand and the OBC). Further, we demonstrate the existence of engagement spillover effects from the OBC to the brand for both positively and negatively valenced engagement.
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This study aimed to examine the effects of awareness of paid endorsements by social media influencers on followers’ cognitive persuasion knowledge (ad recognition), attitudinal persuasion knowledge (relationships with the influencer), and behavioral intentions, specifically eWOM intention and purchase intention. Employing an online survey (N = 269), this study found that awareness of paid endorsement relates to ad recognition, which is correlated with purchase and eWOM intentions. We also found that awareness of paid endorsement is correlated with influencer-follower relationship, which is associated with purchase and eWOM intentions. However, ad recognition does not affect influencer-follower relationship. Implications for public relations theory, practice, and policy are discussed.
Article
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the effects of two types of celebrities (Instagram celebrity vs traditional celebrity) on source trustworthiness, brand attitude, envy and social presence. The proposed theoretical model consists of the celebrity type as the independent variable, social presence as the mediator and self-discrepancy as the moderator. Design/methodology/approach A randomized two-group comparison (Instagram celebrity vs traditional celebrity) between-subjects experiment (n=104) was conducted. Findings The results indicate that consumers exposed to Instagram celebrity’s brand posts perceive the source to be more trustworthy, show more positive attitude toward the endorsed brand, feel stronger social presence and feel more envious of the source than those consumers exposed to traditional celebrity’s brand posts. Structural equation modeling (Mplus 8.0) and bootstrap confidence intervals indicate that social presence mediates the causal effects of celebrity type on trustworthiness, brand attitude and envy. Multiple regression analyses reveal the moderating effects of appearance-related actual–ideal self-discrepancy. Practical implications Ultimately, managerial implications for social media marketing and Instagram influencer-based branding are provided. From the perspective of marketing planning, the findings speak to the power of influencer marketing as an effective branding strategy. Originality/value The paper discusses theoretical implications for the marketing literature on celebrity endorsements.
Article
This study examines the effectiveness of brand endorsements in vlogs (video blogs) by assessing the role of audience participation, parasocial relationship, and valence toward vlog endorsements on the perceived credibility of the vlogger and brand attitudes. Four experimental conditions were created on Qualtrics based on a YouTube vlog where the endorser reviewed a few products. The data were collected using Mturk and analyzed with 203 usable responses. The findings indicate that audience participation in the vlog enhances parasocial relationship with the vlogger, thus further fostering the vlogger's perceived credibility as an endorser. Additionally, the valence of the audience's attitudes toward vlog endorsements moderates the audience participation-parasocial relationship. The results show that vlogs with high levels of audience participation are more likely to increase the acceptance of the brand's endorsement via enhanced credibility perceptions among viewers. Hence, time should be spent choosing vloggers who are active in the online community. This study contributes to the understanding of the distinct characteristics of vlogs that specifically affect endorsement effectiveness. The focal role of parasocial relationship for message acceptance in the context of vlogs is also highlighted.
Article
The authors report a study of the effects of price, brand, and store information on buyers’ perceptions of product quality and value, as well as their willingness to buy. Hypotheses are derived from a conceptual model positing the effects of extrinsic cues (price, brand name, and store name) on buyers’ perceptions and purchase intentions. Moreover, the design of the experiment allows additional analyses on the relative differential effects of price, brand name, and store name on the three dependent variables. Results indicate that price had a positive effect on perceived quality, but a negative effect on perceived value and willingness to buy. Favorable brand and store information positively influenced perceptions of quality and value, and subjects’ willingness to buy. The major findings are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.
Article
Social media brand communities (SMBCs) provide firms with a potential tool to develop brand relationships. The goal of this study is to understand the value of an SMBC to that brand by examining how the community contributes to one of the central brand relationship variables—brand trust. From the perspective of trust transfer, this study considers whether and how consumer trust in a brand can be transferred from other trusted parties in the SMBC, and the mediation of consumer engagement in this process. Based on a survey of 279 SMBC participants, this study demonstrates that consumer-to-consumer trust and consumer-to-marketer trust have positive impact on consumer engagement, which subsequently influence brand trust. Also the device usage was found to moderate the impact of consumer engagement on brand trust.
Article
Marketers recognize digital celebrities' advertising power and effectiveness, making them influential models of social media advertising. The concept of parasocial relationships may elucidate relationships between digital celebrities and their followers and explain the former's persuasion power over the latter. This study explores how parasocial relationships affect followers' purchase and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intentions and investigates the effect of empathy, loneliness, and low social self-esteem on parasocial relationships within Uses and Gratification Theory. Additionally, it examines whether followers' parasocial relationships can reduce their persuasion knowledge. A survey was administered three hundred eighty-nine Chinese SNS users following digital celebrities; valid data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Empathy and low self-esteem positively influenced parasocial relationships; however, loneliness did not. Parasocial relationships positively affected followers' purchase and eWOM intentions. The second model investigated the negative effects of persuasion knowledge on followers' purchase and eWOM intentions. The results indicate that parasocial relationship moderates the paths between followers' persuasion knowledge and purchase intentions and between followers' persuasion knowledge and eWOM intentions. This study sheds light on how digital celebrities have an advertising influence on their SNS followers with the concept of parasocial relationships and is notable given the dearth of empirical studies on digital celebrities’ SNS advertising.
Article
Young media consumers are increasingly using online video platforms, as YouTube in particular registers extremely high numbers of viewers and subscribers. These numbers then increase the popularity of the celebrities who present themselves in the videos on the platform. With their far-reaching influence, through involvement in the public sphere as well as broad marketing concepts, they draw in viewers and gain attention worldwide. It can thus be understood that YouTube users also form a bond with the celebrities featured online, as formulated theoretically in the concept of parasocial relationships. In this study, an exploratory online survey examines quantitatively whether these parasocial relationships are predominantly formed with YouTubers via the platform’s feedback channels. As the results show, however, the strength of these parasocial relationships is not influenced to any great extent by use of the feedback functions.
Article
This study seeks to analyze the relationships between content features, video attributes, and parasocial attributes – the characteristics that could lead to the creation of parasocial relationships—among the top most subscribed YouTube channels. A quantitative content analysis was utilized in order to explore the videos of the most popular YouTube personalities. A stratified random sample was used to select 24 videos from each the top ten most subscribed YouTube channels. The findings of this study illuminate the relationship between content features, production features, and parasocial attributes.
Article
With an impressive 11 million subscribers, Zoe ‘Zoella’ Sugg is among the most popular of the young adults who have recently obtained fame (and fortune) by posting videos to YouTube. She figures prominently in the beauty group, one of the fastest-growing and most overtly feminized subsets of the YouTube community, creating videos on lifestyle, fashion and beauty-related topics. However, to a greater extent than many of her peers, Sugg supports her product-oriented videos with vlogs that offer behind-the-scenes, intimate access to her life(style). In so doing, Zoe’s videos encourage intimacy not simply between her viewers and the ‘big sister’ persona she adopts on-screen, but also between her audience and the commodities she associates herself with. This article argues that the success of the YouTube ‘influencer’ economy, both in terms of its gender predispositions and celebrity effects, depends on processes of commodification through intimacy, which Zoe Sugg mobilizes in exemplary fashion.
Chapter
While several critics have analyzed the rise of the ?micro-celebrity? in the online era, few have worked to historicize the developments. Assessments of ?micro-celebrity? also tend to ignore the central role played by celebrity/brand measurement mechanisms, in and through which celebrity value is identified and determined. This chapter attempts to fill these gaps by providing a historical sketch of expressions of celebrity value in the twentieth century: as product, industry, property, endorser and brand. It traces these processes as they appear in the phenomenon of the reality television participant in the 1990s and 2000s and the internet micro-celebrity, specifically the social media influencer (SMI), in the twenty-first century. The chapter then focuses on contemporary ?influence? measurement metrics. Finally, it critically assesses how and in what ways celebrity value may have changed, and who really benefits from the dispersal of the logics of celebrity value-production in the age of social media.
Article
The growth of Instagram continues, with the majority of its users being young women. This study investigates the impact of Instagram upon source credibility, consumer buying intention and social identification with different types of celebrities. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 female Instagram users aged 18–30 to determine the extent to which Instagram influences their buying behaviour. The research findings show that celebrities on Instagram are influential in the purchase behaviour of young female users. However, non-traditional celebrities such as bloggers, YouTube personalities and ‘Instafamous’ profiles are more powerful, as participants regard them as more credible and are able to relate to these, rather than more traditional, celebrities. Female users are perceptively aware and prefer to follow Instagram profiles that intentionally portray positive images and provide encouraging reviews.
Article
Through qualitative and quantitative content analyses, this study examines China’s largest e-commerce company, Alibaba, and its successful management of a paracrisis on social media. The study indicates that during the early paracrisis stage, Alibaba was successful at averting a social media reputation crisis by adopting the crisis response strategy of humorous self-mockery. The study also illustrates the importance of utilizing a CEO’s personality and parasocial relationship in a crisis response, of choosing a communication style well suited to social media, and of analyzing existing public sentiment towards social media crisis communication.
Article
This study examines how video blogs (vlogs) influence consumer perceptions of luxury brands. Using para-social interaction (PSI) and social comparison theory, this study proposes a model that assesses the influence of physical attractiveness, social attractiveness, and attitude homophily of video blogger (vlogger) on PSI; and PSI effects on luxury brand perceptions (i.e., brand luxury, luxury brand value, and brand-user-imagery fit) and luxury brand purchase intentions. Study 1 tests the hypothesized model using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results supported the proposed model. Using within-subject design by comparing pre- and post-luxury perceptions, Study 2 finds luxury brand perceptions were significantly increased after watching vlog and increases were moderated by PSI with the vlogger. Study 3 investigated vlog effects on luxury brand perceptions and purchase intentions using between-subject design. Results show that luxury brand perceptions and purchase intentions for the experimental groups, who watched vlogs reviewing luxury products, were higher than control group, who did not watch vlog. Overall, the findings generally support for PSI as a brand management tool and the use of YouTube for positive perceptions of luxury brands.
Article
Conventional ‘normative’ theories of public relations have often centred on relationship building, dialogic theory and two-way communication. Despite these theories dominating much of the academic literature, practitioners continue to seek control in relationships to produce ‘value outcomes’ and meet measurable objectives for the organisations they work for. Public relations workers’ ability to influence the influencers has been framed as relationship development, and payment for editorial content or other influence has been seen as unethical. With the rise of social media, the so-called ‘new’ influencers are now bloggers and Instagrammers. Given that most social media influencers now wish to be compensated with payment or in-kind for any work related to brands, this article discusses the implications for ethical practice and public relations theory. The mask of relationship building in the social media age needs to be removed and the importance of payment to bloggers needs to be acknowledged for the theories of public relations to develop.
Article
Purpose Advertisers use various tactics to influence consumer purchases and create positive associations with their brands. The purpose of this study is to explore the formation of peer-endorser credibility and its influence on attitude formation. The role of product involvement in the formation of attitudes and endorser credibility is also examined. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study was conducted among university students. Data were collected using an online questionnaire concerning three advertisements for which identical questionnaires were constructed; 364 responses were generated. Findings The authors show that the credibility of a peer endorser is constructed from trustworthiness, expertise, similarity and attractiveness dimensions that positively affect consumers’ attitude toward an advertisement and a brand. Product involvement affects advertising effectiveness indirectly through the endorser-credibility construct. Finally, the authors show that a consumer’s experience with an advertised product affects the perception of endorser credibility and the effectiveness of the advertisement. Originality/value The findings reveal new insights into the little studied area of peer-endorser effectiveness. The authors shed light on the construction of peer endorser credibility and the relative importance of specific credibility dimensions on the effectiveness of an advertisement. This study also provides information on the direct and indirect effects of consumers’ brand involvement on attitudes toward advertisements.
Article
Online publishing, social networks, and web search have dramatically lowered the costs of producing, distributing, and discovering news articles. Some scholars argue that such technological changes increase exposure to diverse perspectives, while others worry that they increase ideological segregation. We address the issue by examining web-browsing histories for 50,000 US-located users who regularly read online news. We find that social networks and search engines are associated with an increase in the mean ideological distance between individuals. However, somewhat counterintuitively, these same channels also are associated with an increase in an individual’s exposure to material from his or her less preferred side of the political spectrum. Finally, the vast majority of online news consumption is accounted for by individuals simply visiting the home pages of their favorite, typically mainstream, news outlets, tempering the consequences—both positive and negative—of recent technological changes. We thus uncover evidence for both sides of the debate, while also finding that the magnitude of the effects is relatively modest.
Article
With advances in robot technology, interest in robotic e-learning systems has increased. In some laboratories, experiments are being conducted with humanoid robots as artificial tutors because of their likeness to humans, the rich possibilities of using this type of media, and the multimodal interaction capabilities of these robots. The robot-assisted learning system, a special type of e-learning system, aims to increase the learner's concentration, pleasure, and learning performance dramatically. However, very few empirical studies have examined the effect on learning performance of incorporating humanoid robot technology into e-learning systems or people's willingness to accept or adopt robot-assisted learning systems. In particular, human likeness, the essential characteristic of humanoid robots as compared with conventional e-learning systems, has not been discussed in a theoretical context. Hence, the purpose of this study is to propose a theoretical model to explain the process of adoption of robot-assisted learning systems. In the proposed model, human likeness is conceptualized as a combination of media richness, multimodal interaction capabilities, and para-social relationships; these factors are considered as possible determinants of the degree to which human cognition and affection are related to the adoption of robot-assisted learning systems.
Book
“An outstanding intervention in contemporary debates about the emancipatory potential of the new media landscape. While “power to the people” may be the rallying cry in an age of blogging, Web 2.0 interactivity, and reality TV, Turner cautions against confusing the “demotic” with democracy…Ordinary People and the Media is required reading for students and scholars navigating the shifting terrain of media and cultural studies.” — Serra Tinic, University of Alberta, Canada The ‘demotic turn’ is a term coined by Graeme Turner to describe the increasing visibility of the ‘ordinary person’ in the media today. In this dynamic and insightful book he explores the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of the ‘everyday’ individual's willingness to turn themselves into media content through: Celebrity culture; Reality TV; DIY websites; Talk radio; User-generated materials online. Analyzing the pervasiveness of celebrity culture, this book further develops the idea of the demotic turn as a means of examining the common elements in a range of ‘hot spots’ within media and cultural studies today. Refuting the proposition that the demotic turn necessarily carries with it a democratizing politics, this book examines its political and cultural function in media production and consumption across many fields – including print and electronic news, current affairs journalism, and citizen and online journalism. It examines these fields in order to outline a structural shift in what the western media has been doing lately, and to suggest that these media activities represent something much more fundamental than contemporary media fashion.
Article
The purpose of the present study was to explore the influence of radio listener experiences on radio listening behaviors, consumer perceptions and behaviors, and social media involvement. A national sample of listeners (N = 2,700) from a variety of small, medium, and large designated market areas (N = 9) throughout the United States revealed the presence of parasocial relationships (PSRs) and experiences of parasocial interaction (EPSI) with local and nationally syndicated radio personalities. Both PSRs and EPSI predicted radio listening, positive perceptions about, recall of, and purchasing of the brands, products, and services recommended by listeners’ favorite radio personalities. Results also show that PSRs and EPSI predicted listeners’ involvement with social media platforms.
Article
An Internet-based survey was posted on the Twitter feeds and Facebook pages of 1 predominantly social and 1 predominantly parasocial athlete to ascertain the similarities and differences between their follower sets in terms of parasocial interaction development and follower motivations. Analysis of the data revealed a sense of heightened interpersonal closeness based on the interaction style of the athlete. While followers of the social athlete were driven by interpersonal constructs, followers of the parasocial athlete relied more on media conventions in their interaction patterns. To understand follower motivations, exploratory factor analyses were conducted for both follower sets. For followers of the social athlete, most of the interactivity, information-gathering, personality, and entertainment items loaded together. Unlike followers of the social athlete, fanship and community items loaded alongside information-gathering items for followers of the parasocial athlete. The implications of these and other findings are discussed further.
Article
To understand information processing on blogs, this study investigates how perceived blogger trustworthiness affects blog readers’ elaboration of brand-related messages and its interaction effects with argument quality. The results reveal that the degree of perceived blogger trustworthiness affects the extent of message elaboration, and findings from a 2 × 2 (perceived blogger trustworthiness × argument quality) factorial experiment suggest a significant interaction effect on brand attitudes. This interaction reveals that when perceived blogger trustworthiness is high, argument quality has a greater impact on brand attitudes than when perceived blogger trustworthiness is low. The authors discuss some implications and suggestions for further research.
Article
The article explores Generation Z, its special relationship with technology and social media, and its values, as well as how this generation may form and practice social interest. The author shares recommendations for parents, teachers, and clinicians.
Article
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the responses of young consumers to suspected covert and overt product-brand recommendations in a blog. Design/methodology/approach – Experimental design was applied to investigate the effect of covert and overt marketing on young consumers’ perceptions of blogger credibility and their behavioural intentions. Findings – Overt marketing had a negative effect on behavioural intentions, such as future interest in the blogger, intention to engage in word-of-mouth, and purchase intention. Covert marketing did not affect the intended behaviour. Neither covert nor overt marketing influenced the blogger’s credibility. Research limitations/implications – The study was delimited to a small sample; one blog, one type of product recommendation, and a well-known brand. Young, well-educated consumers with experience in reading blogs may be able to filter the brand recommendations and focus on the content of the blog. Practical implications – This study has implications for bloggers, companies, and policy makers. Although overt marketing is the most open and the recommended form of blog marketing, the study showed that overt marketing has negative effects. Therefore, bloggers need to carefully consider how they present a sponsorship. Originality/value – The study makes three important contributions. First, it answers the call for research on consumer reactions to covert (deceptive) and overt marketing tactics. Second, it contributes to blog marketing research by studying a case of suspected covert marketing where consumers do not know whether the blog is sponsored or not. Third, the study contributes to knowledge around young consumers, demonstrating that covert and overt tactics do not affect blogger credibility.
Article
Public relations practitioners are actively building relationships with bloggers to obtain high-credibility brand mentions and reviews. Practitioners may request bloggers limit comments to maintain control over messages and constrain dissonant perspectives; however, the impact of limiting social features of blogs is unknown. Utilizing source credibility and warranting theory, this article examines the relationship between enabled comments on blogs and brand attitudes, with the moderating variables of credibility and expertise, from both a public relations and consumer behavior perspective. Using an online experiment (N = 527) we found that socialness increases perceptions of blogger expertise, brand attitudes, and purchase intention, but not credibility.
Article
We propose that attributions about an endorser truly liking, using, or desiring a promoted product mediate the relationship between source and message factors and persuasion via endorsement. In this paper, we integrate the persuasion literature into a framework for examining endorser effectiveness via focus factors (e.g., involvement, cognitive load) that determine whether a consumer thinks carefully or superficially about a message, and lead consumers to rely on different source and message elements (e.g., source attractiveness, argument strength). These elements then influence attributional processing. Correspondent inferences about an endorser can lead to enhanced advertisement and brand attitudes, and spur either fleeting identification with the endorsement or more enduring internalization (Kelman, The Public Opinion Quarterly 25:57-78, 1961) of the endorser’s message as a consumer’s own. Implications of our framework and research directions are discussed.
Article
The World Wide Web (WWW) has been touted as providing great opportunities for small businesses to compete and thrive. Concerns about trust have been identified as a barrier to such businesses' success. This research explores how consumers' initial trust judgments about organizations they encounter on the Web may be influenced by hypertext links from trusted websites and associations with the more trust-inducing traditional retail channel. This paper develops and tests a cognitive model of the trust transfer process, arguing that trust is transferred across hypertext links based on the perceived interaction and similarity of the linked organizations, and that institution-based trust is transferred from the traditional shopping channel to a Web-based organization based on evidence that the Web-based organization has a physical store. An experimental study shows that a hypertext link from one website to another increased the extent to which the linked organizations were perceived to have a business relationship and be similar, and these perceptions had a positive influence on trusting beliefs regarding the linked site. Associating with the physical shopping channel by showing a picture of a building on a website increased the extent to which subjects reported intention to buy from the site. The study provided empirical evidence that trusting beliefs regarding the website had a significant positive effect on intention to buy from it. This paper discusses further development of the trust transfer model based on the social perception literature and explores implications for future research.
Article
Many modern consumers use blogs as important information sources, which they evaluate on the basis of blog-specific cues. Using the theory of self-disclosure, this study posits that bloggers' product evaluation self-disclosures, social self-disclosures, and blog popularity are key determinants of readers' cognitive and affective trust. Readers' trust in turn should affect their product attitudes and feedback intentions towards the blog. With a survey study involving seven blog articles about dining experience and a structural equation model, this research confirms the positive influences of product evaluation self-disclosures and popularity on readers' cognitive trust and of social self-disclosures on readers' affective trust. Both cognitive and affective forms of trust enhance product attitudes. Affective trust also increases readers' feedback intentions towards the blog. With these findings, this study offers suggestions for bloggers and companies that use blogs as marketing tools.