Influence of parasocial relationship between digital celebrities and their followers on followers’ purchase and electronic word-of-mouth intentions, and persuasion knowledge

'Meat' the influencers: Crafting authentic endorsements that drive willingness to buy cultured meat

Cultured meat is a promising substitute for regular meat, but its introduction faces challenges and expected consumer resistance. While some studies investigate how communication strategies and advertising appeals can address these concerns, the role of social media influencers in promoting cultured meat adoption remains yet to be explored. Across two online experimental studies involving 752 participants recruited from Prolific, this research investigates how influencer type (micro- vs. mega-influencer) affects consumers' willingness to buy cultured meat. Study 1 reveals that consumers are more willing to buy cultured meat when it is endorsed by micro- rather than mega-influencers. Further, perceived endorsement authenticity mediates this effect such that micro-influencers endorsements are perceived as more authentic than those of mega-influencers. Study 2 demonstrates that these effects are moderated by influencer expertise and type of meat, where micro-influencers with health (but not fashion) expertise have a more pronounced impact on increasing willingness to purchase cultured meat (but not regular meat). This research provides theoretical insights into how consumers perceive influencer endorsements for cultured meat. These findings aim to enhance consumer acceptance of cultured meat while offering actionable guidance for practitioners on promoting cultured meat brands on social media.

When TV neighbours become good friends: Understanding Neighbours fans' feelings of grief and loss at the end of the series

Fans may experience significant upset and distress when a television series ends. However, grief and loss reactions to the end of a fictional series have seldom been investigated. It is likely that the degree to which such reactions are felt is influenced by viewing motives (e.g., pleasure, meaning making), connection to the series and its fan community, relationships formed with characters, including parasocial bonds and experiences of empathy, and tendency to engage with others' perspectives and emotions, including fictional characters. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of fans' grief and loss reactions to the end of the television series Neighbours, which aired from 1985 to 2022. Fans (n = 1289) completed an online survey shortly after the screening of the final episode. The survey measured grief emotions and cognitions, acceptance that the series had ended, distress at the loss of a parasocial relationship with a favourite character, feelings of closure, and expressions of gratitude for the series. Predictors of these grief and loss reactions examined in the survey were viewing motives, fan identity, strength of a parasocial relationship formed with a favourite character, empathy towards that character, and tendency to take others' perspectives, experience empathic concern and personal distress, and tendency towards engagement with fictional characters. Greater grief and loss reactions were experienced by fans whose motives for watching involved being entertained and exposed to different lifestyles, who felt a stronger fan connection to the series, and who formed stronger parasocial empathic relationships with their favourite character. Factors such as gender, age, and empathic tendencies predicted various types of grief reactions. Understanding fan experiences when a long-running series ends advances theory and research on viewer parasocial relationships and engagement with media, as well as providing evidence that the loss of a series or favourite character can be viewed as a type of grief experience.

The name's bond. parasocial bond: imagined interactions and state-level empathy

Empathy, whether state or trait, is an individual's ability to adopt another's perspective, feel another's feelings, or identify with another's situation (Campbell & Babrow, 2004; Davis, 1983; Nezlek etal., 2007). Research reliably shows relationships between empathy and parasocial interactions (e.g. psychological engagements with fictional characters; Giles, 2002; Tsao, 1996; Zillmann, 1994). The current study sought to identify the relationship between the type of parasocial interactions and subsequent changes in state-level empathy via an experimental design. Results indicate state-level empathy changes are contingent upon valence (i.e. Favorite vs. Least Favorite) and status (i.e. Real vs. Parasocial) of the imagined interaction.

Instagram influencers attributes and parasocial relationship: A dataset from Qatar

The dataset investigates how social media influencers' attributes affect followers' parasocial relationship. It also examines the mediating role of the parasocial relationship between the social media influencers' attributes and behavioral intentions. A snowballing sampling technique was used to target Instagram users in Qatar. 574 valid responses were analyzed using Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The data provides descriptive information about the essential Instagram influencers among users in Qatar. It also gives new insight into the influencers' characteristics that will impact consumer behavior the most. The dataset could be very helpful for brands and marketers in Qatar in choosing the most effective influencers. The dataset presents a real value for researchers examining social media consumers behavior specifically in GCC countries context or conducting cross-national comparative studies.

Exploring the Influence of YouTube on Digital Health Literacy and Health Exercise Intentions: The Role of Parasocial Relationships

The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediating role of digital health literacy and the moderating effect of parasocial relationships on the relationship between the viewing experience of health exercise-related YouTube content and the intention for health exercise behavior. Based on the health action process approach, this study established a foundational theoretical model to analyze how digital health literacy mediates the impact of media viewing experience on health exercise behavior intention. Additionally, this study examined the moderating effect of parasocial relationships with YouTube creators. For empirical analysis, variables were measured using a self-administration method among 409 randomly sampled consumers of YouTube health exercise content. The collected data were analyzed using a structural equation model incorporating mediation parameters, and a multigroup model analysis was conducted to understand differences based on parasocial relationships. The results revealed that increased YouTube viewing experience enhanced cognitive, skill, and evaluative components of digital health literacy, which were significant factors in increasing health exercise behavior intention. Notably, the mediating effect of cognition played a crucial role, and the strengthening effect of parasocial relationships on this relationship was confirmed. These findings can be utilized as practical foundational data for designing digital health communication strategies, particularly in developing motivational mechanisms that encourage consumers to engage voluntarily and consistently in health behaviors based on online health information.

Consumers purchase intention in live-streaming e-commerce: A consumption value perspective and the role of streamer popularity

The rapid development of live-streaming e-commerce has driven billions of sales revenues and made customers' purchase intention a life-and-death issue for sellers. This study examines the influencing factors of customers' purchase intention from a value perspective by adopting and extending the Theory of Consumption Values (TCV). We also incorporated streamer popularity as a moderating variable to reveal its significant impact on live-streaming e-commerce. This study collected 457 valid online questionnaires from Chinese live-streaming e-commerce users. Our findings show that five of six consumption values, namely functional, social, emotional, conditional, and self-gratification value, are significant drivers of purchase intention. In addition, streamer popularity has strengthened the influence of functional, social, emotional, and self-gratification value on purchase intention. This study deepens the current understanding of live-streaming and customer value research by establishing and validating a comprehensive research model, and reveals the decisive role of multi-dimensional value and streamer popularity in live-streaming industry. The research findings could guide live-streaming merchants to increase sales by reallocating their resources to different consumption values and optimising their investment strategy in popular streamers.

A Content Analysis of Social Media influencers' "What I Eat in a day" Vlogs on YouTube

Food diaries on social media, known as "what I eat in a day" (WIEIAD) content, are increasingly popular across a variety of platforms, and can potentially affect audiences' attitudes and behaviors regarding diet. WIEIAD content is frequently posted by social media influencers (SMI), who have powerful and persuasive effects on their audiences. Using expectancy-value and social norms as theoretical frameworks, this study examines characteristics of SMIs and the way they talk about diet. A mixed-methods content analysis of YouTube vlogs (n = 83) posted from October 2015 to October 2016, and October 2021 to October 2022 was conducted on SMIs who post WIEIAD vlogs. Results suggested that influencers may want to embrace body positivity, but their WIEIAD day content contains weight normative messaging. Furthermore, influencers send messages about what health should look like and assign social identities to specific diets. Aside from sponsorship, influencers use other persuasive strategies to grow large followers, such as listing positive expectancies of their diets. Future research should examine the effects of WIEIAD content on diet-related attitudes and behaviors.

Parasocial relationship in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A moderated mediation model of digital media exposure on political trust among Chinese young people

How to retain people's trust in the government becomes a critical topic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research on media use and government public relations has proliferated in the past several decades. However, there is a paucity of research investigating political trust in the context of a public health crisis as a communicative process from a relational perspective. This study examined collectivism and parasocial relationships as two potential mechanisms linking digital media exposure to political trust in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 465 Chinese young adults aged between 18 and 35 responded to anonymous questionnaires regarding digital media exposure to Nanshan Zhong, collectivism, parasocial relationships, COVID-19 political trust, and general political trust. The results suggested that the formation of parasocial relationships with Nanshan Zhong mediated the impact of digital media exposure on COVID-19 political trust and general political trust, respectively. Meanwhile, the indirect associations were moderated by collectivism. Through repeated exposure to news of Nanshan Zhong on multiple digital media, individuals with higher levels of collectivism were more likely to develop parasocial relationships with him, which subsequently resulted in increased political trust.

Propaganda Information of Internet Celebrity Influence

At present, internet celebrity marketing has become a driving force for the growth of mobile e-commerce; however, it has also become more apparent that the credibility and authenticity of the internet celebrity is directly correlated to the success of the marketing model. Therefore, in order to entice consumers into purchasing products, cooperations and internet celebrities must be deemed trustworthy. In addition, there are several factors that influence the trust between internet celebrities and consumers. To highlight these factors, this paper constructed an internet celebrity marketing model from the perspective of trust and takes internet celebrity features, marketing character, and product factor as three constructs. Furthermore, eight independent variables are defined, and the corresponding items are designed. Through a quite large data survey and analysis, they have three findings: all eight independent variables have significant influence on trust, and internet celebrities' popularity, interactivity, and professionalism are the top three important factors.

Effects of interactivity affordance on user stickiness in livestream shopping：identification and gratification as mediators

In this day and age, livestream shopping is developing by leaps and bounds in China. It has been proved that livestream shopping is efficient in attracting customers and boosting the sales of products. However, very little research has been carried out on user stickiness, which plays a valuable role in business success. In light of the stimulus-organism-response framework (S-O-R), a multiple-mediation model (identification and gratification as mediators) was established to examine the effect of interactivity affordance (S) on the user stickiness (R) of a sample of 489 Chinese livestream viewers. Structural equation modeling with bootstrapping estimation was performed to examine the mediating roles of identification (O-cognitive) and gratification (O-affective). The modeling results revealed that the relationship between interactivity affordance and user stickiness was partially mediated by identification combined with utilitarian gratification and fully mediated by identification combined with hedonic gratification. The findings stress the importance of categorizing gratifications. In addition, these findings offer new perspectives for understanding the effects of IT affordance on user stickiness.

The Impact of Fitness Influencers on a Social Media Platform on Exercise Intention during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Parasocial Relationships

In the context of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, fitness influencers on social media are greatly involved in people's home fitness processes, but there is limited research examining the role of fitness influencers on social media in exercise intention. This study aimed to explore whether people's perceptions of the personal attributes and content quality of fitness influencers can promote a strong emotional connection between the two, thereby influencing people's exercise intentions. Based on the theory of the parasocial relationship, we investigated the influence of social attractiveness (SA), physical attractiveness (PA), task attractiveness (TA), and content quality (CQ) of fitness influencers on the parasocial relationships (PSRs) between viewers and fitness influencers on social media and whether PSRs positively contribute to viewers' exercise intentions (EI). The results revealed that SA, PA, TA, and CQ have positive influences on PSRs and CQ; PSRs directly contribute to EI; and PSRs have a mediating effect between EI and CQ. This study provides new insights into understanding the relationship between fitness influencers and people's online fitness behaviors.

How Parasocial Relationship and Influencer-Product Congruence Shape Audience's Attitude Towards Product Placement in Online Videos: The Mediation Role of Reactance

Introduction

Social media enable advertisers to promote products by placing ads into videos posted by social media influencers. However, according to psychological reactance theory, any persuasive attempt may evoke reactance. Therefore, how to minimize the audience's potential resistance to product placements is important. This study investigated how the parasocial relationship (PSR) between audiences and influencers as well as the extent to which the influencer's expertise matched the product (termed as influencer-product congruence) shaped audience attitude towards the product placement and their purchase intention through reactance.

Methods

The study conducted a 2 (PSR: high vs low) × 2 (influencer-product congruence: congruent vs incongruent) between-subjects online experiment (N = 210) to test hypotheses. SPSS 24 and PROCESS macro by Hayes were used to analyze the data.

Results

The results demonstrate that PSR and influencer-product congruence enhanced the audience's attitude and purchase intention. Moreover, these positive effects were mediated by lowering levels of the audience's reactance. Additionally, we found preliminary evidence suggesting that PSR moderated the effect of perceived expertise of the influencer on reactance. Specifically, this effect was stronger among those reporting a low level of PSR compared to a high level.

Conclusion

Our findings reveal how PSR and influencer-product congruence are intertwined to shape audience evaluation of product placement via social media and highlight the central role of reactance in this process. This study also provides advice on the selection of influencer when promoting product placement on social media.

How nostalgic taste on the screen stimulates the consumption of time-honoured restaurants: The mediation role of parasocial interaction

As a unique cultural asset, time-honoured restaurants carry the crystallisation of traditional cuisine and the spirit of artisanship with an inestimable value. Nostalgia is a characteristic element of time-honoured restaurants and the central theme of their online marketing. However, few studies have examined the effect of nostalgia evoked in bloggers' content on consumer behaviour in the context of time-honoured restaurants. To fill this gap, this study employed the SOR model as an underpinning theory and selected parasocial interaction among bloggers and viewers as a mediation to examine how the nostalgic taste on the screen affected behavioural intention towards time-honoured restaurants. Emotional involvement and credibility were also added as variables to enrich the research framework from cognitive and affective perspectives. A PLS-SEM approach was used to analyse the research models, including evaluating the measurement and structure models. The result, tested by the online survey data from 319 valid responses, demonstrated that nostalgia evoked in bloggers' content can directly facilitate parasocial interaction or indirectly through credibility and emotional involvement, finally resulting in behavioural intention. The fully mediating role of parasocial interaction between emotional involvement and behavioural intention was also confirmed. The findings of this study offer theoretical and practical implications, highlighting the critical roles of nostalgia and parasocial interaction in the mechanism that online stimulus influences realistic behavioural intention, and therefore exploring a way forward for time-honoured restaurant marketing that fits in with the online media age.

What factors influence MOOC course completion? An investigation of course completion and workplace benefits from interpersonal attraction theory perspective

MOOCs have attracted millions of learners worldwide by providing the public with convenient access to learning and quality educational resources, but the high dropout rate in MOOCs is still an urgent problem. Drawing upon Situation-Organism-Behavior-Consequence framework and interpersonal attraction theory, this study investigates the relationship between instructor attractiveness and MOOC course completion and further analyzes the impact of MOOC course completion on their career development. The results reveal that knowledge attractiveness and communication attractiveness significantly influence learners' thirst for knowledge. Communication attractiveness and physical attractiveness significantly influence learners' parasocial relationships. The thirst for knowledge and parasocial relationships are important antecedents of course completion for in-service learners and in-service learners' completion of MOOC courses positively affects their workplace benefits. The findings provide new perspectives for the research domain of online education.

The Impact of Social Influence on the Intention to Use Physician Rating Websites: Moderated Mediation Analysis Using a Mixed Methods Approach

BACKGROUND

Physician rating websites (PRWs) have become increasingly important in the cross-section between health and digitalization. Social influence plays a crucial role in human behavior in many domains of life, as can be demonstrated by the increase in high-profile influential individuals such as social media influencers (SMIs). Particularly in the health-specific environment, the opinion of family and friends has a significant influence on health-related decisions. However, so far, there has been little discussion about the role of social influence as an antecedent of behavioral intention to use PRWs.

OBJECTIVE

On the basis of theories of social psychology and technology acceptance and theories from the economic perspective, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of social influence on the behavioral intention to use PRWs.

METHODS

We conducted 2 studies by applying a mixed methods approach including a total of 712 participants from the Austrian population. The impact of social influence on the behavioral intention to use PRWs was investigated through linear regression and mediation and moderated mediation analysis using the PROCESS macro 4.0 in SPSS 27 (IBM Corp).

RESULTS

The 2 studies show similar results. In study 1, an experiment, no direct effect of social influence on the behavioral intention to use PRWs could be detected. However, an indirect effect of social influence on the behavioral intention to use PRWs via credibility (b=0.572; P=.005) and performance expectancy (b=0.340; P<.001) could be confirmed. The results of study 2, a cross-sectional study, demonstrate that social influence seems to have a direct impact on the behavioral intention to use PRWs (b=0.410; P<.001). However, when calculating the proposed mediation model, it becomes clear that this impact may partly be explained through the 2 mediator variables-credibility (b=0.208; P<.001) and performance expectancy (b=0.312; P<.001). In contrast to the observed direct and indirect effect, neither demographic nor psychographic variables have a significant moderating impact on the influencing chain in study 2.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides an indication that social influence has at least an indirect impact on the behavioral intention to use PRWs. It was observed that this impact is exerted through credibility and performance expectancy. According to the findings of both studies, social influence has the potential to boost the use of PRWs. As a result, these web-based networks might be a promising future interface between health care and digitalization, allowing health care practitioners to gain a beneficial external impact while also learning from feedback. Social influence nowadays is not just limited to friends and family but can also be exerted by SMIs in the domain of PRW use. Thus, from a marketing perspective, PRW providers could think of collaborating with SMIs, and our results could contribute to stimulating discussion in this vein.

COVID-19 messages in sponsored social media posts: The positive impact of influencer-brand fit and prior parasocial interaction

This study explores the dissemination potential of a COVID-19 message embedded in a sponsored social media post. The moderating role of prior parasocial interaction and influencer-brand fit were considered. 365 respondents participated in the study. A 3 (control, congruent, incongruent brand) × 2 (control, COVID-19 message) between-subject online experiment was designed and executed. Data were analyzed using a mediated moderation model. Results indicated that the three-way interaction of the COVID-19 message, brand presence and prior parasocial interaction affected the perceived influencer credibility, attitudes towards the social media post, and the behavioral engagement with the post. When the COVID-19 message was included in the post, increased prior parasocial interaction intensified the positive effect of influencer-brand fit on influencer credibility, which in turn resulted in a more positive attitude towards the post, and a higher behavioral engagement. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

The A(ffect) B(ehavior) C(ognition) D(ecision) of parasocial relationships: A pilot study on the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Measure of Parasocial Relationships (MMPR)

The aim of this pilot study was to preliminary test the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Measure of Parasocial Relationships (MMPR), a self-report that assess people’s attitude (affect, cognition, and behavior) towards social media figures and to what extent people perceive that media figures influence their daily life decisions (e.g., consumption, exercise, nutrition). In short, the MMPR measures how and to what extent people are committed to such one-sided relationships and interactions through social media platforms. Besides factor structural analyses (four different models) and internal consistency, we also tested the MMPR’s concurrent validity by investigating if, as hypothesized, the association between commitment to parasocial relationships and self-esteem is mediated by its positive association to social comparison. Participants (N = 259) answered to the MMPR, the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. As expected, the MMPR loaded in four dimensions and had good internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s Alphas were between .66-.75 for the four dimensions and .85 for the whole measure). The bifactor model with correlated factors had the best fit indexes (CFI = .95, RMSEA = .07). Moreover, the direct effect of MMPR was positive on social comparison (β = .18, p < .01), the direct effect of social comparison on self-esteem was negative (β = -.51, p < .001), and the indirect effect of MMPR on self-esteem was negative (β = -.09, p < .01). In sum, our results suggest that parasocial relationships through social media platforms consist of four necessary and correlated dimensions (A: Affective; B: Behavioral; C: Cognitive; and D: Decisional). Moreover, the MMPR successfully assessed that high level of commitment with parasocial relationships are positively associated with the tendency to compare oneself to others, which in turn leads to low levels of self-esteem. Hence, the MMPR has sound psychometric properties and is a good candidate for further analyses.

How Do Review Party's Identity Cues Influence Consumers' Online Review Adoption Intention?

Professionalism and popularity are two important external identity cues of the review party. Previous studies have mostly focused on the content of the reviewers' comments. However, few studies have explored the potential impact of the review party's cues on consumers' adoption willingness and consumption behavior. This study mainly examined the neural mechanisms of how the differences in the two identity cues of the review party affect consumers while adopting the comments. The current study employed an event-related potential (ERP) experiment, in which the participants were asked to make a personal choice quickly based on the review party's identity cues after seeing the target product. A 2-level professionalism (low vs. high) x 2-level popularity (low vs. high) experiment design was used to test the impact of the review party's professionalism and popularity on consumers' intentions to adopt the review. The behavioral data reveal that the two identity cues of the review party impact the adoption rate, and the review party's popularity has an impact on the reaction time. The ERP data indicate that the review party's popularity affects the perceived risk (the N2 component, which is a high-risk signal) and the two identity cues of the review party affect the evaluation and classification process [the later positive potential (LPP) component]. These results indicate that when the review party has a high degree of professionalism, its popularity has less influence on consumers' review adoption intention. On the contrary, when the level of professionalism is low, high popularity will promote consumers' review adoption intention. Compared to professionalism, popularity is a higher risk cue for consumers.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Digital Content Marketing Under Mixed Reality Training Platform on the Online Purchase Intention

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of Digital Content Marketing (DCM) on a Mixed Reality (MR) training platform environment with the consideration of online purchase intention (OPI) through social media. E-commerce today encounters several common issues that cause customers to have reservations to purchase online. With the absence of physical contact points, customers often perceive more risks when making purchase decisions. Furthermore, online retailers often find it hard to engage customers and develop long-term relationships. In this research, a Structural Equation Model (SEM) is proposed to examine the efficacy of DCM from both immediate and long-term OPI. The results examine whether adopting DCM on an MR training platform environment through social media brings positive results in OPI. Empirical research was carried out through online questionnaires collected in 2021 and 2022. A total of 374 questionnaires were qualified for data analysis in this study, conducted with IBM SPSS and AMOS. The results imply that DCM is critical to stimulating both immediate and long-term OPI. The immediate OPI is positively affected by increasing perceived value through MR in DCM. Regarding the long-term OPI, increased customer engagement with DCM under MR environment can cultivate brand trust and significantly affect the long-term OPI.

What drives Taobao live streaming commerce? The role of parasocial relationships, congruence and source credibility in Chinese consumers' purchase intentions

The year 2021 is one of the most significant years for live streaming commerce, since numerous sectors and businesses have begun to sell their items in the form of live broadcast influence. Especially in China, Taobao live streaming often promotes an event by inviting internet celebrities to cooperate with brands to broadcast the products. For many brands, that is a very successful technique for increasing conversion rates. Researchers have lately grown interested in investigating the factors influencing the purchase decisions of Chinese consumers in the context of Taobao live streaming commerce with online celebrities. The present study is the first to theoretically combine three primarily literature-based disciplines, including source credibility, match-up hypothesis, and parasocial relationship theory, into a unified framework to bridge the research gaps. In this study, the quantitative method was employed through the use of partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The SmartPLS 3.0 software was applied to examine the proposed model. The data were obtained from 454 Chinese consumers who have ever purchased a cosmetic product from a famous internet celebrity on Taobao live streaming. The results indicated that the positive impact of a celebrity endorsers' perceived expertise was the powerful antecedent that affected purchase intentions, while celebrity endorsers' perceived attractiveness and trustworthiness had no significant effect. A good match-up between celebrity and product can improve the celebrity endorsers' perceived attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise. Moreover, it was found that the celebrity endorsers’ perceived expertise acted as a mediator of the relationship between celebrity-product congruence and purchase intentions. Finally, the findings showed that parasocial relationships have vital mediating effects on increasing purchase intentions.

The Study of Para-Social Interaction With E-Word-of-Mouth for Influencer Marketing by Complex Computing

The purpose of this study was focused on exploring the relationship among the fans’ preferences, fans’ para-social interaction, and fans’ word-of-mouth. A survey consisted of 21 items based on the literature review and developed by this study. An online survey was distributed to the users of YouTube in Taiwan. A total of 606 valid samples was collected by survey. The instrument passed the reliability and validity test. Further, the data process applied the PLS (partial least squares) regression analysis methodology. The result shows that the ‘attractive’ impacted ‘para-social interaction’, ‘e-word-of-mouth’, and ‘preferences of fans’ positively. In addition, the para-social interaction plays an important role as a mediator between influencer’s attractiveness, w-word-of-mouth, and preferences of fans. Some suggestions were provided for social media influence’ related studies as reference.

Be my friend! Cultivating parasocial relationships with social media influencers: findings from PLS-SEM and fsQCA

Purpose

The emergence of social media has brought the influencer marketing landscape to an unprecedented level, where many ordinary people are turning into social media influencers. The study aims to construct and validate a model to yield strategic insights on the relevance of content curation, influencer–fans interaction and parasocial relationships development in fostering favorable endorsement outcomes (i.e. purchase intention).

Design/methodology/approach

The present study analyzes data from a survey of 411 consumers using partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to understand the net and combined effects of content attributes, interaction strategies and parasocial relationships on purchase intention.

Findings

PLS-SEM results reveal that content attributes (i.e. prestige and expertise) and interaction strategies (i.e. interactivity and self-disclosure) positively influence parasocial relationships, and in turn, lead to high purchase intention. Findings from fsQCA indicate six solutions with different combinations of content attributes, interaction strategies and parasocial relationships that sufficiently explain high purchase intention.

Originality/value

The present study demonstrates the roles of content attributes and interaction strategies in engendering parasocial relationship and the endorsement outcome (i.e. purchase intention) from both linear and non-linear (complexity) perspectives.

Modeling of the Impact of the Credibility of the Destination Endorser on the Place Attachment of Potential Tourists

Place attachment has been identified as effective marketing strength to enhance destination competitiveness. However, little research explored the formation mechanism of the place attachment of potential tourists and the role of celebrity endorsers. This study aims to identify the influence mechanism of the credibility of endorsers on place attachment. Various theories from different research fields were introduced to explore the mediating effect of destination attitude, para-social relationships, and destination source credibility between endorser credibility and the place attachment of potential tourists. The famous destination endorser in China, Tenzin, was chosen as the case. A quantitative method was adopted. The research model was examined by a survey sampling size of 367 respondents. The covariance-based structural equation model analysis revealed that the credibility of the endorser exerts a positive influence on the destination attitude of potential tourists, para-social relationship with the endorser, and destination source credibility. These three constructs have a positive effect on their place attachment. The results showed that the credibility of the endorser has a significant indirect influence on place attachment. This study extends the current literature of forming the place attachment of potential tourists from the perspective of the personal characteristics of the destination endorser. The findings shed light on how the credibility of the endorser could form place attachment through enhancing the destination attitude, credibility, and para-social relationships of potential tourists. This study provides several practical implications for destination marketing.

Influencers on Social Media as References: Understanding the Importance of Parasocial Relationships

Audiences’ purchase intentions are vital to the success of influencers on social media. This research examined how interpersonal attraction enhances parasocial relationships (PSRs) between influencers and audiences on social media, and how such parasocial relationships, in turn, affect audiences’ continuance intention. Interpersonal attraction contains three dimensions: task attraction, social attraction, and physical attraction. The results indicated that the three dimensions of interpersonal attraction significantly affected PSRs. The results also showed that informational influence and perceived credibility strengthened the relationship between PSRs and purchase intentions. Moreover, online comments positively moderated the effect of PSRs on informational influence and perceived credibility. The implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Internet Celebrities’ Impact on Luxury Fashion Impulse Buying

This study investigates how the endorsements of Internet celebrities (ICs) may drive consumer trust in their marketing campaigns, and subsequently affect impulse buying in relation to luxury fashion brands. Drawing on the framework of persuasion with a particular emphasis on the role of receivers, this study identifies five main characteristics, namely, the popularity of ICs, identification, IC adoration, social distance, and the perceived fit that may contribute to promoting impulse buying. A survey was conducted with 585 followers of IC in China. The findings reveal that trust is an essential factor that affects impulse buying. Identification and perceived fit both significantly contribute to increasing impulse buying through trust. Alternatively, large social distance may impair the relationship between trust and impulse buying. We conclude with implications for marketers that luxury fashion brands should seek cooperation not only with the most popular, but also with the most relevant ICs. An IC with a humble and relatable image can earn consumers’ trust and lead to an enhanced endorsement effect.

Engaging Social Media Influencers to Recruit Hard-to-Reach Populations

BACKGROUND

Though clinical researchers have begun to use social media platforms to recruit participants, social media influencers are innovative community connectors to further expand recruitment reach, especially in hard-to-reach populations.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this methods paper is to provide a step-by-step guide for engaging social media influencers for virtual participant recruitment.

METHODS

There are multiple steps for researchers to follow, including pre-planning, IRB approval, engaging with influencers, the pitch, the post, and results dissemination.

DISCUSSION

Engaging social media influencers to recruit for clinical research demonstrates great potential to increase access to hard-to-reach populations. Several methodological considerations remain and this paper shares both opportunities and challenges to guide researchers in this technique.

The Impact of Switching Intention of Telelearning in COVID-19 Epidemic's Era: The Perspective of Push-Pull-Mooring Theory

Under the impact of COVID-19, medical telelearning education is increasingly becoming urgent to resolve the contradiction between the physical isolation of medical students and the need for on-site clinical teaching. In this study, the push-pull-mooring (PPM) theory is integrated into a comprehensive model as a conceptual PPM framework: push factors (information system quality and perceived risk), pull factors [telepresence (TP), trust, etc.], mooring factors (switching costs), and switching intention. The results show that most hypotheses were positive, but perceived risk did not influence user satisfaction significantly, and switching costs did not provide the impact on switching intention. This study provides a comprehensive empirical analysis of key factors influencing the choice of distance education by medical students through the integrated multi-model framework.

Understanding Continuance Intention Determinants to Adopt Online Health Care Community: An Empirical Study of Food Safety

The purpose of this research is to determine whether users' social interaction tie and trust have a mediating effect on the willingness to use the online healthcare community (OHC) platform on an ongoing basis to respond to food safety crises and monitor food safety practices. During the three-month survey, we conducted an online investigation of users who had experience sharing on the OHC platform and were concerned about food safety. Thereby, three hundred and fifty-two valid questionnaires were received and partial least squares was adopted in this study to test the proposed hypotheses. The empirical results show that perceived critical mass, image, and para-social interaction strengthen the social interaction tie between users and the food safety platform. In addition, this study found that social interaction tie and trust of OHC platform users increased users' willingness to continue using the OHC platform. This research provides OHC platform managers with an in-depth understanding of online social interactions on food safety pages. Moreover, the results of this study can help food business owners, government regulators, hospitals, and physicians to improve the way they use the Web for opinion-led food safety crises and provide insight into the intent of promoting the ongoing use of OHC platforms.

The Influence of Situational Constraints on Consumers’ Evaluation and Use of Online Reviews: A Heuristic-Systematic Model Perspective

Online reviews help consumers make informed product choices by serving as a valuable source of information for a buying decision. However, consumer’s situational constraints such as time pressure or purchase uncertainty negatively impact the way in which buyers evaluate and use online reviews, reducing their effectiveness. This study examines the influence of situational constraints, namely perceived time pressure and purchase uncertainty, on consumers’ evaluation and use of online reviews for information search. This empirical study used an online survey to collect data from 560 Amazon Mechanical Turk users. Findings indicate that both perceived time pressure and perceived purchase uncertainty are positively associated with heuristic processing of online reviews but negatively associated with systematic processing of online reviews. Moreover, while both heuristic and systematic information processing increased buyers’ self-confidence in their purchase decisions, systematic processing led to greater buyer self-confidence than did heuristic processing. This study concludes with a discussion of practical and academic implications, as well as future research directions.

The Influence of Opinion Leaders’ eWOM on Online Consumer Decisions: A Study on Social Influence

Opinion leaders and eWOM are becoming two of the most effective ways to launch a brand on social media by creating viral marketing. However, how much influence does an opinion leader’s eWOM (OL eWOM) have on consumer purchasing decisions? This research looks at the role of OL eWOM as well as the effect of its valence and product type on the decision to buy or not buy from a realistic experimental online store design. In total, 300 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of five scenarios in a 22 experimental arrangement. Results show that OL eWOM influences consumer online decisions when purchasing experience-type goods and the valence of eWOM is positive. However, if we compare the OL eWOM with a control group, then OL eWOM does not have a significant influence. This research provides novel empirical evidence for the limited influence of OL in modeling shopping behaviors in e-commerce contexts.

The YouTube Marketing Communication Effect on Cognitive, Affective and Behavioural Attitudes among Generation Z Consumers

YouTube (YT) is the largest online video digital channel with more than 2 billion users, and over a billion hours of YT videos are viewed every day, particularly among young consumers. YT has become a massive marketing communication platform, which serves as a medium to target the lucrative Generation Z cohort (first born in the late 1990s), and influence this generation’s infamously unpredictable purchase decision process. The main aim of this paper was to consider the effect of YouTube marketing communication (YMC) on the traditional and non-traditional attitudinal associations of response hierarchy models. A multi-stage sample technique was used and 3750 high school and college learners (aged 13–18 years old) were surveyed via self-administered questionnaires in South Africa. Structural equation modelling was utilised to consider the hypothesised attitudinal associations. The research determined that YMC had a positive influence on the hypothesised attitudinal associations, and young consumers who used YT for fewer years, logged on more frequently, spent shorter time periods on the platform, viewed higher numbers of commercials, aged 13–14 years old, and from the White population group exhibited the most positive attitudinal responses. Hence, organisations should review their strategies in order to develop more sustainable YMC owing to the heterogeneity evident among young African consumers.

A Hybrid MCDM Model to Select Optimal Hosts of Variety Shows in the Social Media Era

The selection of the optimal variety show hosts is a key to television stations. However, no study has a deal with this issue. In this paper, a hybrid multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) model based on the fuzzy Delphi method, decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), analytic network process (ANP), and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to choose optimal hosts of variety shows for television stations in the social media era was developed. The fuzzy Delphi method was taken as a screening tool for the selection criteria of variety show hosts. Then, DEMATEL was applied to verify the interdependencies between the perspectives. According to the interdependencies, ANP was employed to obtain weights. Finally, TOPSIS ranked the alternatives. The selection criteria were gathered from previous researches and discussions with senior executives of television stations. By the fuzzy Delphi method, 12 criteria were identified. Based on the past study and consultations with four senior executives, we classified 12 essential criteria into four perspectives to develop the hierarchy for the variety show host selection. Under the hierarchy base on four perspectives and 12 criteria, managers of television stations could select the optimal variety show hosts more effectively. The usability and efficiency of the proposed model were also considered by a case study. We offered a distinct contribution to the prior studies by providing a model in the variety show host selection field. In the context of social media competition, this study also added the selection criteria from Internet celebrities.

Fancying the New Rich and Famous? Explicating the Roles of Influencer Content, Credibility, and Parental Mediation in Adolescents' Parasocial Relationship, Materialism, and Purchase Intentions

While social media influencers are gleaning increasing trust and investment from brands, advertisers, and followers, insights on the role of influencers in adolescents’ relationship formation and consumption behaviors are still rare. Drawing on the literatures of influencer content value, influencer credibility, parental mediation, and parasocial relationship (PSR), this study proposed a conceptual model that expounds the appeal of influencers among adolescents. To test the model, we administered an online survey – recruited in proportion to demographic quotas (i.e., age, gender and ethnicity) – among 500 United States adolescents (aged 10- to 19-years old) via Qualtrics panel. Results revealed that, the entertainment value of influencer-generated content, influencer expertise, trustworthiness, attractiveness, and followers’ perceived similarity to their favorite influencers, are positively related to the perceived PSR between adolescent followers and their favorite influencers, which in turn, are associated with adolescents’ materialistic views and purchase intentions. We also explored the role of parental mediation of adolescents’ social media use in their PSR with influencers. Results indicate that, neither active mediation nor restrictive mediation is related to the PSR between adolescents and influencers. Active mediation is negatively associated with adolescents’ materialism, whereas restrictive mediation is positively related to adolescents’ purchase intentions toward influencer-promoted products. This study proposed and tested a comprehensive conceptual model that accounts for the role of influencers in adolescent followers’ materialism and purchase intentions. This study yields three major theoretical contributions. First, it adopts and applies the concept of PSR from the literature of media psychology to explicate influencers’ appeal among adolescents, which lays a theoretical foundation for future research on the impact of influencers. Second, it advances the current literature on social media influencers by specifying key contributing factors for the development of adolescents’ PSR with influencers. Lastly, it explores the roles of the two facets of parental mediation – active and restrictive mediation – in the appeal of influencers among adolescents, which offers directions for future research of parental mediation in the influencer context.

Moral Imagination, Parasocial Brand Love, and Customer Citizenship Behavior: Travelers’ Relationship with Sponsoring Airline Brands in the United States

While travelers tend to engage in reflective thinking processes, the relationship between the ability to imagine and the human–brand relations has not been clearly understood. In sustainability and consumer-brand literature, morally imaginative travelers and their relationship with and behavior toward a sponsoring brand have received little attention. In connecting moral imagination with the airline cause sponsorship literature, this study aims to investigate the antecedent of travelers’ parasocial brand love with airlines as sponsors of charitable causes and to identify what motivates customer citizenship behavior. Based on a study sample of 442 travelers who experienced US-based full-service airlines and who were aware of the airlines’ sponsorship of environmental and social charitable causes, the study analyzed the data employing a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique to examine the relationship between moral imagination, parasocial brand love, and customer citizenship behavior. The investigation revealed a positive association between reproductive, productive, and creative imagination and parasocial brand love. Additionally, a positive influence of parasocial brand love on customer citizenship behavior was confirmed. This study highlights that imaginative travelers are good at evaluating the airlines’ sponsorship-related moral situations, further developing parasocial brand love. The results provided important insights into practical, as well as theoretical, arenas.