The mechanism by which social media influencers persuade consumers: The role of consumers’ desire to mimic

Chung‐Wha ‘Chloe’ Ki; Youn‐Kyung Kim

doi:10.1002/mar.21244

journal article Aug 01, 2019

The mechanism by which social media influencers persuade consumers: The role of consumers’ desire to mimic

Chung‐Wha ‘Chloe’ Ki Youn‐Kyung Kim

Psychology & Marketing Vol. 36 No. 10 pp. 905-922 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/mar.21244

Abstract

AbstractWe explore the mechanism through which social media influencers (SMIs) persuade consumers to adopt brands. Guided by the influence framework, we propose and test empirically SMIs’ influence mechanism, which occurs in four principal stages: (a) a SMI's influence attempts (showcasing H1: attractive; H2: prestigious; H3 and H4: expert; H5: informative; and H6: interactive Instagram contents); (b) target consumers’ attitudinal response to the influence exercised (evaluating the SMI as a H7: taste and H8: opinion leader); which, in turn, affects (c) the targets’ desire to comply (the desire to mimic); and ultimately (d) their favorable behavioral outcomes (H9: social media word‐of‐mouth and H10: purchase intentions). On the basis of the survey data from 395 respondents, we used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses and proposed model. We verified the robustness of our results using an ordered probit regression model and analyzed the mediating role of consumers’ desire to mimic SMIs in the influence mechanism. Our results confirm that the five aspects of influencing posts affect consumers’ attitudes positively and significantly, which in turn leads to positive behavioral outcomes through their desire to mimic SMIs. We discuss the results’ important implications for both scholars and practitioners.

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Citations

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References

Details

Published: Aug 01, 2019
Vol/Issue: 36(10)
Pages: 905-922
License: View

Authors

C

Chung‐Wha ‘Chloe’ Ki

Institute of Textiles and Clothing The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hunghom Kowloon Hong Kong

Y

Youn‐Kyung Kim

Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee

Cite This Article

Chung‐Wha ‘Chloe’ Ki, Youn‐Kyung Kim (2019). The mechanism by which social media influencers persuade consumers: The role of consumers’ desire to mimic. Psychology & Marketing, 36(10), 905-922. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21244

The mechanism by which social media influencers persuade consumers: The role of consumers’ desire to mimic

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