Authors: Dr. Nagendra B M, Vani Nagendra, Radhika Srinivasa, Aparna T S
Abstract: As a result of the advent of digital media, influencer marketing has become an effective way for brands to interact with their consumers via social media. This paper aims to understand how the influencer attributes like credibility, parasocial interaction, fit, and content influence consumer purchase intention. Using Source Credibility Model and Parasocial Interaction theory, we develop our structural model with influencers' attributes, consumer engagement, and brand attitude as mediators. The research uses a combined methodology based on a mixed-method approach by collecting survey (N=472 social media users) and vignettes data (N=240) using PLS-SEM. Our results show that out of all antecedents considered, the strongest predictors of purchase intention are parasocial interaction (β=0.41, p<0.001) and credibility (β=0.36, p<0.001). Both variables have been found to be significantly associated with brand attitude (R²=0.63). Influence of influencer's authentic nature moderates the effect of engagement on purchase intention.
DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20672473
