Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Developments in Marketing Science |
| Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science |
| Publisher | Springer Nature |
| Pages | 215-216 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 5 Apr 2022 |
Publication series
| Name | Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science |
|---|---|
| ISSN (Print) | 2363-6165 |
| ISSN (electronic) | 2363-6173 |
Abstract
This work aims to carve out differences on the success factors of social influencers in dependence of the consumers’ consumption goal (hedonic vs. utilitarian). Nowadays, influencers are employed in a wider variety of fields, notably even B2B marketing, where product choices may occur for pure utilitarian reasons. Hypotheses on the differing relevance of demographic similarity of influencer and consumer as well as factuality of the influencer’s communication style are developed. Thereby, we argue that demographic similarity is more important under hedonic consumption goal conditions, due to more heterogeneous hedonic customer needs. Factuality would be more relevant if the consumption goal is utilitarian, as utilitarian products include more tangible and rational attributes. The hypotheses are tested in two empirical studies, whose results are evaluated by means of structural equation modeling. As travel endorsement is an important but underexplored field of influencer marketing, the underlying scenario is a consumers’ selection of a hotel for (1) a holiday (hedonic consumption goal) or (2) a professional/university seminar (utilitarian consumption goal). The results are to some extent surprising (Smith et al. 2005). Contrary to extant research (e. g. on customer reviews Smith et al. 2005; Grabner-Kräuter and Waiguny 2015) and perhaps human intuition, demographic similarity between influencer and consumer appears to be more important under utilitarian than hedonic conditions. A possible rationale for this finding may be, that also in a utilitarian context, consumer preferences may differ strongly. For example, when choosing a hotel for a professional or educational seminar, consumers may rely more strongly on influencers with an occupation similar to theirs. Moreover, there is no significant difference on the importance of factuality between hedonic and utilitarian conditions. A possible explanation for this finding may be that communication that is more factual could be perceived as more serious and reliable, for both product kinds. Finally, a negative moderating effect of demographic similarity on the impact of perceived factuality was found. This may be rooted in the fact that individuals are more accustomed to emotional encounters in relationships characterized by similarity (McPherson et al. 2001). Overall, the results show that findings from other research areas cannot be transferred one-to one to influencer marketing. This area rather seems to follow its own principles.
Keywords
- Consumer behavior, Influencer marketing, Social media marketing, Tourism marketing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business, Management and Accounting(all)
- Marketing
- Business, Management and Accounting(all)
- Strategy and Management
Sustainable Development Goals
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Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science. Springer Nature, 2022. p. 215-216 (Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science).
Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceeding › Contribution to book/anthology › Research › peer review
}
TY - CHAP
T1 - The Relevance of Demographical Similarity and Factuality in Social Influencer Marketing
T2 - An Abstract
AU - von Mettenheim, Walter
AU - Wiedmann, Klaus-Peter
PY - 2022/4/5
Y1 - 2022/4/5
N2 - This work aims to carve out differences on the success factors of social influencers in dependence of the consumers’ consumption goal (hedonic vs. utilitarian). Nowadays, influencers are employed in a wider variety of fields, notably even B2B marketing, where product choices may occur for pure utilitarian reasons. Hypotheses on the differing relevance of demographic similarity of influencer and consumer as well as factuality of the influencer’s communication style are developed. Thereby, we argue that demographic similarity is more important under hedonic consumption goal conditions, due to more heterogeneous hedonic customer needs. Factuality would be more relevant if the consumption goal is utilitarian, as utilitarian products include more tangible and rational attributes. The hypotheses are tested in two empirical studies, whose results are evaluated by means of structural equation modeling. As travel endorsement is an important but underexplored field of influencer marketing, the underlying scenario is a consumers’ selection of a hotel for (1) a holiday (hedonic consumption goal) or (2) a professional/university seminar (utilitarian consumption goal). The results are to some extent surprising (Smith et al. 2005). Contrary to extant research (e. g. on customer reviews Smith et al. 2005; Grabner-Kräuter and Waiguny 2015) and perhaps human intuition, demographic similarity between influencer and consumer appears to be more important under utilitarian than hedonic conditions. A possible rationale for this finding may be, that also in a utilitarian context, consumer preferences may differ strongly. For example, when choosing a hotel for a professional or educational seminar, consumers may rely more strongly on influencers with an occupation similar to theirs. Moreover, there is no significant difference on the importance of factuality between hedonic and utilitarian conditions. A possible explanation for this finding may be that communication that is more factual could be perceived as more serious and reliable, for both product kinds. Finally, a negative moderating effect of demographic similarity on the impact of perceived factuality was found. This may be rooted in the fact that individuals are more accustomed to emotional encounters in relationships characterized by similarity (McPherson et al. 2001). Overall, the results show that findings from other research areas cannot be transferred one-to one to influencer marketing. This area rather seems to follow its own principles.
AB - This work aims to carve out differences on the success factors of social influencers in dependence of the consumers’ consumption goal (hedonic vs. utilitarian). Nowadays, influencers are employed in a wider variety of fields, notably even B2B marketing, where product choices may occur for pure utilitarian reasons. Hypotheses on the differing relevance of demographic similarity of influencer and consumer as well as factuality of the influencer’s communication style are developed. Thereby, we argue that demographic similarity is more important under hedonic consumption goal conditions, due to more heterogeneous hedonic customer needs. Factuality would be more relevant if the consumption goal is utilitarian, as utilitarian products include more tangible and rational attributes. The hypotheses are tested in two empirical studies, whose results are evaluated by means of structural equation modeling. As travel endorsement is an important but underexplored field of influencer marketing, the underlying scenario is a consumers’ selection of a hotel for (1) a holiday (hedonic consumption goal) or (2) a professional/university seminar (utilitarian consumption goal). The results are to some extent surprising (Smith et al. 2005). Contrary to extant research (e. g. on customer reviews Smith et al. 2005; Grabner-Kräuter and Waiguny 2015) and perhaps human intuition, demographic similarity between influencer and consumer appears to be more important under utilitarian than hedonic conditions. A possible rationale for this finding may be, that also in a utilitarian context, consumer preferences may differ strongly. For example, when choosing a hotel for a professional or educational seminar, consumers may rely more strongly on influencers with an occupation similar to theirs. Moreover, there is no significant difference on the importance of factuality between hedonic and utilitarian conditions. A possible explanation for this finding may be that communication that is more factual could be perceived as more serious and reliable, for both product kinds. Finally, a negative moderating effect of demographic similarity on the impact of perceived factuality was found. This may be rooted in the fact that individuals are more accustomed to emotional encounters in relationships characterized by similarity (McPherson et al. 2001). Overall, the results show that findings from other research areas cannot be transferred one-to one to influencer marketing. This area rather seems to follow its own principles.
KW - Consumer behavior
KW - Influencer marketing
KW - Social media marketing
KW - Tourism marketing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127947389&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-030-89883-0_57
DO - 10.1007/978-3-030-89883-0_57
M3 - Contribution to book/anthology
AN - SCOPUS:85127947389
T3 - Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science
SP - 215
EP - 216
BT - Developments in Marketing Science
PB - Springer Nature
ER -