How Does the CEO’s Influence Affect Consumer Brand Trust? The Mediating Effects of Symbolic and Environmental Product Perceptions

Abstract

With the growing ubiquity of internet social-media venues, chief executive officers’ (CEO) exposure to consumers has increased dramatically. This article explores the mechanism of CEO influence on brand trust examining 420 Japanese and U.S. consumer data. The findings reveal how CEO influence can change brand trust. In particular, this article finds that the indirect positive effect of CEO influence on brand trust is mediated by symbolic and environmental product perception in the U.S. and Japan. However, the direct effect of CEO influence on brand trust is not confirmed. This study discovered the country differences in the effect of CEO influence on consumer product perceptions. In the U.S., symbolic product perception is more affected by CEO influence than environmental perception, which is more influential in Japan.

Keywords:

• Brand trust
• CEO endorsement
• CEO influence
• environmental product perception
• symbolic product perception

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, KAKENHI: Grant Number JP20K13623.