‘You really are a great big sister’ – parasocial relationships, credibility, and the moderating role of audience comments in influencer marketing

ABSTRACT

This study examines the moderating role of audience comments in influencer marketing. A YouTube vlog entry by a social media influencer featuring the endorsement of a brand was studied, and an experimental design featuring two conditions related to audience comments was created. The results indicate that a parasocial relationship with the influencer builds the perceived credibility of the influencer, while comments by other audience members moderate the effect. Influencer credibility positively affects brand trust and purchase intention. The findings enhance the understanding of the role of an active audience in influencer marketing.

KEYWORDS:

• Influencer marketing
• social media influencers
• parasocial relationship
• credibility
• brand trust

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Business Finland [4062/31/2016] and by Media Industry Research Foundation of Finland [201610036].

Notes on contributors

Hanna Reinikainen

Hanna Reinikainen, PhD student, Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics. Her PhD focuses on social media influencers and sponsored content. She has published articles in Computers in Human Behavior and International Journal of Strategic Communication.

Juha Munnukka

Dr Juha Munnukka, Senior Researcher of Marketing, Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics. His research interests include consumer behaviour and digital marketing. He has published in several journals, including Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Computers in Human Behavior, Journal of Marketing Management, and Journal of Product and Brand Management.

Devdeep Maity

Dr Devdeep Maity, Associate Professor of Marketing, College of Business at Delaware State University. His research focuses on retailing strategy, customer product relations and social media, specifically customer participation, perceived ownership and vlogging. He has published in several journals, including Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Applied Marketing Analytics, and Computers in Human Behavior.

Vilma Luoma-aho

Professor Vilma Luoma-aho, Vice Dean, Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics. She has led several interdisciplinary research projects related to social media, publishing in journals such as Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Business History, Journal of Public Relations Research, and Journal of Service Theory and Practice.