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ABSTRACT
Despite the rise of social media influencers with ordinary, approachable lifestyles, there is a lack of studies that investigate the mechanism. This study examines the impacts of the social status of influencers on marketing outcomes. Study 1 investigated how intimacy and admiration resulting from the social status of influencers (similar vs. higher) affect marketing outcomes (i.e., product attitude, willingness to purchase, and loyalty to the influencer) using an online survey. The results showed that admiration is a stronger predictor of marketing outcomes than intimacy regardless of the influencers’ social status. This study also demonstrated the interplay between the social status of influencers and the social comparison orientation of social media users in a 2 (similar vs. higher social status) x 2 (low vs. high social comparison orientation) experimental design. This research contributes to knowledge by examining the effects of the social status of influencers (similar vs. higher) based on the social comparison process. This study provides theoretical and practical implications that admiration is a key factor in influencer marketing and social media users with high social comparison orientation should be targeted.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Do Yuon Kim
Do Yuon Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences at Auburn University. Her research interest is centered on the cognitive and emotional processing of digital consumers when evaluating information and making decisions. Her research has appeared in journals including the Journal of Business Research and Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing.
Minjung Park
Minjung Park is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Metropolitan State University. Her research interests include social media marketing, social responsibility, luxury branding, and marketing education. Her work has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Business Research and the International Journal of Consumer Studies.
Hye-Young Kim
Hye-Young Kim is a professor at the University of Minnesota. Kim’s research interests revolve around consumer behavior and strategic retail management. Her scholarship in these areas has appeared in leading academic journals, including Journal of Business Research and International Journal of Advertising.