Publicação
The impact of human and virtual influencers on brand coolness : The roles of authenticity, trust, and attitude toward artificial intelligence
| Resumo: | Influencer marketing has become a central strategy for brands to shape consumer perceptions, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced a new type of influencer in this landscape, virtual influencers. These computer-generated characters, designed to look and behave like humans, now coexist with human influencers in brand communications. However, despite their growing popularity, limited research has examined how virtual influencers affect brand perceptions compared to their human counterparts, particularly in relation to Brand Coolness. This study examines how human and virtual influencers differ in their impact on Brand Coolness and its dimensions, focusing on key constructs such as authenticity, trust, consumer attitude toward AI, and product-influencer fit. An exploratory sentiment analysis and an experimental study with human versus virtual influencer stimuli were conducted. The results show that brands endorsed by human influencers are perceived as more authentic and overall cooler than those endorsed by virtual influencers. Furthermore, human influencers are perceived as more trustworthy, with trust in the influencer and product fit emerging as significant predictors of brand coolness across both influencer types. Although positive attitude toward AIwere associated with higher general coolness perceptions, they do not significantly moderate the effect of influencer type. These findings contribute to influencer marketing literature by clarifying the role of human and virtual influencers in shaping brand perceptions and providing practical insights for marketers seeking to balance authenticity and innovation in digital branding strategies. |
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| Autores principais: | Carapucinha, Cristiana Norberto |
| Assunto: | Brand coolness Influencer marketing Influenciadores digitais -- Digital influencers Inteligência artificial -- Artificial intelligence Marketing de influência Autenticidade |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso restrito |
| Instituição associada: | ISCTE |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório ISCTE |
| Resumo: | Influencer marketing has become a central strategy for brands to shape consumer perceptions, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced a new type of influencer in this landscape, virtual influencers. These computer-generated characters, designed to look and behave like humans, now coexist with human influencers in brand communications. However, despite their growing popularity, limited research has examined how virtual influencers affect brand perceptions compared to their human counterparts, particularly in relation to Brand Coolness. This study examines how human and virtual influencers differ in their impact on Brand Coolness and its dimensions, focusing on key constructs such as authenticity, trust, consumer attitude toward AI, and product-influencer fit. An exploratory sentiment analysis and an experimental study with human versus virtual influencer stimuli were conducted. The results show that brands endorsed by human influencers are perceived as more authentic and overall cooler than those endorsed by virtual influencers. Furthermore, human influencers are perceived as more trustworthy, with trust in the influencer and product fit emerging as significant predictors of brand coolness across both influencer types. Although positive attitude toward AIwere associated with higher general coolness perceptions, they do not significantly moderate the effect of influencer type. These findings contribute to influencer marketing literature by clarifying the role of human and virtual influencers in shaping brand perceptions and providing practical insights for marketers seeking to balance authenticity and innovation in digital branding strategies. |
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