Are Virtual Influencers Friends or Foes? Uncovering the Perceived Creepiness and Authenticity of Virtual Influencers in Social Media Marketing in the United States

Kim, Minseong; Baek, Tae Hyun

doi:10.1080/10447318.2023.2233125

Cited by 19 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…The perceived authenticity of influencers affects the effectiveness of endorsements, impacting attitudes toward the post, endorsed product and affiliated brand (Zhang et al, 2023;Zniva et al, 2023) and purchase intentions (Shoenberger and Kim, 2023). Similar findings have been observed with virtual influencers, where their perceived authenticity can impact brand reputation (Yang et al, 2023) and word-of-mouth intentions (Kim and Baek, 2023). Thus, it is hypothesized that virtual influencers might be seen as less authentic than their human counterparts, and such differences will correspondingly affect endorsement effectiveness in terms of brand attitude and purchase intention: H1.…”

Section: Authenticity Of Human and Virtual Influencerssupporting

confidence: 56%

“…Virtual influencers are complex digital characters who leverage various technologies in their creation, development and operation, including algorithms, computer-generated imagery, chatbots, avatars and natural language processing (Kim and Baek, 2023; Thomas and Fowler, 2021). Despite their advanced technological basis, virtual influencers are not yet completely autonomous.…”

Section: The Rise Of Virtual Influencersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Virtually authentic: examining the match-up hypothesis between human vs virtual influencers and product types

Liu,

Lee

2024

JPBM

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Purpose This study aims to investigate the rising trend of virtual influencers – digitally created characters with human-like attributes. It aims to evaluate and compare their effectiveness with human influencers in terms of brand attitudes and purchase intentions. It uncovers the mechanisms underlying the differences in effectiveness observed between virtual influencers and their human counterparts. Design/methodology/approach The research uses a 2 (influencer type: human vs virtual) × 3 (product type: functional vs symbolic vs experiential) between-subjects design. Through a pilot study (n = 334) and a main study (n = 352), the research examines the interactive effects of influencer and product type on brand attitude and purchase intentions. Hypotheses were developed and tested using moderating mediation models centered on authenticity and product–endorser fit. Findings Virtual influencers are perceived as less authentic than human influencers across all product types, negatively influencing brand attitude and purchase intention. However, the extent to which influencer type affects brand attitudes and purchase intentions, mediated by product–endorser fit, varies based on the product type. Originality/value This research emphasizes two key mechanisms – authenticity and product–endorser fit – influencing the effectiveness of virtual influencers. It suggests that aligning virtual influencers with suitable product types can offset their perceived authenticity deficit, significantly affecting their endorsement effectiveness.

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Section: Authenticity Of Human and Virtual Influencerssupporting

confidence: 56%

Section: The Rise Of Virtual Influencersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtually authentic: examining the match-up hypothesis between human vs virtual influencers and product types

Liu,

Lee

2024

JPBM

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“…More specifically, the empirical finding about perceived artificiality shows that VAD users' desire for human‐like interactions with their devices has a significant influence on their psychological ownership and interface flow experience. This result underscores the relevance of anthropomorphism that encourages scholars to explore this phenomenon further in the context of technology acceptance and satisfaction (Kim & Baek, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…However, it is noteworthy that consumers often perceive artificial intelligence in terms of its artificiality and intelligence separately, as highlighted by Guha et al (2023) and Pitardi and Marriott (2021). Moreover, this study extends its examination to include the application of psychological ownership and flow experience within the context of automation technology (Kim & Baek, 2023). The findings affirm that interactions involving communication with artificial intelligence‐based devices can evoke positive emotional states in users during operation, akin to interactions with human beings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The findings affirm that interactions involving communication with artificial intelligence‐based devices can evoke positive emotional states in users during operation, akin to interactions with human beings. As artificial intelligence technology advances, it becomes increasingly vital for scholars in this domain to concentrate not only on factors such as perceived values, satisfaction, and loyalty, but also on users' emotional responses to the technology, whether positive or negative (Baek & Kim, 2023; Kim & Baek, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Artificial intelligence in voice assistants: User benefits explored

Kim,

Kim

2024

Int J Consumer Studies

Self Cite

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This study demonstrates that consumers' perceptions of voice assistant device (VAD) elements promote psychological ownership and interface flow experience, resulting in satisfaction with, and loyalty toward VADs. To that end, this study collected VAD users in the United States and conducted structural equation modeling to empirically examine the relationships among the variables. The empirical findings indicated that perceived artificiality and intelligence had significant influences on psychological ownership and flow experience. In addition, the empirical results demonstrated that psychological ownership resulted in flow experience with VADs, significantly affecting customer satisfaction and loyalty toward VADs. Finally, customer satisfaction had a significant impact on loyalty. Based on the empirical findings, this study provided meaningful implications for marketing scholars and practitioners.

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MV‐QUAL: A tool for understanding decisions to purchase virtual products in the metaverse

Cadet,

Gironda,

O'Leary

et al. 2024

J of Consumer Behaviour

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This paper develops the metaverse quality (MV‐Qual) scale and explores the various factors that may impact consumers' perceptions of quality and value when purchasing virtual products in a metaverse world. Utilizing Flow Theory and SERVQUAL as theoretical lenses to conduct our research, a framework was developed and tested, demonstrating how various factors are interconnected and impact consumers' shopping experiences in the metaverse. Data were collected from a national sample of 322 metaverse users in the United States and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling in SmartPLS, complemented by a neural network causal analysis in Neusrel. The results demonstrated that several factors impact metaverse store quality and perceived virtual product value, including control, vividness, avatar design, rarity, and resale value. Subsequently, metaverse store quality and perceived virtual product value positively impact the intention to purchase virtual products in metaverse. This research contributes to the advancement of understanding consumer behavior in the metaverse and adds to the emerging marketing literature on the metaverse. Furthermore, the MV‐QUAL scale developed serves as a practical tool that both marketing researchers and practitioners can use to enhance understanding and discover new ways to improve the metaverse consumer experience.

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Are Virtual Influencers Friends or Foes? Uncovering the Perceived Creepiness and Authenticity of Virtual Influencers in Social Media Marketing in the United States

Cited by 19 publications

References 67 publications

Virtually authentic: examining the match-up hypothesis between human vs virtual influencers and product types

Virtually authentic: examining the match-up hypothesis between human vs virtual influencers and product types

Artificial intelligence in voice assistants: User benefits explored

MV‐QUAL: A tool for understanding decisions to purchase virtual products in the metaverse

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