Content Value Versus Influencer Credibility: What Matters More for Followers’ Trust and Behavioral Intention Towards Collaborative Brands?

Abstract

Instagram is one of the top three most popular social media platforms in Indonesia. Nowadays, many local brand owners collaborate with influencers to promote products or services sold through Instagram. This study examines the extent to which influencer credibility and advertising content value are shared to create brand trust and consumer behavioral intention. The online survey was distributed to 206 followers of three female Indonesian fashion influencers with at least four hundred thousand followers on Instagram. The results show that influencer credibility and advertising content significantly and directly influence brand trust towards Indonesian fashion products promoted by influencers. Brand trust also significantly and directly influences the followers’ behavioral intentions. However, the influencer’s credibility and his advertising content value indirectly influence the followers’ behavioral intentions through brand trust. These findings indicate that brands under influencer endorsements must first earn trust from the followers prior to encouraging their behavioral intention.

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“…As also hinted recently by Pambudi et al, (2022) this study found that content value and its quality positively influence users' intentions to engage with influencer and participate in social media platforms. If the content value is deemed superior from others; it will have more chances to create stronger intentions of purchase from the followers.…”

From Likes to Purchases: Analyzing the Impact of Instagram Marketing on Online Shoppers

“…Influencer credibility refers to the degree of attractiveness, trustworthiness, knowledge, and resemblance that followers acknowledge in influencers, all of which have the power to convince or affect their opinions (Pambudi et al, 2023). Studies pertaining to the credibility of social media influencers have concentrated on diverse aspects impacting the opinions of their followers (Coutinho et al, 2023;Belanche et al, 2021).…”