Vikten av att vara äkta - En kvantitativ studie om virtuella influencers och dess påverkan i förhållande till verkliga influencers

Sammanfattning: In the context of social media marketing and influencer marketing, this study aims to explore how consumers react to and perceive a virtual, computer generated, influencer in relation to a real influencer and how different types of products will affect consumers' perceived attitude against the influencer, the ad and the brand. An experimental study was conducted to examine these effects depending on the type of product and its congruence with the type of influencer. The findings of this study shows that the type of influencer, in terms of a virtual one in relation to a real influencer, has an effect on the trustworthiness of the influencer, the attitude vis-à-vis the ad and the word-of-mouth intention. However, the type of product, whether it was more or less congruent with the virtual influencer, had an effect on the perceived expertise of the influencer and the attitude for the influencer.