What is the influence of Instagram's Virtual Influencers on consumers' brand perception and attitude?

Abstract

The rise of Social Media and their ubiquity in consumers everyday life allowed companies to reach consumers through these new communication channels. As these platforms enable consumers to be, both, content consumers and content creators, we have observed a proliferation of influencers, and most recently of virtual influencers. Influencers are considered as content creators who share their experiences and opinions in order to influence consumers’ behavior. Hence, virtual influencers are computer-generated characters created for the same purpose. The present study aims to understand how virtual influencing impacts consumers’ brand perception and attitude and, consequently, their purchase intention. The focus lays on Instagram considering that it is the social media platform that stands out when it comes to Influencer Marketing. This research work puts forward a model to investigate the impact of the perceived authenticity and credibility of a virtual influencer as well as the identification process on consumers’ brand perception and attitude. This model is tested by conducting a qualitative as well as a quantitative study. The first takes the form of a netnographic case study of one specific virtual influencer. Whereas the second consists of a survey of Instagram users following influencers on this platform. The results of these studies were analyzed and used to draw conclusions about the phenomenon.