Consumer Trust in Virtual and Human Influencers in Social Media Marketing

Topic

This thesis explores the factors shaping consumer trust in virtual versus human influencers within social media marketing. It evaluates and highlights the critical roles of engagement, relatability, authenticity, and source credibility in influencing consumer perceptions and behaviors. By comparing these two types of influencers, the study aims to understand the dynamics of consumer trust and provide valuable insights into how to foster stronger consumer-brand relationships in the digital age.

Relevance

This topic is highly relevant for practitioners as it provides insights into how different influencers affect consumer trust and engagement, focusing on the rise of virtual influencers in today's AI-driven, digital world. Virtual influencers offer numerous advantages, such as cost-effective strategies, constant availability, high customization, and less risk to brand image due to controlled behavior. Their ability to engage audiences without the unpredictability of human influencers makes them valuable assets. Understanding these benefits is crucial for developing more effective influencer marketing strategies, leveraging the strengths of virtual and human influencers to build stronger consumer-brand relationships.

Results

The study explored that human influencers generally elicit higher levels of engagement and credibility due to their perceived authenticity and deep emotional connections. However, virtual influencers can achieve high perceived relatability and authenticity through controlled, consistent engagement with their audience and human-like characteristics. This authenticity directly enhances the credibility of virtual influencers, ultimately leading to increased consumer purchase intention. Furthermore, the study confirmed that lifestyle, personal beliefs, and values are particularly relevant in encouraging people to engage with virtual influencers. Additionally, anthropomorphism and compelling storytelling are crucial elements in the design of a successful virtual influencer.

Implications for Practitioners

• Enhanced Engagement: Brands should create emotionally engaging narratives for virtual influencers.
• Balancing Strategies: Use a combination of human and virtual influencers to leverage the strengths of both influencer types.
• Continuous Interaction: Ensure virtual influencers maintain consistent and meaningful interactions with followers.
• Authenticity Simulation: Invest in advanced AI to simulate genuine emotions and personal stories for virtual influencers.
• Audience Understanding: Tailor influencer characteristics to align with the values and beliefs of the target audience.

Methods

This study employed a quantitative research methodology to investigate the factors that influence consumer trust in virtual and human influencers in social media marketing. Primary data was collected from a broad population through an online survey distributed via a snowball system. Additionally, open-ended questions were added to the survey to gain qualitative insights. The survey focused on two specific well-known influencers, Lil Miquela (virtual influencer) and Leonie Hanne (human influencer), to ensure a balanced comparison. A total of 115 complete and valid responses were collected and analyzed. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests and correlation studies to evaluate four initially formulated hypotheses.