Judging a book by its cover? The role of unconventional appearance on social media influencers effectiveness

Social media influencers (SMI) have gained undeniable importance as brands endorsers. However, although their credibility can be affected by the way they look, no known studies have applied appearance stereotypes to SMI's perceived attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise, particularly wh...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of retailing and consumer services 2022-05, Vol.66, p.102917, Article 102917
Main Authors: Fernandes, Teresa, Nettleship, Heather, Pinto, Luísa Helena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Social media influencer
Source attractiveness
Source credibility
Stereotype content model
Unconventional appearance
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Social media influencers (SMI) have gained undeniable importance as brands endorsers. However, although their credibility can be affected by the way they look, no known studies have applied appearance stereotypes to SMI's perceived attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise, particularly when that appearance is unconventional (e.g., use of body tattoos). Therefore, building on extant endorsement research and the Stereotype Content Model (SCM), the study examines how the use of tattoos impacts SMI's credibility, attractiveness, and effectiveness. Based on a sample of 260 young adults, a 2 x 2 x 2 (SMI gender x tattoo x domain) experimental design was conducted. Results indicate a tattoo premium effect, regardless of SMI's domain. By extending the SCM framework to the influencer marketing literature, this study contributes to both research fields, while providing valuable insights to brands and SMI.
ISSN:0969-6989
1873-1384
DOI:10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.102917