3. Method
6.0 Conclusion
Influencer marketing has become a mainstream form of social media marketing and it is safe to say that it is not going away anytime soon. Therefore, it is essential for marketers to keep up to date on the newest advancements and to be strategic in selecting the most suitable influencers for a brand. This study examined whether virtual and human influencers elicit different users’ willingness to engage with their posts. On top of that, the primary moderating role of influencer size and secondary moderating role of user’s level of identification was investigated. The main contribution of this study is that effect of influencer types on users’
willingness to engage and moderating effect of influencer sizes do not have as strong effects as previously expected but the secondary moderating role of identification does, however, significantly affect this moderated relationship. Thus, the study presents that other
characteristic that are more related to users established feelings might be what make the significant difference in users’ behaviours. Therefore, this study opens a discussion on influencer qualities that evoke such users’ feelings as identification towards an influencer.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Survey
Block 1: Introduction
Block2: Randomized assignment: Virtual Macro-Influencer
Block 2: Randomized assignment: Human Macro-Influencer
Block 2: Randomized assignment: Human Micro-Influencer
Block 2: Randomized assignment: Virtual Micro-Influencer
Block 3: Manipulation Questions
Block 4: Familiarity and Attitude Checks
Block 5: Users ‘Willingness to Engage Measure
Block 6: Level of Identification Measures
Block 6: Level of Identification Measures