The more followers the better? The impact of food influencers on consumer behaviour in the social media context

Bibliographic Data

ID21294841
AuthorsAnkita Misra (0000-0001-6794-9657), Ajai Kumar Misra (0000-0002-6908-6741, Monash University Malaysia), Tam Duc Dinh (0000-0002-3077-4811, Monash University Malaysia), Soo Yeong Ewe (0000-0002-2106-5861, Monash University Malaysia)
Year2024
Volume126
Issue12
Pages4018-4035
Publication date2024-11-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Food Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-070X • E-ISSN: 1758-4108
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/bfj-01-2024-0096
OpenAlexW4402116809
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited72

Purpose The study explores the impact of food influencers on consumer behaviour in the social media context. It assesses the interplay between the number of followers an influencer has and the type of content this influencer communicates to the audience. Doing so, the research contributes to the strategic refinement of influencer marketing practices, especially in the food industry. Design/methodology/approach The study employed an experimental between-subject design 2 (influencer type: micro vs macro) x 2 (content type: informational vs entertaining). It recruited 197 Prolific participants (45.7% female, Mage = 45.076), testing their perceptions towards the influencer and the endorsed product in the social media post. Findings There was a significant interaction between influencer type and content type on consumers’ attitudes towards and their willingness to buy the advertised product. Specifically, the notion that “the more followers, the better” may only be applicable when consumers peruse the content for entertainment purposes, whereas while they read it for information purposes, a micro influencer (with hundreds to thousands of followers) may have as much impact on consumer behaviour as a macro influencer (with hundreds of thousands to a million followers). Originality/value Our findings offer a nuanced understanding into the conventional wisdom that people often follow crowd behaviour. Using the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM), we explicate when the number of followers matters and when the content type prevails

Advertising · Business · Context (archaeology) · Geography · Influencer marketing · Marketing management · Social media · Computer Science · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Digital Communication and Language · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Marketing