Consumers’ healthy lifestyle as a determinant of the influence of microcelebrities and microinfluencers

Purpose - This study analyzes what type of influencer – microcelebrity or microinfluencer – is best suited to promoting healthy food brands and how that influence depends on consumers’ healthy lifestyles. Design/methodology/approach - An empirical study with a real healthy food brand was developed in which three real influencers from Instagram collaborated and posted a story showing the company’s products. A total of 148 individuals participated in the study. The proposed model was tested using the PROCESS macro. Findings - Drawing on the celebrity endorsement literature and the meaning transfer model, this study proposes that microcelebrities’ and microinfluencers’ influence on consumers’ perception and behavior in terms of post relevance, brand attitude and purchase intention toward healthy food brands depends on the consumers’ healthy lifestyle. Thus, microcelebrities have more influence on individuals with unhealthy lifestyles, while microinfluencers have more influence on individuals that pursue a healthy lifestyle. Originality/value - It is one of the first studies to examine the different roles of microinfluencers versus microcelebrities in promoting consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward healthy food brands. In addition, this is one of the few studies to show a higher effect of microcelebrities over microinfluencers. 研究目的 - 本研究擬探討是哪類型的網絡名人 - 微名人或微素人- 最為適合去推廣健康食品商標; 研究亦擬探討這些網絡名人的影響會如何取決於消費者健康的生活方式。 研究設計/方法/理念 - 研究人員設計了一個觀察研究, 他們安排三位真實的即時電報(lnstagram) 網路紅人一起合作, 各人分別在自己的平台上發帖, 內容是關於一間公司產品的故事。研究參與者共148人, 研究人員使用 PROCESS macro 來測試他們建議的模型。 研究結果 - 研究人員使用有關名人代言的文獻和意義遷移模型, 並以此提出一個建議: 消費者健康的生活方式會決定微名人和微素人會如何影響消費者的看法和行為, 這是就帖子相關性、品牌態度和購買保健食品品牌的打算而言的。研究人員從而發現, 微名人對選擇過不良生活方式的人的影響會較大, 而微素人則對追求健康生活方式的人的影響會較大。 研究的原創性/價值 - 本研究為首個研究, 去探討微素人在推動消費者對保健食品品牌的態度和行為上所扮演不同的角色; 而且, 本研究證實了微名人的影響比微素人的更大, 而找到這研究結果的學術研究為數不多。