Gerrath, M.H.E.E. orcid.org/0000-0001-7422-2181, Olya, H., Shah, Z. et al. (1 more author) (2024) Virtual influencers and pro-environmental causes: The roles of message warmth and trust in experts. Journal of Business Research, 175. 114520. ISSN 0148-2963
Abstract
Virtual influencers (VIs) are an increasingly popular form of endorsers used in marketing campaigns. With their human influencer counterparts sometimes involved in scandals and controversy, VIs can be a more reliable source to promote pro-environmental and sustainable behavior. Taking a multi-methods approach, we examine how individuals react to VIs promoting pro-environmental campaigns. Our findings from initial semi-structured interviews confirm that individuals may be open to learning about green causes from VIs. Following this, we conduct two experiments to explore how VIs should promote green causes depending on their audience. We find that message warmth is positively associated with social-psychological distance, resulting in higher levels of engagement with pro-environmental causes. Moreover, the effect of message warmth is particularly pronounced for individuals with low trust in experts. We propose actionable implications for policy makers and other stakeholders considering employing VIs to promote their pro-environmental campaigns.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Virtual influencer marketing; Green marketing; Social-psychological distance; Message warmth; Trust in experts |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Marketing Division (LUBS) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 16 Jan 2024 14:34 |
Last Modified: | 05 Feb 2024 15:18 |
Published Version: | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114520 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:207635 |