ESCP Europe

Langue

English

Publication year

01/10/2025

Purpose: This study aims to examine the influence of specific influencer attributes (sociability, identity disclosure and number of followees) and a key post-level factor (emoticon use), along with their interactions, on user engagement with virtual influencers on social media. Design/methodology/approach: Using a data set of 1,852 posts from 173 virtual influencers, this study applies manual coding and text-mining techniques to extract influencer and post attributes for empirical analysis. Findings: Results reveal that sociability and emoticon use increase user engagement, whereas identity disclosure has a negative effect. Moreover, the positive impacts of sociability and emoticon use are weakened when virtual influencers follow a large number of accounts. Research limitations/implications: This study is based on data from virtual influencers in China. Future studies could consider other types of virtual influencers and contexts in other countries. Practical implications: Marketers are advised to prioritize building a virtual influencer's sociability and using emoticons to drive user engagement. They should also strategically manage followee count to avoid diluting a virtual influencer' impact. Crucially, creators should avoid excessive identity disclosure to sustain user engagement. Originality/value: Grounded in the parasocial relationship theory, this research advances virtual influencer marketing literature by examining how influencer- and post-level factors, along with their interplay, drive user engagement with virtual influencers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]