Decoding Influencer Impact in Food Marketing: The Must-Haves, Should-Haves and the Role of Brand Trust and Price Consciousness

Abstract

ABSTRACT Influencers have gained relevance in brand building owing to their potential to engender trust, shape customer decisions and empower brands. Nonetheless, research assessing conditions for beneficial influencer outcomes in the trust-deficit food sector are scarce, despite growing evidence that different contexts demand different endorsers. This paper examines how influencers’ attributes drive purchase by stimulating brand trust, and investigates the role of price consciousness. Structural equation modeling and necessary condition analysis were conducted on data from 401 followers of five influencers. Findings reveal that trustworthiness, expertise, brand fit, and brand trust are necessary conditions, congruence is additive. Brand trust fully mediates the impact of attractiveness on purchase behavior, and partially mediates the impact of trustworthiness, expertise and congruence. Price consciousness exhibits no moderating effect. Managers must prioritize transparent, knowledgeable influencers, who espouse values consistent with brands and consumers, if food firms were to invest in effective influencer strategies.