Green influencer marketing: conceptualization, scale development, and validation: an application to tourism products

Abstract

This study aims to conceptualize the green influencer marketing (GIM) and to develop a GIM scale for its measurement. To achieve this goal, this research used a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. In this context, qualitative study and quantitative studies were carried out, respectively. Study 1 included qualitative study, while study 2, 3 and 4 included quantitative studies. In the study 1, the social media posts of 14 green influencers were subjected to the content analysis to provide an operational definition of the GIM. With this content analysis, green influencer marketing and its sub-factors, which are environmentally friendly product-oriented influence and environmental sustainability-oriented influence, were conceptualized and a 15-item pool was obtained. Quantitative data for study 2, 3 and 4 were collected from participants who followed at least one of the 14 green influencers. In the quantitative studies, multiple waves of data collection were used. In the study 2, the item pool was purified and refined with the help of quantitative research. Thus, a scale consisting of 2 dimensions and 8 items was obtained (n:100). In the study 3, the factor structure of the scale was confirmed through the test-retest method (n:202). In the study 4, the research model hypothesized using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) Theory was tested to ensure the nomological validity of the scale (n:321). The research model built for nomological validity consists of GIM, perceived fit with personal interests, green behavioral intention, and environmental consciousness variables. GIM was measured using an 8-item and two-factor scale developed in this study. Perceived fit with personal interests was measured using a three-item scale adapted from Casaló et al. Green behavioral Intention was measured using a four-item scale adapted from Jain et al. An eight-item scale developed by Huang et al. was utilized to measure environmental consciousness. According to the findings, environmentally friendly product-oriented influence and environmental sustainability-oriented influence significantly predicted behavioural intention towards green tourism products. As a result, this research makes a valuable contribution to the literature by conceptualizing the GIM and developing its scale.