I’ll follow the fun: The extended investment model of social media influencers

Abstract

Applying the Investment Model to the social media context, this study investigated the impacts of influencer playfulness and content expertise of influencer on social media users’ intention to purchase a product/service associated with their favorite influencer. To do so, this study collected data from Qualtrics panels to recruit appropriate user samples who have YouTube accounts and are currently subscribing to their favorite influencers’ YouTube channels in the United States. Via structural equation modeling, this study found that influencer playfulness had a significant influence on satisfaction and perceived quality of alternatives while content expertise of influencer had significant effects on satisfaction, perceived quality of alternatives, investment size, and social media engagement. Also, the empirical findings indicated that commitment to influencer was significantly affected by satisfaction, perceived quality of alternatives, and investment size, which consequently resulted in social media engagement and purchase intention. Theoretical insights and practical implications for social media influencer marketing strategies were discussed.