Role models or competitors? Understanding influencer marketing in restaurants from the perspective of customers’ social comparison orientation

Abstract

Despite increasing attention to influencer marketing in the food industry, research on influencer marketing in the restaurant segment is limited. Drawing on social comparison theory, this study aims to investigate how customers’ social comparison orientation (SCO) affects the effectiveness of influencer marketing for restaurants via influencer–follower relationship dynamics. Specifically, this study explores how customers' ability-based SCO and opinion-based SCO lead to distinct motives that facilitate the influencer defense, which in turn fosters customers' visit intentions toward restaurants endorsed by social media influencers. The proposed framework is tested using a sample of 308 respondents who completed a survey questionnaire distributed on Douyin. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is used for statistical analysis. The results demonstrate that ability-based SCO has a positive effect on the self-improvement motive but has no influence on the social identification motive. Opinion-based SCO is positively related to the self-improvement motive and the social identification motive. While self-improvement and social identification motives are the drivers of restaurant visit intentions, only the social identification motive has a significantly positive effect on influencer defense. Additionally, influencer defense is the driver of restaurant visit intentions. These findings provide practical insights for restaurant managers.