The effects of social support and social media influencers’ credibility on emotional brand attachment: The mediating roles of trust in multichannel

Abstract

This study investigates the impacts of various nonbrand-owned digital touchpoints for restaurant brands, which are social support and credible influencer on trust in multichannel. The influence of trust in multichannel towards emotional brand attachment coupled with its mediating influences on domain correlations are explored. This study integrates social support theory and trust transfer theory to evaluate the links among constructs. This study also utilizes a structured survey from a sample of 446 individuals in Klang Valley area of Malaysia. The results indicate that informational support and influencer credibility influence trust in multichannel while trust in multichannel influences emotional brand attachment. Trust in various channels also plays several important mediating roles in predicting emotional brand attachment. Apart from contributing to theoretical advances, this study has important practical implications for practitioners to establish more effective marketing strategies.