The Relevance of Demographic Similarity and Factuality in Social Influencer Communication Culture – A Comparison Between Hedonic and Utilitarian Conditions

Abstract

This work identifies differences in the success factors of influencers given consumers’ consumption goals (hedonic vs. utilitarian). Although practitioners have complained about the lack of know-how regarding this issue, research on the topic remains scarce. Hypotheses on the differing relevance of the demographic similarity of influencers and consumers and of the factuality of influencers’ communication are verified through an empirical investigation. The scenario is consumers’ selection of a hotel for (1) a holiday (hedonic consumption goal) or (2) a professional/university seminar (utilitarian consumption goal). The results are analyzed by structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis. We generate some surprising results. Counterintuitively, demographic similarity is more important under utilitarian than hedonic conditions. Factuality seems equally important in both conditions. Explanations and implications of these findings are provided.