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Impact of Virtual Influencers on Brand Attachment: A Multigroup Analysis

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study explores the impact of virtual influencers on brand marketing by examining their unique attributes—identity appeal, persona identification, AI-generated content, and interaction quality—on consumer brand attachment. Using data from 358 Chinese followers,multigroup analysis(MGA) reveals that identity attractiveness and perceived anthropomorphism enhance persona identification, while content and interaction quality drive parasocial interactions. However, persona identification does not significantly influence brand attachment. These findings fill a gap in virtual influencer literature, providing practical insights for marketers to leverage virtual influencers more effectively in brand strategies to boost consumer engagement. Keywords: Virtual Influencer; Brand Marketing; Brand Attachment; Multigroup Analysis

Source: Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal

DOI: 10.21834/e-bpj.v10isi26.6799

Authors: Yuan Xinying, Liu Shuzhen, Faiz Izwan Anuar

Institutions: Universiti Teknologi MARA System, Universiti Teknologi MARA, UCSI University

Language: English

Topic: Digital Marketing and Social Media

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W4409897359

FWCI: 1.844

Cites: 24

Cited by: 1

Related to: 10