Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Purpose As virtual influencers (VIs) become increasingly prominent in digital marketing, understanding how their perceived roles shape consumer responses is critical. This research investigates how a VI's social role (mentor vs. friend) influences brand attitude through psychological distance and examines the moderating effect of decisional guidance (suggestive vs. informative) on this process. Design/methodology/approach Two between-subject experimental studies (Study 1: N = 276; Study 2: N = 281) were conducted using samples recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings Study 1 shows that a VI's mentor role leads to more favorable brand attitudes than a friend role, and that this effect is mediated by reduced psychological distance. Study 2 confirms the moderating effect of decisional guidance, showing that the effect of the mentor role on brand attitude is stronger when the endorsement message provides suggestive (vs. informative guidance). Originality/value This research highlights the strategic role of social role design in VI branding and extends the understanding of how role-based and message-based cues shape consumer responses to VI endorsements. The findings offer practical insight into how brands can design VIs' roles and endorsement messages to enhance communication effectiveness.
Authors: Yu-Hsin Chen, Yu-Lun Liu, Dung Minh Nguyen
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204931175