The Effects of the Fit of Gourmet Internet Celebrities and Their Channels to the Sponsored Product on Purchase Intention: A Meaning Transfer Theory Perspective

Recently, businesses have begun to partner with Internet celebrities and use sponsorship as one of their major marketing strategies. However, how to find an appropriate Internet celebrity to provide sponsorship is the main challenge that businesses are faced with. Also, how to choose an appropriate business as the sponsor which can also reinforce their symbolic meaning is also an issue that Internet celebrities cannot ignore. The objective of this study is to use the Match-Up Hypothesis, Meaning Transfer Model (MTM), and Reverse Transfer Effect Theory as the foundation, questionnaire survey as the method, and gourmet YouTubers as an example to explore how viewers’ perception of the fit of the gourmet Internet celebrity and the channel content to the sponsored product influences their perception of the trustworthiness of the Internet celebrity and their trust in the sponsored product and further affects their intention to buy the product. The results reveal that when the sponsored product is highly congruent with the Internet celebrity's personal image and channel content, the congruence can reinforce the celebrity's trustworthiness meaning, induce a transfer of that meaning to the sponsored product, and ultimately create a higher purchase intention in consumers. Finally, this study provides a number of suggestions that can be a reference for businesses when seeking partnership with Internet celebrities.