Does your company have the right influencer? Influencer type and tourism brand personality

Although virtual influencer marketing is emerging in tourism, few studies have demonstrated the influence of using virtual influencers on brand personality and how to enhance their endorsement efficacy. Across five experimental studies (n = 1,914), findings show that virtual influencers are judged to be less sincere but more exciting than their human counterparts. Such perceptions transfer to the tourism brands, making consumers view a brand endorsed by a virtual influencer as less sincere but more exciting than one endorsed by a human influencer. However, the disparity in sincere perception can be attenuated when virtual influencers are depicted as having empathy. In addition, aligning a virtual (vs. a human) influencer to brands that have an exciting (vs. sincere) personality enhanced endorsement effectiveness. The study extends downstream understanding of influencer endorsement on tourism brands and sheds light on how they can leverage virtual influencers to build favorable brand associations.