Award Date
8-1-2018
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Hospitality Management
First Committee Member
Billy Bai
Second Committee Member
Choongbeom Choi
Third Committee Member
Hyelin Kim
Fourth Committee Member
Xi Yu Leung
Fifth Committee Member
Michael Mejza
Number of Pages
159
Abstract
In today’s digital world, marketing practitioners have increasingly started to reach out to their audiences by integrating social media influencer (SMI) into their marketing plans. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the factors influencing SMI endorsement effectiveness in the context of event. Based on relevant theories (congruity theory, match-up hypothesis model, self-congruity theory, and vicarious self-perception) and a thorough review of existing literature in the SMI endorsement, the present study developed an integrative research model which included follower’s prior attitude toward SMI, attitude toward the event, pass-on behavior intention, event participation intention, SMI-event congruence, event-follower congruence, and SMI-followers congruence.
A total of 335 usable online survey was collected. The results showed that follower’s attitude toward SMI had both direct and indirect effects on attitude toward the event, which in turn affected follower’s pass-on behavioral intention and event participation intention. Besides, the direct effect of attitude toward SMI on attitude toward the event was moderated by all congruence effects, including SMI-event congruence, event-follower congruence, and SMI-followers congruence. This study improves congruity theory by including the congruence effects and extending it to the context of SMI endorsement. In addition, this study extends SMI endorsement research to the event industry. Practically, this study provides event marketers with implications for selecting an appropriate SMI and strategies to achieve a more effective outcome of SMI endorsement.
Keywords
congruence; endorsement; events; social media influencer
Disciplines
Marketing
File Format
Degree Grantor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Language
English
Repository Citation
Sun, Jie, "Social Media Influencer Endorsement and Events: An Integrated Framework of Congruence" (2018). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 3387.
http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/14139917
Rights
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