The impact of influencer-sourced brand endorsement on online consumer brand engagement

This study provides a model for brand communication from social media influencers (SMIs) that evaluates the effect of source and content characteristics in the formation of consumers' cognitive, emotional, and behavioural engagement with the endorsed brand. Survey responses collected from 316 Instagram users using systematic random sampling are analysed using structural equation modelling. The results delineate that SMIs' credibility and SMI - consumer similarities have a significant positive effect on all consumer brand engagement (CBE) dimensions. However, informativeness of SMI's content positively impacts cognitive and behavioural aspects, and not emotions, whereas content entertainment only enhances emotional engagement. The study provides insights to marketing practitioners for SMI selection and content design in order to achieve specific or multiple CBE goal(s). The results also confirm the indispensable mediating role of CBE dimensions in influencing consumers' purchase intentions. This extends prior studies, which have predominantly explained these effects via mediators including consumer attitude and trust.