• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.200-211
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• 2021

This study examines the effects of fashion influencers' body types (realistic versus ideal body types) on self-expression, self-representation, and recommendation intentions, as mediated by familiarity toward influencers. Although fashion influencers lead to a positive consumer response compared to traditional advertisements, previous research on the effects of fashion influencers on consumers is limited. Thus, this study tests the role of consumers' socio-psychological aspects in understanding how and why fashion influencers affect consumers' behavioral intentions associated with self-expression, self-representation, and influencer recommendation. A total of 180 women in their 20s and 30s participated in the survey. The responses were collected after showing them stimuli featuring fashion influencers with either ideal or realistic body shapes. The data were analyzed using SPSS18.0 for descriptive statistics, and AMOS 18.0 for confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results showed that participants who were shown realistic body types perceived familiarity, which generated positive effects on self-expression, self-representation, and recommendation intentions. Hence, the effects of influencers' body types on recommendation intention are mediated by familiarity. Self-expression and self-representation intentions also increase influencer recommendation intention. Comparatively, participants who were shown ideal body types only induced higher self-representation intention, which increased their recommendation intention. The current findings can help fashion marketers select the appropriate influencers who fit their target customers as promotional models, as well as to induce changes in consumers' behavioral intention.

• Journal of Wellbeing Management and Applied Psychology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.39-47
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• 2024

This study investigates the impact of mega-influencers and micro-influencers on consumer trust, brand attitude, and purchase intention within the beauty industry. Methods: A survey of 160 adults was conducted in March 2024, analyzing responses to the influence of a beauty mega-influencer ("Isa Bae") and a micro-influencer ("Day Beauty"). Participants were surveyed online over two weeks, and the data were analyzed using statistical tools to compare the influence of both types of influencers. Results: The results indicated that mega-influencers had a more substantial effect on reliability and brand attitude compared to micro-influencers, although both types of influencers significantly influenced purchase intentions. Influencer attractiveness and expertise emerged as critical factors in shaping consumer perceptions and behaviors. Conclusion: This study provides insights into optimizing influencer marketing strategies by leveraging the distinct characteristics and scales of influencers to enhance consumer engagement and brand loyalty. The findings underscore the importance of choosing the appropriate influencer type to maximize marketing effectiveness and consumer trust in the digital marketing landscape.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.10-24
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• 2020

As many brands use social media influencers (SMIs) on Instagram to advertise, not disclosing advertised content affects how consumers perceive these influencers. The purpose of this study was to investigate two objectives: 1) recent advertising disclosure types on Instagram and 2) the factors that affect consumer responses towards Instagram influencers posting advertised content. Using an experimental 2x2 between-subjects design (N=200), the findings show that "sponsored" and "paid partnership with" are two recent types of ad disclosures. However, both factors are insignificantly different from each other. Also, ad disclosure condition enhances the trustworthiness of the influencer than no disclosure. Ad skepticism, source credibility, and the level of persuasion strongly relate to how consumers perceive Instagram influencers advertising for brands. These factors enable consumers to assess if the influencer is a reliable source of information when faced with advertisement. Ultimately, using disclosure gives full information to consumers about the persuasive intent, as well as increases positive consumer responses towards the influencer who discloses, thereby, enhancing the ethical use of the influencer advertising strategy and long-term consumer relationship.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.217-235
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• 2021

As 49% of the world's population uses social media platforms, communication and content sharing within social media are becoming more active than ever. In this environmental base, the one-person media market grew rapidly and formed public opinion, creating a new trend called sell-sumer. This study defined new types of influencers by product category by analyzing the subject concentration of the commercial/non-commercial keywords of influencers and the impact of the ratio of commercial postings on sales. It is hoped that influencers working within social media will be helpful to new sales strategies that are transformed into sell-sumers. The method of this study classifies influencers' commercial/non-commercial posts using Python, performs text mining using KoNLPy, and calculates similarity between FastText-based words. As a result, it has been confirmed that the higher the keyword theme concentration of the influencer's commercial posting, the higher the sales. In addition, it was confirmed through the cluster analysis that the influencer types for each product category were classified into four types and that there was a significant difference between groups according to sales. In other words, the implications of this study may suggest empirical solutions of social media sales strategies for influencers working on social media and marketers who want to use them as marketing tools.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.219-236
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• 2024

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of micro and macro-influencers on consumer purchase intentions, specifically focusing on the role of the product's origin (domestic or foreign). The study will specifically analyze the markets of South Korea and Kyrgyzstan to understand how various types of influencers impact consumer behavior within these unique cultural and economic settings. Design/methodology/approach This study evaluates hypotheses using the factorial design method among social media users in South Korea and Kyrgyzstan. The experiments involve scenarios with eight different groups. The analytical research methodology used is analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings The study findings confirmed that micro- and macro-influencers have varying effects on consumer behavior, which supports previous research. The inclusion of the product origin factor resulted in more accurate data. In both the South Korean and Kyrgyzstan markets, the findings indicated that micro- and macro-influencers have limited success in promoting local products. However, when it comes to promoting foreign products, there are notable differences in effectiveness between micro- and macro-influencers, with macro-influencers being more effective.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.152-161
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• 2023

Modern people live a life connected with the real world and the virtual world by relying on the new media of enterprises and social consumption led by innovative technologies. In this environment, virtual influencers actively communicate with consumers and build relationships through social media, which is a new marketing tool that has attracted widespread attention. From a business perspective, it is necessary to have a solid understanding of this phenomenon, and then explore communication strategies to effectively develop virtual influencers. To investigate followers' preference for virtual influencers, this study employs the Q-method, which studies human subjective attributes, an empirical research effort to uncover complex issues in human subjectivity. To determine the factors that trigger people's voluntary and active practice and the preference degree of virtual influencers, the Q method is implemented to examine human subjectivity, thoughts and attitudes. According to the results of this study, virtual influencers are a new group of idols full of vitality. The interviews found that there are still many virtual influencers who do not know about followers, but each type can be clearly understood through the intuitive understanding of the interviewees. Divided out, type 1 one egoideal virtual influencers aim to represent an idealized version of the creator or target audience. Embodies ideal physical characteristics, personality or lifestyle desired by the audience. Type 2 is charismatic and attractive, and has the characteristics of most virtual influencers. It is suggested that it can be developed into a potential type, doing brand cooperation, and content production on social media platforms. Type 3: Game animation, derived from the image of characters in games or comics, with stylized features and energetic personalities, which can be integrated into games or entertainment experiences. Type 4 development potential type is the most successful type among virtual imagers, and it is also the purpose of marketing virtual influencers. It is essential that brand endorsement on social media platforms, integrated marketing, and driving advertising traffic. It is recommended to improve production technology to reduce investment costs.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.65-81
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to interpret the semantic actions of body image symbolized in body expression images shown by micro-influencers body profiles to understand the body profile phenomenon of the MZ generation. As a result of collecting body profile data from micro-influencers, the body profile image types of female influencers on SNS were classified into four types, Athletic, Slim body, Natural, and, Glamorous. Images representing each type were analyzed using the Roland Barthes' Myth model analysis frame. As a result of the semantic analysis, influencers were found to be very active and bold, emphasizing certain body parts according to the type of body image they pursue. Fashion is strategically used to emphasize these aspects. It was found that the ideology of a 'subjective modern woman' was commonly expressed through emphasis on visual signs. This study is meaningful in that it can indirectly lead to the understanding the fashion culture expressed by the MZ generation and provide consumer information and essential data that can be used for communication strategies in the fashion market.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.375-385
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• 2024

In the context of contemporary digital media, virtual influencers have become an increasingly important form of socialization and entertainment, in which emotional expression is a key factor in attracting viewers. In this study, we take Luo Tianyi, a Chinese virtual influencer, as an example to explore how emotions are expressed and perceived through facial expressions in different types of videos. Using Paul Ekman's Facial Action Coding System (FACS) and six basic emotion classifications, the study systematically analyzes Luo Tianyi's emotional expressions in three types of videos, namely Music show, Festivals and Brand Cooperation. During the study, Luo Tianyi's facial expressions and emotional expressions were analyzed through rigorous coding and categorization, as well as matching the context of the video content. The results show that Enjoyment is the most frequently expressed emotion by Luo Tianyi, reflecting the centrality of positive emotions in content creation. Meanwhile, the presence of other emotion types reveals the virtual influencer's efforts to create emotionally rich and authentic experiences. The frequency and variety of emotions expressed in different video genres indicate Luo Tianyi's diverse strategies for communicating and connecting with viewers in different contexts. The study provides an empirical basis for understanding and utilizing virtual influencers' emotional expressions, and offers valuable insights for digital media content creators to design emotional expression strategies. Overall, this study is valuable for understanding the complexity of virtual influencer emotional expression and its importance in digital media strategy.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.777-792
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• 2018

As social media has become a part of daily life, new types of online opinion leaders are emerging, and in turn, changes in traditional fashion leaders and leadership are expected. Considering such changes, this study attempted to reexamine fashion leader types and influence characteristics from the perspective of college students as fashion followers. Students were asked to write an essay identifying their fashion leader and how and why they were influenced by him or her. Sixty essays entitled "My Fashion Leader" were collected and content-analyzed. A total of 78 fashion leaders were identified and categorized into four types including celebrities, social media influencers, friends/family/acquaintances, and people seen on the street in order of frequency. Influence characteristics of the identified fashion leaders included superiority, role model, similarity, and familiarity. Similarity was observed across all types of fashion leaders, while superiority and familiarity were identified for celebrities and friends/family/acquaintances, respectively. The results imply that celebrities, mostly those from the TV, movie, and music industries, are still important as fashion leaders in society regardless of their communication style, while friends/family/acquaintances as opinion leaders within a consumer group are important to provide information, advice, and help. However, social media influencers between the two groups are expanding the influence.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.246-264
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• 2020

As netizens increasingly utilize social media to obtain and engage with information, this study aims to determine the extent to which the follower-influencer interaction is manifested and strengthened. To analyze information related to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a total of 62,119 online posts from 11 Internet forums were examined to find a relationship between followers and influencers in Taiwan. These forums are PTT, SOGO, Ck101, Plurk, Mobile01, TalkFetnet, Gamez, PlaySport, Dcard, Eyny, and PCDVD. The variables that were the best predictors of influencer classification were strong influences, engagements, and hot values across 11 Internet forums. Learning the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is vital because public actions could have been fueled by stigmatizing terms that may harm public health and well-being. The results questioned the conventional diffusion of traditional news sources because the influencers brought widespread attention to the health threat issues in the early outbreak stages. This study enhances the understanding of forum types, follower engagement, and influencers' impact maximization in social networks. The conclusion provides insight into the relationships and information diffusion mechanisms to ensure accurate health information dissemination.