• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.149-162
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• 2021

Nowadays, the cosmetic and fashion industries are paying attention to influencer marketing on Instagram. In this study, we determined whether electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) communications were affected by the following parameters: the influencer's information source, message sidedness, and consumer's regulatory focus. The experimental design of this study is a three-way mixed ANOVA, which comprises of 2 (influencer information source: expert vs general consumer) × 2 (message sidedness: two-sided message vs one-sided message) × 2 (consumer regulatory focus: promotion focus vs prevention focus) structure. The data for this research study was obtained by distributing a questionnaire to 410 subjects. The participants were aged between 20 and 39 years and lived in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas. In total, the data of 396 subjects was analyzed with the help of SPSS 25.0 statistical program: frequency analysis, reliability analysis, t-test, three-way ANOVA, and simple main effect analysis were performed. The analysis results were as follows: First, influencer information sources and consumer regulatory focus exhibited a significant interaction with consumers' e-WOM intentions. Second, message sidedness and consumer's regulatory focus exhibited a significant interaction with e-WOM intentions. Third, influencer information source and message sidedness exhibited a significant interaction with consumers' e-WOM intentions. Based on these findings, the type of influencer's information source and the consumer's regulatory focus was taken into consideration while marketing cosmetics on Instagram. Moreover, influencer marketing strategies must be used to evaluate message sidedness. This would help us gauge the consumer's attitude towards advertisements.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.184-192
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• 2019

Focusing on the emerging influencer market of SNS (Social Network Service), This study attempts to clarify the priority of Influencer characteristics when the customer decided to purchase products through the promotion of influencers. Since the influencer marketing differs from the Online information source marketing, this study has an academic implication in that integrated the influence of the characteristics of the Online information sources and the characteristics of SNS contents. For this purpose, through the literature research on Information sources and Influencers, the characteristics of influencers were reconstructed and priorities were derived using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) technique. The upper layer of the AHP structure was set to expertise, trustworthiness, social attractiveness, and content attractiveness, and the lower layer structured the model with 13 subfactors. The results are summarized as follows. First, in the result of combining the importance of the $1^{st}$ and $2^{nd}$ classes, the detailed factors of expertise and trustworthiness, ranked from the top to six, are largely influenced in purchasing decisions in influencer marketing. Second, content attractiveness is the third rank in the $1^{st}$ layer. Influencer marketing shows that content is more important than social attractiveness. Besides, the $7^{th}$ to $9^{th}$ positions of the overall rankings accounted for visual information, storytelling, and external attractiveness, which are the details of content attractiveness, and it is confirmed that it is more effective for influencer marketing to emphasize content attractiveness than social attractiveness. Although the influencer marketing differs from the existing information marketing, this study has an academic implication in that integrated the influence of the characteristics of the source and the characteristics of the contents.

• 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.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.179-204
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• 2021

Purpose The purpose of this study is to suggest a research model that shows how Youtube influencers affect consumers' Youtube information adoption and purchase intention. Generally, a communicator's character has a significant effect on the persuasiveness of the message. This study segments influencer characteristics into five dimensions and explores the effect of five characteristics on perceived usefulness of information, perceived enjoyment, information adoption, and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach This study suggests a structural equation model that explains the casual relationship between the five dimensions of Youtuber characteristics and perceived usefulness of information, perceived enjoyment, information adoption, and purchase intention. Findings There are little research on what and how the characteristics of a Youtube influencer can affect consumers' information adoption and purchase intention of the product. This study is significant in that it provides a research model that examines the effect of Youtuber characteristics on consumers' information adoption and purchase intention. This research discovered that the dimensions of trustworthiness and attractiveness of influencer affect information adoption and purchase intention through the mediate variables.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2019

This study explores the effect of hashtag type on consumer response via evaluations of SNS fashion influencer and information in the context of fashion product communication. The moderating effect of perceived fit between hashtag content and fashion product image on information evaluation was also investigated. An online survey was conducted, and responses from 152 Instagram users were collected. The results indicated that hashtag type (informative vs storytelling) affects the evaluations of influencer and information. First, the informative hashtag has a positive effect on influencer's expertise and usefulness of information. Meanwhile, storytelling type has a positive effect on the familiarity of the influencer. This study also verified the mediated paths from hashtag type to consumer response through the evaluations of SNS fashion influencer and information. The influencer's expertise and familiarity mediated the effect of hashtag type on consumer response. In the information evaluation, only the mediating effect of usefulness was significant. Finally, the high condition of the perceived fit between hashtag content and fashion product image was found to highly evaluate the trust of information. This study extends the scope of fashion communication research from various angles by examining the role of the hashtag as a new type of information source.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.141-152
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• 2022

Purpose - This study attempts to explore the factors that affect the consumer's response to the influencer's "backdoor advertisement" which has been a social media controversy recently. Accordingly, this study focuses on the importance of the information source's characteristics in influencer marketing, and demonstrates the impact of influencer credibility, attractiveness, and expertise on consumer responses after the influencer's sponsorship controversy. Design/methodology/approach - To this end, a study was conducted on adults who subscribed to one or more channels of influencers, and a virtual newspaper article was used in the survey. 196 sample data were collected and SPSS PROCESS Macro was used for data analysis. Findings - As a result, there was a negative impact on the credibility of the influencer which carried over to a negative reception of their shared content, while the attractiveness of the influencer had a positive impact on the reception of their shared content, even after the controversy over the influencer's backdoor advertisement. Research implications or Originality - This study contributes to the expansion of research on influencer marketing. Also, it provides insight into understanding and interpreting the phenomenon of influencers' backdoor advertisements and consumer reactions.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.245-251
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• 2022

This study attempted to examine the effect of virtual influencer, which is highly interested in consumers, and has recently been increasing the frequency of use in corporate marketing activities. In particular, the purpose is to examine the effect of the attributes of virtual influencer on consumers as an information source for a product or brand. To this end, the effect of perceived attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise of virtual influencer on SNS usage intention and imitation intention consumers was examined. As a result of the study, it was found that attractiveness among the attributes of virtual influencer had a positive effect on the usage intention, and attractiveness and trustworthiness had a positive effect on imitation intention. In addition, it was found that imitation intention had a positive effect on usage intention. In other words, the perceived attractiveness of virtual influencer by consumers through SNS is the most important attribute. These findings imply that when virtual influencer is used in marketing, companies must perceive the attractiveness of virtual influencer through content posted on SNS as well as their attributes as information sources. We expect the results of this study to provide major implications for marketing activities such as companies and public institutions that consider using virtual influencer.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.446-462
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• 2020

The objectives of this study are to explore the information source, assessment, and preferred styles of 3D virtual influencers(VI), to investigate the expected impact of advertisements with 3D VIs on brands, and to explore ways of expanding the use of 3D VIs. In-depth interviews with 40 males and females in their 20s and 30s were conducted and qualitative data were analyzed. The study results are summarized as follows. First, the information source of the 3D VI was SNS, acquaintances, and broadcasting. Second, 3D VIs were considered positively due to their attractive appearance, wide utilization, innovative use, freshness, separation from private identity, and time and cost savings, while considered negatively due to their unrealistic appearance and antipathy against replacing a person's role. Third, the preferred appearance styles of the 3D VI differed according to the level of virtuality although the majority of interviewees preferred similar looks to real people with low virtuality. Fourth, diverse image qualities such as innovative, differentiated, trendy, high-value, professional, and future-oriented were considered as transferred to the brand advertised by 3D VIs. Fifth, advertisements with 3D VIs may help build positive perceptions of advertised brands that may lead to purchase behaviors for some consumers. Lastly, to expand the use of 3D VIs, the specific advantages of virtual models should be maximized with consideration of how to implement a variety of body types and images of models. Findings present an important foundation to generate strategies to better apply 3D VIs to the fashion market.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.90-103
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• 2024

The advancement of information and communication technologies has led to the rise of social media, giving rise to a new type of celebrity known as the "social media influencer". Social media influencers exert their influence not only by promoting products for various companies and brands but also by launching their own businesses. In other words, influencers leverage their credibility to create value in multiple markets as human brands, based on their unique characteristics and diverse images. Nowadays, social media influencers have become a type of human brand, supported by followers who enthusiastically engage in the influencers' businesses, a phenomenon also known as social shopping. Based on the human brand theory and doppelgänger effects, this study aims to investigate the impact of influencers' credibility, specifically their expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness on consumers' social shopping behaviors. Additionally, it examines the influence of consumers' desire to imitate influencers on their social shopping behaviors. A survey conducted with 300 female social media users revealed that trustworthiness and attractiveness significantly influenced imitation intentions and social shopping behaviors, while expertise did not show significant effects. Furthermore, imitation intentions had a significant impact on social shopping behaviors. These findings suggest that the attributes consumers perceive in influencers as human brands evoke a desire to imitate them, ultimately leading to social shopping behaviors.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.159-171
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• 2022

This study examined the problem of utilizing celebrity SNS in online news, which have increased by an average of 745 every year since 2010, reaching about 10,000 in 2021. 40 online newspapers were selected and 202,730 news articles produced by these newspapers in July 2021 were analyzed. As a result, 1.27% (2,582) of all articles were found to be using celebrity SNS as a source. This indicates that on average, online newspapers produce 2.08 celebrity SNS-utilized articles per day and 64.7 articles per month. Specifically, entertainer SNS (53.7%) was used the most compared to SNS of politician(39.8%) and influencer(6.5%). Instagram(69.1%, 57.1%) was utilized the most for entertainer and influencer and this were mostly related to personal information. On the other hand, Facebook(70.4%) was cited the most for politician, mostly related to opinions on social/political issues. The average length of SNS-based articles was 536 characters. The problem with news articles utilizing SNS is that most articles simply copy the SNS content without additional coverage(88.4%), and 14% of the articles did not disclose the exact source. Implication of the research on 40 online news agency is discussed.