가상 인플루언서 특성이 소비자 태도에 미치는 영향 : 사회적 실재감의 매개효과를 중심으로

초록

Due to the pandemic situation, online daily life, and technological advances, virtual influencers are being used as a new type of information source in the process of communication with consumers. They are now actually engaging in the same type of activity as human influencers. Therefore, in this study, the characteristics of virtual influencers and their communication effects were investigated. Five factors were set as the characteristics of a virtual influencer: attractiveness, curiosity, authenticity, commerciality, and uncanniness. Consumer attitude was measured using three variables: purchase intention, sharing intention, and imitation desire. The mediating effect of social presence on these independent and dependent variables was confirmed. An online survey was conducted to verify research questions and hypotheses, and exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were performed using the SPSS 22.0 program for a total of 320 data collected. Among the characteristics of the virtual influencer, curiosity, authenticity, and attractiveness were significantly related to all variables set including purchase intention. Of these, curiosity was the most prominent in the degree of its influence, while commerciality did not affect any variables among consumer attitudes. On the other hand, it was verified that a sense of social presence acts as a variable that mediates the relationship between some of the characteristics of the virtual influencers and consumer attitudes. Consumer attitudes according to the characteristics of virtual influencers were identified in detail, and practical implications for the production and utilization of virtual influencers in the field of marketing communication are presented.

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