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How influencers can enhance consumer responses by value co-creation

Jin Zhang (School of Management, Research Institute on Brand Innovation and Development of Guangzhou, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China)
Lingkui Cai (School of Management, Research Institute on Brand Innovation and Development of Guangzhou, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China)
Xiaoying Zheng (Business School, Research Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Technology Finance, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China)

European Journal of Marketing

ISSN: 0309-0566

Article publication date: 29 October 2024

Issue publication date: 3 December 2024

574

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore whether, how and when influencers’ value co-creation behavior in a post – influencers investing operant resources to enhance the value gained from using the product – shapes consumers’ responses toward an influencer’s recommendation. Based on value co-creation theory and consumer inference, this paper proposes that consumers infer influencers have more expertise with and more favorable attitude toward the product from value co-creation. Consequently, such behavior can foster consumer engagement and favorable attitude toward the recommended product.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected real-world data and conducted four sets of experimental studies. In the experimental studies, the presence of an influencer’s value co-creation behavior (i.e. co-creation vs. control) was manipulated to test the causal effect and mechanisms of co-creation on engagement and product attitude.

Findings

Results show that influencers’ value co-creation behavior positively affects consumers’ engagement and attitudes toward the product. These effects are driven by perceived influencer’s expertise with and favorability toward the product (Studies 1 and 2). Co-creating utilitarian value is more effective than co-creating hedonic value (Studies 3A and 3B). In addition, influencers with a larger number of followers benefit more from co-creation behavior than those with fewer followers (Study 4).

Research limitations/implications

This research adds to the literature on value co-creation by investigating how, why and when influencers’ value co-creation enhances consumer responses to the post. Our investigation concretizes value co-creation behavior in the context of influencer marketing and demonstrates its signaling effect with nuanced role of value type in shaping the effect. The findings provide a novel cue that influencers can use to enhance consumer responses to their posts.

Practical implications

Brands should encourage influencers to focus on value-in-use co-creation when promoting their products. While emphasizing value co-creation in influencer partnership, brands should also carefully consider the type and size of influencers they collaborate with based on the nature of their products and target audience. The research findings also provide practical implications for influencers, offering guidance on how they can optimize their content creation strategies and enhance their effectiveness in influencer marketing collaborations.

Originality/value

This research enriches understanding of value co-creation in the context of influencer marketing and the role of content specifics in influencers’ posts. The findings provide a novel cue that influencers can use to enhance consumer responses to their posts.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 72372058, 72372166,72002082, 71972108), Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2024A1515011903), and the Key Research Project of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Shenzhen (SZ2023A011). Additionally, authors would like to add an Equal Contribution Acknowledgment, and request that the contribution of all three authors (Zhang Jin, Cai Lingkui, and Zheng Xiaoying) be marked as equal.

Citation

Zhang, J., Cai, L. and Zheng, X. (2024), "How influencers can enhance consumer responses by value co-creation", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58 No. 11, pp. 2566-2595. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-05-2023-0362

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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