Search results

This study aims to explore the pathway of increasing hotel booking intentions by mapping the linkage mechanism between the antecedents and components of brand equity to ultimately drive followers’ hotel booking intention. In addition, the role of over-endorsement as a moderating variable is also evaluated.

The conceptual model and research hypotheses were each assessed using covariance-based structural equation modeling. Paper-based and online surveys were used to collect data from 443 respondents who are TikTok users and follow at least one TikTok online celebrity, while that online celebrity must have reviewed at least one type of accommodation.

Except for the relationship between virtual interactivity and online celebrity brand image, the results confirmed the relationships between research concepts.

Further studies are needed to validate the results in other cultural contexts, generalize findings and broaden the range of target respondents.

This study contributes to the hotel literature by illustrating how online celebrity brand equity (OCBE) drives hotel booking intentions. The study highlights the importance of antecedent factors – follower-centered drivers (e.g. lifestyle congruence, friendship) and online celebrity-led drivers (e.g. virtual interactivity, expertise) – to achieve a hierarchical relationship between OCBE components and followers’ booking intentions.

From the customer-relationship theory and attachment theory approaches, this study proposes a serial mediation model to examine how celebrity attachment influences event attendees' intentions in the celebrity endorsement process in the context of events.

Paper-based and online surveys were used to collect data from 759 Vietnamese respondents, aged 15 and above, who followed domestic or international celebrities and were interested in various events taking place in Vietnam. A serial multiple mediation model was evaluated through covariance-based structural equation modeling.

The results confirmed the cognitive, affective and hybrid cognitive-affective pathways among antecedents, celebrity attachment and event participation intentions.

Future studies need to validate these findings across diverse cultural settings and larger participant pools to enhance their applicability. Exploring celebrity endorsement for events from an international follower perspective could offer valuable insights. Future research should consider these factors when interpreting results. It may benefit from conducting longitudinal or mixed-method studies to improve generalizability. Additional moderating variables are necessary, as research on the celebrity endorsement process for events evolves.

This study contributes to the literature on celebrity endorsement within event marketing, emphasizing the customer-brand relationship and attachment theory. It extends existing research that primarily examines how celebrity attachment influences event attendees' intentions in the celebrity endorsement process by validating a serial mediation model.

From a consumer–brand relationship (CBR) perspective, this study proposes a serial multiple mediation model to explore the pathways (e.g. cognitive, affective and hybrid) to increase online celebrity brand equity (OCBE) and follower's hotel booking intentions (FBI).

Paper-based and online surveys were used to collect data from 443 respondents who had been using TikTok and had followed at least one online celebrity on TikTok, while that online celebrity had reviewed one or more types of accommodation. A serial multiple mediation model was evaluated through covariance-based structural equation modeling.

The results confirmed the hybrid cognitive–affective and cognitive–affective–conative pathways among antecedents and components of OCBE and FBI.

From a CBR perspective, this study provides a serial multiple mediation model to increase OCBE via hybrid cognitive–affective pathways and to drive FBI via cognitive–affective–conative pathways. These sequential relationships contribute to the human branding literature by defining a mechanism of how online celebrities can efficiently attract followers, thus driving online celebrity brand loyalty and hotel booking intentions.

The results should be validated in other cultural contexts to generalize findings and broaden the range of target respondents to include international followers and those within other nations.