Evaluating the Effectiveness of Virtual Influencers as Endorsers in Tourism Sustainability Marketing
Date: 20 November 2024 (Wednesday)
Time: 13:00-14:00
Venue: E22-G006 (Discussion Room)
Moderator: Prof. Faye CHEN
Dongming JIANG
PhD Student
Abstract
Tourism and hospitality brands have increasingly leveraged social media influencers, including virtual influencers, to communicate their sustainable practices to consumers. Scant knowledge exists regarding when and why virtual influencers may rival human influencers for tourism green marketing. This research utilizes a two-stage mixed-method approach to explore the potential of using virtual (vs. human) influencers as endorsers in tourism green marketing, which has not been well understood. The combination of qualitative and quantitative data reveals that while virtual influencers are generally less effective than human influencers in tourism green marketing, there is a congruence effect between influencer type (virtual vs. human) and a brand’s green practice type (technology-oriented vs. labor-oriented). The combination of qualitative and quantitative data in the present study offers a more comprehensive understanding of virtual influencers in the tourism green marketing domain.
Speaker Bio
Mr. Jiang obtained his master’s degree in Integrated Resort Tourism Management from the University of Macau. Under the supervision of Prof. Huiling HUANG, he has been involved in several academic research projects, and some of the research findings have been submitted to international journals. His research interests primarily focus on tourist behavior and personnel psychology in tourism.
All are welcome!
