Exploring consumer responses to official endorsement: roles of credibility and attractiveness attributes in live streaming

Introduction: Official endorsement, distinct from celebrity, expertise, and peer endorsement, introduces a new paradigm where local government officials use online platforms, particularly live streaming, to promote local products and brands.

Methods: This study examines the influence of official endorsement on consumer responses using the source credibility and source attractiveness models. We developed a framework that considers official credibility and attractiveness attributes as antecedents, and consumer perceived security and enjoyment as mediators, affecting purchase intention and local brand awareness. The study also incorporates variables such as consumer region and power distance belief.

Results: Data from 594 responses obtained through an online survey were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that official credibility attributes (expertise, trustworthiness, government credibility) enhances consumer perceived security, while official attractiveness attributes (physical attractiveness, interaction friendliness, and similarity with consumers) increases consumer enjoyment. Both perceived security and enjoyment positively influence purchase intention and local brand awareness. These relationships are partially moderated by consumer region and power distance belief.

Discussion: This research pioneers the study of official endorsements, expanding the endorsement literature. It also provides practical insights for marketing professionals and government officials on leveraging official endorsements to enhance the value of local products and brands.

1 Introduction

Endorsement is a pivotal marketing strategy for practitioners, encompassing explicit forms (e.g., “I endorse this product/brand”) and implicit forms (e.g., “I use this product/brand”) or simply appearing alongside a product/brand in specific settings (McCracken, 1989; Bush et al., 2004; Halder et al., 2021). Effective endorsement enhances consumer attitudes toward advertisements, products, and brands, fosters brand association or awareness, and drives purchase intention along with other positive behavioral responses (Shan et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2021).

With the rapid advancement of internet technology and the local government’s emphasis on regional economic growth, many local government officials have begun to endorse local products and brands via online platforms, particularly through live streaming. For example, Jiaolong He, Deputy Director of the Cultural Tourism Bureau, promoted Yili’s products on the Douyin live streaming platform on behalf of Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. Similarly, Le Yang, Deputy Magistrate of Langao County, Shaanxi Province, China, endorsed Langao’s goods on Douyin and Weibo. As legitimate representatives of their regions, government officials aim to influence consumers through their authority and personal charm. Besides boosting sales of local products (Carlson et al., 2020), official endorsement aids in building regional brands and stimulating the local economy, serving as a beneficial economic strategy for local governments. Consequently, local brands and marketing practitioners must comprehend the workings of official endorsement and learn how to leverage it for successful marketing outcomes.

While extensive research has been conducted on endorsements (von and Breuer, 2020; Lili et al., 2022; Choi et al., 2023), studies focusing specifically on official endorsements are notably limited. Endorsers are essential to the endorsement process, significantly influencing outcomes alongside product-related factors and the compatibility between the endorser and the product (Halder et al., 2021). This holds particularly true for official endorsements, where local government officials, serving as authentic representatives of local products and brands, can profoundly impact public consumer perceptions through interpersonal charisma (John et al., 2019). In response, this study delves into the personal attributes of officials—such as physical attractiveness, trustworthiness, and interaction friendliness—to discern their effects on consumer responses.

Endorsements are not without risks, as illustrated by incidents where social media influencers have endorsed products without adequate vetting, later revealing significant quality issues (Deshbhag and Mohan, 2020). Especially following public safety crises, there is an increased focus on safety, including both physical and psychological aspects (Wisutwattanasak et al., 2023). Official endorsements, regulated and scrutinized by government entities, typically offer a higher security guarantee, potentially enhancing consumers’ perceptions of security. Moreover, when officials, traditionally perceived as distant or serious, engage directly with the public on the internet to endorse local products, they disrupt their conventional image, fostering a closer connection with the community and enhancing positive public evaluations. Building on the source credibility theory (Hovland et al., 1953) and source attractiveness theory (McGuire, 1985), this study aims to assess the effects of official credibility and attractiveness attributes on consumers’ perceived security and enjoyment. It further explores how these perceptions influence purchase intention and local brand awareness. Additionally, this research considers unique consumer characteristics, such as regional background (local consumers vs. out-shoppers) and power distance belief, to provide a comprehensive understanding of official endorsements.

This study makes several notable contributions to the field. Firstly, it delves into the reasons behind consumer responses to official endorsements, providing a theoretical framework that extends our understanding of how official endorsements influence consumer behavior (Janssen et al., 2022; Tian and Li, 2022; Choi et al., 2023). Secondly, this research contributes to the theoretical framework of source credibility theory and source attractiveness theory (Hovland et al., 1953; McGuire, 1985; Schimmelpfennig and Hunt, 2020; Halder et al., 2021). While expertise and trustworthiness have traditionally been considered critical sources of credibility (Hovland et al., 1953; Ohanian, 1990), this study introduces government credibility as another crucial source of official credibility. Moreover, likeability, similarity, and familiarity were regarded as main sources of attractiveness (McGuire, 1985). This study expands the concept of official attractiveness within the context of official endorsements, delineating three sources: physical attractiveness, interaction friendliness, and similarity with consumers. Then, this study delves into the differential effects of official credibility and attractiveness attributes on consumers’ security and enjoyment perceptions, as well as their effects on purchase intention and local brand awareness. By exploring these nuanced relationships, the study advances the existing literature on endorsement. Finally, this study further contributes to the literature on consumer types and government-related issues, offering new insights into how and when governmental actions influence consumer perceptions and behaviors (Kim et al., 2019; Arshad and Khurram, 2020).

2 Literature review

2.1 Endorsement and official endorsement

2.1.1 Endorsement platforms and live streaming endorsement

Traditional endorsement primarily utilizes mass media like TV and radio (Ding and Qiu, 2017), where celebrities and other endorsers promote brands in a static format. In recent years, internet and mobile technologies have propelled social media, particularly live streaming, as new platforms for information, entertainment, and product purchases.

The unique appeal of live streaming lies in its video content and real-time communication (Rungruangjit, 2022). Unlike TV endorsements, live streaming offers a more vivid and dynamic approach, allowing streamers to present product features and prices and respond to consumers’ real-time inquiries and demands. This dynamic interaction enables consumers to learn detailed product information and develop parasocial relationships with streamers (Lim et al., 2020), potentially stimulating purchase and engagement behaviors (Xu et al., 2020).

Consequently, live streaming has become a popular marketing channel for selling products and promoting brands (Li et al., 2023). Live streaming enhances the role of streamers, leading to an increase in celebrities using it to endorse and sell products (Meng et al., 2021). Even local government officials have begun using live streaming to promote local brands. Numerous studies have dedicated attention to the attributes of live streamers, with a primary focus on factors such as trustworthiness, attractiveness, and expertise (Qiu et al., 2021). These studies have underscored the positive impacts of live streamers’ attributes on various aspects of consumers, including emotional attachment (Li and Peng, 2021), value perception, purchase intention (Guo et al., 2022), and other psychological states and behaviors.

2.1.2 Endorser types and official endorser

Companies must strategically select endorsers, such as celebrities, experts, entrepreneurs, consumers, or politicians to fulfill their marketing objectives (McCracken, 1989). Celebrity endorsement, the most prevalent form, involves high-profile individuals like singers, actors, athletes, and politicians promoting products and brands (Schimmelpfennig and Hunt, 2020). Various studies have explored the differences among these endorsers. Biswas et al. (2006) analyzed how celebrity and expert endorsements impact consumer risk perception differently, Wang (2006) compared the impacts of expert and consumer endorsements on audience responses, and Shi et al. (2021) discussed the endorsement effectiveness between online star and traditional celebrity. Table 1 discusses the differences among various types of endorsers.

Table 1

Table 1. Comparison of the types of endorsers.

This study defines official endorsement as the promotion of local products and brands by local government officials aimed at the collective benefit of the local area. Unlike other endorsers, local government officials, vested with legitimate authority, represent local communities or regions and engage in activities for collective benefit (John et al., 2019). Their endorsements are primarily nonprofit and politically oriented (Clayman, 2017), and an official’s image has been shown to influence the local area’s image (Nicolau et al., 2020). The significant role of official endorsers in local brand endorsement necessitates an exploration of the factors influencing consumer behavior in response to official endorsement. He et al. (2022) concentrated on official live streaming and proposed that characteristics of product and officer streamer would affect consumer engagement behavior and purchase intention. However, their study overlooked the impact of official endorsement on local brands. We utilize theories from the source endorsement effectiveness theory to address this gap, focusing on the significance of official endorsement for promoting local brands.

2.2 Source endorsement effectiveness model

2.2.1 Source credibility model

Source credibility refers to an individual’s perception of an information source’s believability (O’keefe, 2015; Halder et al., 2021). Expertise and trustworthiness are the fundamental dimensions of the source credibility model (Hovland et al., 1953; Ohanian, 1990). Expertise is the extent to which a communicator is perceived as a reliable source of information, while trustworthiness is the degree of confidence in the communicator’s intent to convey valid assertions. Compared to other forms of endorsement, government involvement strongly influences official endorsement. Even when consumers find assessing an official’s competence and intentions challenging, the government’s credibility can instill a sense of security. Government credibility reflects the public’s trust in the government, encompassing citizens’ judgments about its capabilities and intentions (Zhang et al., 2019). The government’s guarantee is an undeniable unique advantage of official endorsers. Consequently, this study proposes a three-dimensional conceptualization of official credibility for official endorsement, encompassing official expertise, trustworthiness, and government credibility.

2.2.2 Source attractiveness model

Source attractiveness is defined as the degree to which information receivers find the source appealing (Kiecker and Cowles, 2002; Teng et al., 2014). This attractiveness encompasses not only physical appeal but also mental skills, personality, lifestyle, and artistic talents (Erdogan, 1999). McGuire (1985) posits that source attractiveness includes similarity, familiarity, and likeability, suggesting that sources known, liked, or similar to consumers are attractive and persuasive. Similarity refers to the perceived resemblance between the source and receiver in demographic or ideological aspects, such as values and interests (Munnukka et al., 2016; Lou and Yuan, 2019). Familiarity denotes the extent of information the receiver possesses about the source (Munnukka et al., 2016). Unlike celebrity endorsers, local government officials are often unfamiliar to the public, so official familiarity is not a focus of this study. Likeability is an individual’s affinity for sources based on their physical appearance, personal traits (Kiecker and Cowles, 2002), or behavior (Erdogan, 1999; Munnukka et al., 2016), and is closely associated with friendliness (Bartneck et al., 2009; Nagel et al., 2021). Consequently, likeability can be subdivided into physical attractiveness and personality likeability, the latter being synonymous with friendliness. As officials are often perceived as high-power figures in social hierarchies (Zhu and Chang, 2023), demonstrating friendliness and similarity to the public can help cultivate a positive image. Based on these considerations, this study proposes three dimensions of official endorser attractiveness: physical attractiveness, interaction friendliness, and similarity with consumers.

Extensive literature has examined the factors of endorser credibility and attractiveness, focusing on their impact on consumer attitudes (Ha and Lam, 2016; Munnukka et al., 2016; Teng et al., 2020), trust (Qiu et al., 2021), risk perception (Deshbhag and Mohan, 2020), purchase intention (Ha and Lam, 2016; Kim and Kim, 2021; Masuda et al., 2022), and brand-related variables (Dwivedi and Johnson, 2013; Lou and Yuan, 2019) (refer to Table 2). However, few studies explored the sources of officials’ credibility and attractiveness, and separately explored the distinct roles of endorser credibility and attractiveness attributes on consumers.

Table 2

Table 2. Studies about endorser’s attributes on endorsement effectiveness.

Given the significance of officials as endorsers in official live streaming, this study aims to apply two pivotal theories—source credibility theory and source attractiveness theory—to delve into the impact of officials’ credibility attributes and attractiveness attributes on consumers’ purchase intention and local brand awareness. In terms of intermediary mechanisms, official endorsements possess a unique characteristic: the backing of government credibility. Insufficient government credibility may erode public trust in officials’ promises and assurances during live streaming endorsements. The combined assurance of officials and government can notably bolster consumers’ perceived security. Therefore, this study explores the mediating role of consumers’ perceived security in the influence of officials’ credibility attributes on purchase intention and local brand awareness. Moreover, officials depart from their formal image to engage with consumers on online platforms, leveraging their personal charm to foster a closer rapport. This interaction often prompts positive evaluations and perceptions of enjoyment among consumers. Consequently, the study investigates the mediating role of consumers’ perceived enjoyment in the impact of officials’ attractiveness attributes on purchase intention and local brand awareness. Additionally, considering that officials predominantly endorse local brands, consumers’ regional backgrounds may influence their purchase intention and brand awareness. Preferences may diverge between local residents and out-shoppers, prompting the inclusion of consumer region as a moderating variable. Furthermore, traditional perceptions often associate officials with high-status individuals. Thus, consumers’ power distance belief may affect their attitudes toward official endorsements, for instance, consumers with lower power distance belief may seek direct interaction with officials online, aiming to bridge the perceived power gap and establish a more equitable relationship. Hence, this study incorporates consumers’ power distance belief as a moderating variable. In summary, this study aims to investigate the impacts of officials’ credibility attributes and attractiveness attributes on consumers’ purchase intention and local brand awareness. It also explores the mediating roles of perceived security and perceived enjoyment, as well as the moderating roles of consumer region and power distance belief.

3 Hypothesis development

3.1 The effect of official credibility attributes on perceived security

Online shopping involves inherent risks and security concerns (Tzavlopoulos et al., 2019). Consumers actively seek information to mitigate these risks and enhance their perception of security, considering factors such as security technologies, policies, company reputation, and endorsements from credible sources (Qalati et al., 2021). Unlike other forms, official endorsement provides consumers with a heightened sense of security. Therefore, this study focuses on perceived security to examine its impact on consumer responses. Building upon prior research, we define perceived security as the degree to which consumers regard products bought from officials as secure and reliable (Salisbury et al., 2001; Patel and Patel, 2018). It explores how an official’s credibility attributes namely expertise, trustworthiness, and government credibility, influence consumers’ perceived security in the context of official endorsements.

3.1.1 The effect of official expertise on perceived security

Official expertise in local products is defined as the extent of their knowledge, experience, and skills related to these products (Hovland et al., 1953). Consumers rely on an endorser’s expertise in local products to assess their qualifications for making credible assertions in a specific domain (Kim and Kim, 2021). A local official with extensive knowledge of local products, including their unique characteristics, production techniques, usage, and cultural history, can assist consumers in choosing suitable and reliable products. In live streaming, officials’ expertise can diminish consumer risk perception and bolster their sense of security regarding products (Tong, 2018). Therefore, this study proposes the following hypothesis:

H1: Official expertise positively influences perceived security.

3.1.2 The effect of official trustworthiness on perceived security

Trustworthiness encompasses honesty, sincerity, and believability (Ohanian, 1990). When promoting products, a trustworthy endorser provides objective information and guidance on product selection and usage. Generally, as independent intermediaries between merchants and consumers, officials’ endorsements of local products are not driven by personal economic interests, ensuring a degree of objectivity. Simultaneously, officials endorsing unqualified brands risk damaging their reputation and jeopardizing future promotional opportunities. This potential consequence heightens their caution and instills a more stringent approach when considering product endorsement. According to trust transfer theory (McKnight et al., 2002; Stewart, 2003), trust in officials can extend to the products they endorse (Chen et al., 2020), fostering psychological security (Yu and Yu, 2020) and enhancing consumer confidence. Therefore, this study proposes the following hypothesis:

H2: Official trustworthiness positively influences perceived security.

3.1.3 The effect of government credibility on perceived security

Average consumers typically have limited direct interaction with local officials, leading to insufficient knowledge to assess their personalities and capabilities. In such scenarios, the credibility of the government plays a crucial role. Government credibility is defined as the extent of public trust in the government, encompassing citizens’ assessments of its capabilities and intentions. Research indicates that public trust in the government can reduce risk perceptions associated with using government services (Belanche et al., 2014), enhance the willingness to support government-organized events (Zhang and Dai, 2023), and stimulate the purchase intention of regional brand agricultural products (Xu et al., 2023). The distinctiveness of official endorsement stems from governmental influence; the implied government guarantee significantly boosts consumer confidence in local products. Therefore, this study proposes the following hypothesis:

H3: Government credibility positively influences perceived security.

3.2 The effect of official attractiveness attributes on perceived enjoyment

Perceived enjoyment, characterized by joy, delight, and pleasure (Akdim et al., 2022), is a primary motivator for media usage and technology adoption (Ma, 2021). Previous studies have demonstrated the positive impact of perceived enjoyment on consumer behavioral intentions (Wang et al., 2013; Wu and Santana, 2022). For instance, perceived enjoyment has been shown to positively correlate with engaging in social commerce on shopping websites (Zheng et al., 2020). This study proposes that an official’s attractiveness attributes, such as physical attractiveness, interaction friendliness, and similarity with consumers, can positively influence consumers’ perceived enjoyment of official endorsement.

3.2.1 The effect of official physical attractiveness on perceived enjoyment

The adage “What is beautiful is good” is widely accepted (Chaker et al., 2019). Interacting with an attractive person tends to elicit happiness and positive emotions in individuals (Hazlett and Hoehn-Saric, 2000; Choi et al., 2020). Guo et al. (2022) suggested that a live streamer’s attractiveness positively correlates with consumers’ hedonic value in live streaming contexts. Similarly, highly attractive government officials are likely to receive more news coverage (Tsfati et al., 2010) and excellent promotion opportunities (Ling et al., 2019). An official endorser with a highly attractive physical appearance can captivate consumer interest and evoke feelings of pleasure, enjoyment, and other positive emotions when endorsing local products. Therefore, this study proposes the following hypothesis:

H4: Official physical attractiveness positively influences perceived enjoyment.

3.2.2 The effect of official interaction friendliness on perceived enjoyment

Interaction friendliness, characterized by a pleasant and cheerful demeanor toward others, has positively influenced consumers’ positive emotions and experiences (Lee and Dubinsky, 2003). Demonstrating friendliness through smiling, gentleness, warmth, humor, and approachability can elicit positive consumer attitudes and evaluations (Liu et al., 2016). In everyday affairs, officials are often perceived as serious, authoritative, and distant in the public eye. To garner public support, some officials have begun actively manage their public image to be friendly, honest and intelligent through Internet platforms (Lalancette and Raynauld, 2019). In live streaming interactions, officials’ showing friendliness can reduce the psychological distance between officials and the public, enhancing consumers’ perceived enjoyment. Therefore, this study proposes the following hypothesis:

H5: Official interaction friendliness positively influences perceived enjoyment.

3.2.3 The effect of official similarity on perceived enjoyment

McGuire (1985) defines similarity as the perceived resemblance between the endorser and consumer, encompassing demographic and ideological aspects such as values, interests, and preferences. People tend to favor others who are similar to them (Kandel, 1978; Hill and Stull, 1981), as this similarity not only fosters positive emotions toward others (Lee and Dubinsky, 2003) but also makes interactions feel more comfortable and enjoyable (Fu et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2021). Additionally, government officials are often perceived as high-power figures within social hierarchies (Zhu and Chang, 2023). Unlike celebrity endorsers, consumers generally have limited understanding of and access to government officials. Suppose officials demonstrate their similarity to ordinary consumers through various means, such as using familiar “Internet” language, engaging in discussions on current popular topics, sharing common hobbies like singing or dancing, and even adopting similar attire with consumers. In that case, consumers are likely to be pleasantly surprised and form positive evaluations of the official endorsements. Therefore, this study proposes the following hypothesis:

H6: Official similarity with consumers positively influences perceived enjoyment.

3.3 The effect of perceived security and enjoyment on purchase intention

Consumers cannot accurately assess product quality without direct access to products online. These security concerns may deter and limit consumer engagement with e-commerce and online purchasing (Nepomuceno et al., 2014; Jiao et al., 2021). In official endorsement, when consumers feel secure, their intention to purchase is likely to be enhanced (Hartono et al., 2014). Therefore, this study proposes the following hypothesis:

H7a: Perceived security positively influences purchase intention.

Prior research has established that consumers’ positive emotions can significantly influence their purchase and other related behavioral intentions (Kim and Lennon, 2013; Lv et al., 2024). Fu et al. (2018) demonstrated that perceived enjoyment positively correlates with intention to purchase movie tickets online. Zheng et al. (2020) discovered that perceived enjoyment in social commerce enhances consumers’ purchase intentions. In the context of this study, when consumers experience enjoyment from official endorsements, this positive emotion can motivate them to purchase local products. Therefore, this study proposes the following hypothesis:

H7b: Perceived enjoyment positively influences purchase intention.

3.4 The effect of perceived security and enjoyment on local brand awareness

Memory theory posits that brand awareness correlates with the strength of the brand’s representation in memory (Keller, 1993; Loureiro, 2013). Brand awareness signifies consumers’ ability to recall, identify, or recognize a brand (Huang and Sarigöllü, 2012; Tan et al., 2021), serving as the initial step in forming brand associations in memory (Macdonald and Sharp, 2003), often indicated by “brand recognition memory” (Ye and Van Raaij, 2004). Developing local brands is crucial for the growth of the local economy (Pasquinelli et al., 2023), and official endorsements can play a pivotal and innovative role in this process.

As a positive factor, the perception of security can enhance consumers’ awareness of brands, thereby positively influencing their brand awareness (Chakraborty and Bhat, 2018). Prior research has shown a positive correlation between consumer trust and brand awareness. For instance, Al-Hawari (2011) demonstrated that the security of online services enhances brand awareness in retail banking. Lou and Yuan (2019) observed that consumer trust in influencers’ branded content positively impacts brand awareness. Therefore, this study proposes the following hypothesis:

H8a: Perceived security positively influences local brand awareness.

Research has established a link between positive emotions and memory. Yegiyan and Yonelinas (2011) discovered that positively arousing events can broaden memory effects. Madan et al. (2019) demonstrated that positive emotions distinctly affect memory, enhancing associative memory. In research by Wang and Li (2012), they found that perceived enjoyment of mobile services positively impacts brand awareness, subsequently driving purchase intention. Bae et al. (2020) revealed that perceived enjoyment in mixed reality experiences positively influences brand awareness in cultural heritage attractions. Lou and Yuan (2019) observed that the entertainment value of influencer-generated content positively correlates with brand awareness. Based on these studies, this study hypothesizes that when consumers find official endorsements enjoyable, it enhances their memory capacity and recall of local products, thereby increasing the likelihood of recognizing the local brand in various contexts. It is hypothesized that:

H8b: Perceived enjoyment positively influences local brand awareness.

3.5 The moderating role of consumer region

Based on geographical regions, consumers can be categorized into local consumers and out-shoppers. Local consumers are individuals residing in the same region as the officials. Notable differences exist between local consumers and out-shoppers. Local consumers’ preferences for local products are influenced by environmental concerns (Kareklas et al., 2014), product authenticity and quality (Carfora and Catellani, 2023), convenience, price (Birch et al., 2018), and a desire to support local communities (Memery et al., 2015). Out-shoppers primarily purchase local products due to their diversity, affordability, and superior quality (Dmitrovic and Vida, 2007). Consequently, consumers from different regions may exhibit distinct attitudes toward government officials and respond differently to official endorsements of local products. It is hypothesized that:

H9: Consumer region moderates H1–8, and the path patterns between local consumers and out-shoppers are different.

3.6 The moderating role of power distance belief

Power distance belief (PDB) is the degree to which individuals accept and expect power and wealth inequalities in society (Hofstede, 1984). Individuals with a high-power distance belief accept societal power inequalities and favor a stable social structure, believing that status should remain unchanged. Conversely, those with a low power distance belief prefer a more fluid social structure (Gao et al., 2016). Officials are often perceived as high-power figures within social hierarchies (Zhu and Chang, 2023), particularly in collectivist cultures such as China. This study proposes that individuals high in PDB are likely to avoid interactions with high-power officials, maintaining a distance that influences how official attributes affect consumer psychological and behavioral responses to official endorsements. It is hypothesized that:

H10: Power distance belief moderates H1–8, and the path patterns between consumers higher in PDB and consumers lower in PDB are different.

The overview of these hypotheses is shown in the research model in Figure 1.

4 Method and analysis

4.1 Measurement

This study’s construct measurements were adapted and slightly modified from established scales to suit this study’s needs. Expertise was assessed using four items from Weismueller et al. (2020), trustworthiness through five items from Ohanian (1990), and government credibility via five items from Kim and Song (2020) and Napoli et al. (2014). Physical attractiveness was gaged using three items from Xu et al. (2020), interaction friendliness with four items from Crouch and Yetton (1988), and similarity with three items from Johnson and Grayson (2005). Additionally, perceived security was evaluated using three items from Aggarwal and Rahul (2018) and Salisbury et al. (2001), and perceived enjoyment with three items from Voss et al. (2003). Purchase intention was assessed with three items from Pavlou (2003), local brand awareness with four items from Dabbous and Barakat (2020), and power distance belief (PDB) with five items from Winterich and Zhang (2014). After collecting 112 questionnaires in the pretest, an ambiguous question item was removed from PDB. All items were evaluated using a seven-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (“Strongly Disagree”) to 7 (“Strongly Agree”). The final scales were referred to Table 3.

Table 3

Table 3. Measurement of constructs.

4.2 Data collection and sample characteristics

Data collection occurred in China, necessitating the translation of the questionnaire into Chinese and subsequent back-translation into English for equivalence. The survey was conducted online through Credamo Credomo.com, a Chinese online survey platform. Ultimately, 594 valid responses were obtained. The demographic features of these respondents are provided in Table 4.

Table 4

Table 4. Demographics of participants.

5 Data analysis and results

This study introduced the structural equation modeling (SEM) as a technique to access the direct and indirect relationships between constructs. Unlike covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM), which focuses on maximizing the explained variance in the observed data, PLS-SEM prioritizes the prediction of latent variables (Hair et al., 2019). PLS-SEM is especially useful when dealing with small sample sizes, non-normal data, or complex models. It is particularly popular in social sciences, marketing, and other fields where complex relationships between variables need to be understood (Sun et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2021). In this study, PLS-SEM was chosen due to its suitability for exploratory research and its ability to predict model with data of non-normal distribution. Additionally, given the intention to compare participants’ regional background and power distance belief, PLS-SEM is more adaptable for smaller sample size compared to covariance-based SEM (Hair et al., 2019). Specifically, SmartPLS 3.0 was employed for testing the measurement and structural model in a dual-stage analysis. Finally, this study also applied SPSS 21.0 to address common method bias.

5.1 Common method bias

Initially, we incorporated OE, OT, GC, OPA, OIF, OS, PS, PE, PI, LBA, and PDB into the model to perform Harmon’s one-factor test, revealing that the first factor explained 35.10% of the covariance (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Subsequently, following Liang et al. (2007), we added a common method factor (CMF), assessed by all construct items in the model. The results indicated an average substantively explained variance of 0.679 for the items, an average method-based variance of 0.004, and a substantive to CMF variance ratio of approximately 169.75: 1. Furthermore, most loadings of the method factor were insignificant, indicating no apparent common method bias in this study.

Figure 1

Figure 1. The hypotheses model.

5.2 Measurement model

Initially, we calculated composite reliability (CR), average variance extracted (AVE), Cronbach’s α (CA), and item loadings to evaluate the constructs’ internal reliability and convergent validity (refer to Table 5). The results demonstrated that all constructs’ item loadings exceeded 0.7, with CA, CR, and AVE values above 0.7 and 0.5, respectively, indicating strong reliability and convergent validity.

Table 5

Table 5. Reliability and validity results.

We then evaluated discriminant validity using three distinct methods. For the first check, all constructs’ item loadings aligned significantly with their intended constructs and not with others. The second check ensured that each construct’s square root of AVE exceeded its correlation with other constructs (refer to Table 6). Finally, all HTMT values were below the recommended threshold of 0.90 (refer to Table 7), indicating robust discriminant validity.

Table 6

Table 6. Correlation coefficient matrix and square roots of AVEs (Fornell-Laker).

Table 7

Table 7. Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio of correlations (HTMT).

We conducted an additional analysis to assess multicollinearity. The collinearity assessment revealed that all indicators’ VIF values were below 3.33, indicating an absence of significant collinearity issues in this study.

5.3 Structural model

5.3.1 Assessment of structural model

This study assessed the structural model using SmartPLS software. Compared to CB-SEM, which has standard fit indices, PLS-SEM emphasizes the predictive performance of the model rather than the degree of fit between the model and the data. Researchers often use metrics such as path coefficients, R² (coefficient of determination), and Q² (cross-validated redundancy) to assess the model’s predictive ability (Henseler and Sarstedt, 2013). In this study, the R² value for perceived security, perceived enjoyment, purchase intention, and local brand awareness were 0.502, 0.537, 0.528, and 0.465, which means that the model explained 50.2% of the variance in perceived security, 53.7% in perceived enjoyment, 52.8% in purchase intention, and 46.5% in local brand awareness. In addition, the result of Blindfolding test showed that Q² value for perceived security, perceived enjoyment, purchase intention, and local brand awareness were 0.344, 0.363, 0.373, and 0.325 respectively, which demonstrates a favorable predictive relevance (Sarstedt et al., 2014).

However, some researchers also suggest using values such as standardized root means square (SRMR), normed fit index (NFI), and root mean square error correlation (RMS_Theta) as measures of model fit to avoid misspecification in the model. Results of this study indicated that SRMR value was 0.067, which is below the threshold of 0.08, suggesting a good fit for the model. Although the NFI value was 0.807, slightly below the recommended threshold of 0.90, the difference was marginal. Additionally, the RMS_Theta value was 0.111, below the threshold of 0.12, further supporting the adequacy of the model fit (Henseler et al., 2016). Overall, the basic requirements for model fit had been satisfactorily met, indicating a good overall fit for the model.

5.3.2 Structural equation modeling

The PLS-SEM was employed to estimate the path coefficients of the model. In terms of official credibility attributes, results showed that official expertise (β = 0.143, p < 0.05), trustworthiness (β = 0.480, p < 0.001), and government credibility (β = 0.184, p < 0.001) positively impacted consumers’ perceived security. In terms of official attractiveness attributes, official physical attractiveness (β = 0.180, p < 0.001), interaction friendliness (β = 0.246, p < 0.001), and similarity with consumers (β = 0.487, p < 0.001) positively influenced consumers’ perceived enjoyment. Additionally, perceived security (β = 0.398, p < 0.001) and enjoyment (β = 0.403, p < 0.001) significantly influenced consumers’ purchase intention. Both perceived security (β = 0.254, p < 0.001) and enjoyment (β = 0.472, p < 0.001) impacted local brand awareness.

Regarding control variables, the effects of age, gender, income and education level on purchase intention and local brand awareness were found to be insignificant. Thus, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6, H7a, H7b, H8a, and H8b were all supported, as shown in Table 8 and Figure 2.

Table 8

Table 8. Results of the path analyses.

5.4 Mediation analyses

This study further investigated the mediating roles of perceived security and enjoyment in the relationship between official attributes and both purchase intention and local brand awareness. Regarding the mediating role of perceived security in the impact of official credibility attributes on marketing outcomes, perceived security fully mediated the relationship between official trustworthiness and government credibility, as well as both purchase intention and local brand awareness. However, the mediating role of perceived security in the relationship between official expertise and purchase intention (p = 0.057) and local brand awareness (p = 0.088) was not statistically significant.

Figure 2

Figure 2. Results of the structural model.

Concerning the mediation of perceived enjoyment in the influence of official attractiveness attributes on marketing outcomes, perceived enjoyment fully mediated the impact of official physical attractiveness on purchase intention and partially mediated its effect on local brand awareness. Perceived enjoyment partially mediated the relationship between official interaction friendliness and purchase intention while fully mediating its impact on local brand awareness. Moreover, perceived enjoyment partially mediated official similarity’s effect on purchase intention and local brand awareness (refer to Table 9).

Table 9

Table 9. Results of mediating effects.

5.5 Moderation analyses based on consumer region

In this study, 134 participants, representing 22.6%, shared the same region as the official endorsers, while 460 participants, constituting 77.4%, were out-shoppers, reflecting a realistic distribution. To examine the impact of consumer region, we initially conducted an independent-samples t-test to investigate the differences between local consumers and out-shoppers. According to Table 10, local consumers exhibited higher perceptions of security, enjoyment, purchase intention, and local brand awareness than out-shoppers.

Table 10

Table 10. Independent-samples’ t-test for means of “local” and “out-shopper” groups.

We then conducted a multi-group analysis to compare local consumers with out-shoppers (Matthews, 2017) (refer to Table 11). The results indicated that: (1) For local customers compared to out-shoppers, the correlation between government credibility and perceived security was noticeably larger (β_{local consumer} = 0.437, p < 0.001; β_out-shopper = 0.146, p < 0.05; β_difference = 0.291, p < 0.01). (2) Out-shoppers had a far stronger association between official interaction friendliness and perceived enjoyment than local consumers (β_{local consumer} = 0.071, p > 0.05; β_out-shopper = 0.307, p < 0.001; β_difference = −0.236, p < 0.01). (3) Local consumers had a considerably stronger correlation between perceived enjoyment and local brand awareness compared to out-shoppers (β_{local consumer} = 0.650, p < 0.001; β_out-shopper = 0.455, p < 0.001; β_difference = 0.195, p < 0.05). As a whole, hypothesis 9 was supported partially.

Table 11

Table 11. Results of path coefficients between local consumers and out-shoppers.

5.6 Moderation analyses based on power distance belief

Participants were categorized into three groups based on their power distance belief scores: low (N = 201), medium (N = 196), and high in PDB (N = 197). An independent-sample t-test was conducted to investigate the differences among consumers low, medium, and high in PDB. Table 12 reveals that consumers low in PDB own higher levels of perceived security, perceived enjoyment, purchase intention, and local brand awareness than consumers medium and high in PDB.

Table 12

Table 12. Independent-sample t-test for PDB means of low and high groups.

Subsequently, a multi-group analysis was conducted to compare consumers low, medium, and high in PDB (refer to Table 13). The pairwise comparison found that: (1) When comparing consumers low in PDB with consumers medium in PDB, there was no significant difference in all path coefficients. (2) When comparing consumers medium in PDB and high in PDB, the correlation between official similarity and perceived enjoyment was considerably more pronounced among consumers with medium PDB scores than those with high PDB scores (β_{medium in PDB} = 0.528, p < 0.001; β_{high in PDB} = 0.353, p < 0.001; β_difference = 0.176, p < 0.05). (3) When comparing consumers low in PDB and high in PDB, the correlation between official similarity and perceived enjoyment was also considerably more pronounced among consumers with low PDB scores than consumers high in PDB (β_{low in PDB} = 0.570, p < 0.001; β_{high in PDB} = 0.353, p < 0.001; β_difference = 0.217, p < 0.05). Overall, for consumers with lower PDB, official similarity exerted a greater influence on perceived enjoyment. In conclusion, hypothesis 10 received partial support.

Table 13

Table 13. Path coefficient comparisons for consumers with low, medium, and high PDB.

6 Discussion and conclusion

6.1 Discussion

Live streaming has emerged as the premier platform for entertainment, interaction and e-commerce. Given its widespread polularity, government officials are encouraged to leverage this platform to utilize their inherent authority and personal charisma to foster stronger connections with the public, and stimulate local economic growth. Consequently, this study concentrates on the influence of official endorsements in live streaming, examining how the credibility and attractiveness attributes of official endorsers influence consumers’ purchase intention and local brand awareness. It further investigates the mediating roles of perceived security and perceived enjoyment, along with the moderating effects of consumer region and power distance belief.

Firstly, addressing the inherent risks associated with live streaming shopping, this research integrates the concept of consumers’ perceived security. It explores how the credibility attributes of official endorsers—namely official expertise, trustworthiness, and government credibility—affect consumer perceived security. Findings indicate that endorsers with high levels of expertise and trustworthiness significantly enhance consumers’ perceived security, corroborating earlier studies which have shown that an endorser’s expertise and trustworthiness effectively boost consumer trust and mitigate risk perceptions (Chen et al., 2020; Deshbhag and Mohan, 2020; Qiu et al., 2021). Additionally, this study introduces government credibility as another source of official credibility and demonstrates its effect on consumers’ security perception, which aligns with previous research demonstrating that government credibility can diminish the public’s risk perception when engaging with e-government services (Bélanger and Carter, 2008). These insights significantly broaden the understanding of credibility sources within official endorsements (Kim and Kim, 2021).

Secondly, recognizing the entertainment value of live streaming, this study emphasizes perceived enjoyment, investigating how the attractiveness attributes of officials—physical attractiveness, interaction friendliness, and similarity with consumers—affect consumer perceived enjoyment. This investigation supports existing literature that associates endorser attractiveness with increased consumer arousal (Xu et al., 2020), pleasure (Zhichao and Qien, 2020), and enjoyment value (Guo et al., 2022). Notably, this study contributes to the discussion by breaking down the attractiveness traits of endorsers more clearly and examining their combined impact on perceived enjoyment (Teng et al., 2020; Masuda et al., 2022). Through this approach, the research adds to the sources of endorser attractiveness and highlights the positive emotional impacts these attributes create for consumers.

Third, this study explores the mediating role of perceived security in the relationship between official credibility attributes and both purchase intention and local brand awareness. While trust is often emphasized in endorsement research (Lou and Yuan, 2019; Kim and Kim, 2021), perceived security has not been as thoroughly investigated. This research identifies perceived security as a mediating mechanism, finding that official trustworthiness and government credibility enhance consumers’ perceived security, which in turn positively influences purchase intention and local brand awareness. This aspect of the study not only clarifies how officials’ credibility attributes trigger positive consumer responses but also expands the scope of research on perceived security. However, the study also notes that the mediating role of perceived security in the impact of official expertise on purchase intention and local brand awareness was insignificant. We speculate that other mediating variables, such as perceived utility value, might influence the impact of expertise on consumer responses, as suggested by Guo et al. (2022), who noted that expertise affects purchase intention through perceived utilitarian and hedonic values.

Fourth, the role of perceived enjoyment as a mediator in the relationship between official attractiveness attributes and both purchase intention and local brand awareness is discussed. Previous studies have demonstrated the positive effects of hedonic value on purchase intention (Park and Lin, 2020; Guo et al., 2022) and brand awareness (Dabbous and Barakat, 2020), yet the impact of endorser attractiveness attributes on consumers’ perceived enjoyment has been less explored. This study establishes a link between officials’ attractiveness attributes and consumer responses, using perceived enjoyment as a mediator. It highlights that officials’ physical attractiveness, interaction friendliness, and similarity to consumers boost consumers’ perceived enjoyment, which can subsequently enhance purchase intention and amplify local brand awareness.

Fifth, this research compares the differing responses between local consumers and out-shoppers. Birch et al. (2018) identified evaluative and preferential disparities between these groups. The findings of this study further reveal that: (1) Government credibility has a reduced impact on perceived security among out-shoppers, likely due to their limited understanding of local governments and their credibility levels; (2) Official interaction friendliness has a greater impact on perceived enjoyment for out-shoppers, indicating that these consumers highly value the hospitality of local officials, aligning with Freire (2009), who highlighted the significance of local friendliness in destination-brand building; (3) Perceived enjoyment influences local brand awareness more significantly among local consumers, suggesting that they hold positive attitudes and evaluations toward local officials’ endorsement activities. Although these differences are not universal, they indicate that local consumers and out-shoppers exhibit distinct attitudes and preferences toward official endorsements in certain respects.

Lastly, in conjunction with the power image of officials, this study examines how consumers with different power distance belief respond to official endorsements. Winterich et al. (2018) found that individuals with low power distance belief seek closeness and equality with high-status figures, whereas those with high power distance belief prefer to maintain a distance. The current study corroborates these findings, demonstrating that for consumers with lower power distance belief, the effect of official similarity on perceived enjoyment is more pronounced.

6.2 Theoretical contributions

This study makes several crucial contributions to the field as follows:

First, it provides a theoretical framework for understanding the impact of official endorsement by demonstrating how the credibility and attractiveness attributes of officials influence consumer purchase intention and local brand awareness through the mediators of perceived security and enjoyment. While existing research primarily focuses on celebrities, peers, experts, and entrepreneur endorsers (Munnukka et al., 2016; Teng et al., 2020; von and Breuer, 2020; Choi et al., 2023), this research uniquely centers on official endorsements, examining not only purchase intention but also the enhancement of local brand awareness as marketing outcomes. This approach represents a significant and valuable addition to the endorsement literature.

Secondly, this study enriches the endorsement literature by expanding the source credibility model and the source attractiveness model (Schimmelpfennig and Hunt, 2020; Halder et al., 2021). Regarding the source credibility model, previous studies have largely focused on source expertise and trustworthiness (Ohanian, 1990; O’keefe, 2015), exploring their effects on consumer trust (Lou and Yuan, 2019; Lu and Chen, 2021), risk perception (Hussain et al., 2017; Deshbhag and Mohan, 2020), attitude (Wang and Scheinbaum, 2018; Teng et al., 2020), and purchase intention (Lou and Yuan, 2019; Chen et al., 2020). This research enhances the source credibility model by incorporating government credibility as a key dimension and exploring its influence on consumers’ perceived security. Concerning the source attractiveness model, this study divides the sources of officials’ attractiveness in live streaming into physical attractiveness, interaction friendliness and similarity with consumers, providing a nuanced view of source of attractiveness in official endorsement context (Qiu et al., 2021; Lili et al., 2022). While prior research has mainly focused on the effects of endorser attractiveness on consumer attitudes or trust (Wang and Scheinbaum, 2018; Kim and Kim, 2021), this study advances the theoretical framework by emphasizing how official attractiveness attributes impact consumer perceived enjoyment.

Third, this study elucidates the different attitudes toward official endorsement between local consumers and out-shoppers, especially in how government credibility influences perceived security, how official interaction friendliness enhances perceived enjoyment, and how perceived enjoyment subsequently affects local brand awareness, which expands on the recognized differences in evaluations and preferences between local consumers and out-shoppers as outlined by Birch et al. (2018). Furthermore, building on findings by Winterich et al. (2018) regarding power distance beliefs, this study delves deeper by demonstrating that the similarities between consumers and officials can increase perceived enjoyment among consumers with low power distance beliefs. This adds a nuanced understanding of how consumer-official dynamics influence endorsement effectiveness based on cultural dimensions.

Lastly, this research introduces a new dimension to the existing body of knowledge concerning government and officials, which previously focused on aspects like local government policies (Chai et al., 2023) and attributes (Xu et al., 2023), as well as officials’ political viewpoints (Clayman, 2017) and behaviors such as information disclosure (Choi, 2018). By specifically focusing on the endorsement behavior of government officials toward local products and brands, this study enriches our understanding of their role in a marketing context, highlighting how official endorsements can influence consumer perceptions and behaviors.

6.3 Managerial implications

Official endorsement offers a unique strategy for marketing local brands. This study delivers crucial insights for marketers on the practical application of official endorsement in marketing strategies. Firstly, to boost consumer purchase intention and local brand awareness, marketers must recognize the importance of perceived security and enjoyment. Alongside highlighting the security of official endorsements, eliciting emotional enjoyment in official live streaming is also crucial. Secondly, the study underscores the role of official credibility attributes—expertise, trustworthiness, and government credibility—in enhancing consumers’ security perception. Marketers should emphasize officials’ knowledge of local products, their trustworthiness and sincerity, and the reliability guaranteed by government support. Thirdly, the study highlights that an official’s physical attractiveness, interaction friendliness, and similarity with consumers drive perceived enjoyment in endorsements. Marketers can improve an official’s appeal, foster a friendly image, and establish consumer rapport through shared language and similar attire. Finally, acknowledging diverse consumer scenarios, marketers should adapt the attributes of official endorsers accordingly; for example, accentuating an official’s friendly image may be especially effective in attracting out-shoppers.

7 Limitations and future research directions

This study is subject to some limitations. Firstly, our exploration of the influence of official endorser attributes on consumer behavior primarily draws from source credibility and attractiveness theory, neglecting a thorough examination of the characteristics inherent to endorsed products and brands (e.g., product quality, brand image), as well as the iamge fit between official endorsers and these entities. Future research endeavors could expand the scope of inquiry to encompass these facets, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the official endorsement. Secondly, our reliance on the online questionnaire survey method presents certain constraints. For instance, the data are sourced from a single channel and are self-reported, potentially compromising objectivity and validity. To address this, forthcoming studies could consider adopting a mixed-methods approach that integrates quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, such as interviews and text analysis. This diversified approach holds promise for enhancing the study’s validity and robustness. Thirdly, this study focused on collecting data from Chinese consumers, limiting the universality of the research conclusions to some extent. This study selected data from China is mainly due to the widespread use of official live streaming endorsement in China. However, it is undoubtedly that the global expansion of live streaming e-commerce demonstrating the potentional of official endorsements beyond China. Government officials may, for instance, promote domestic products and brands internationally, effectively representing their country’s offerings in foreign markets. Therefore, future studies could make further exploration in diverse national contexts. Additionally, this study concentrated on the purchase intention for local products, omitting the impact of official endorsements on local tourism resources and consumer visitation intentions. Future research could investigate these overlooked aspects.

Data availability statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Ethics statement

Ethical review and approval were not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Written informed consent for participation was not required from the participants or the participants’ legal guardians/next of kin in accordance with the national legislation and institutional requirements.

Author contributions

GC: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. WL: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Software, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. MH: Data curation, Investigation, Writing – original draft. LL: Conceptualization, Writing – original draft.

Funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was supported by grants from the Yibin University High-level Talent Enlightenment Program (2023QH32).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

References

Aggarwal, A., and Rahul, M. (2018). The effect of perceived security on consumer purchase intentions in electronic commerce. Int. J. Public Sect. Perform. Manag. 4, 1–20. doi: 10.1504/IJPSPM.2018.088691

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Akdim, K., Casaló, L. V., and Flavián, C. (2022). The role of utilitarian and hedonic aspects in the continuance intention to use social mobile apps. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 66:102888. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102888

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Al-Hawari, M. A. (2011). Do online services contribute to establishing brand equity within the retail banking context? J. Relatsh. Mark. 10, 145–166. doi: 10.1080/15332667.2011.596466

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Arshad, S., and Khurram, S. (2020). Can government’s presence on social media stimulate citizens’ online political participation? Investigating the influence of transparency, trust, and responsiveness. Gov. Inf. Q. 37:101486. doi: 10.1016/j.giq.2020.101486

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Bae, S., Jung, T. H., Moorhouse, N., Suh, M., and Kwon, O. (2020). The influence of mixed reality on satisfaction and brand loyalty in cultural heritage attractions: a brand equity perspective. Sustain. For. 12:2956. doi: 10.3390/su12072956

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Bartneck, C., Kulić, D., Croft, E., and Zoghbi, S. (2009). Measurement instruments for the anthropomorphism, animacy, likeability, perceived intelligence, and perceived safety of robots. Int. J. Soc. Robot. 1, 71–81. doi: 10.1007/s12369-008-0001-3

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Belanche, D., Casaló, L. V., Flavián, C., and Schepers, J. (2014). Trust transfer in the continued usage of public e-services. Inf. Manag. 51, 627–640. doi: 10.1016/j.im.2014.05.016

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Bélanger, F., and Carter, L. (2008). Trust and risk in e-government adoption. J. Strateg. Inf. Syst. 17, 165–176. doi: 10.1016/j.jsis.2007.12.002

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Bergkvist, L., Hjalmarson, H., and Mägi, A. W. (2016). A new model of how celebrity endorsements work: attitude toward the endorsement as a mediator of celebrity source and endorsement effects. Int. J. Advert. 35, 171–184. doi: 10.1080/02650487.2015.1024384

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Birch, D., Memery, J., and Kanakaratne, M. D. S. (2018). The mindful consumer: balancing egoistic and altruistic motivations to purchase local food. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 40, 221–228. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2017.10.013

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Biswas, D., Biswas, A., and Das, N. (2006). The differential effects of celebrity and expert endorsements on consumer risk perceptions. The role of consumer knowledge, perceived congruency, and product technology orientation. J. Advert. 35, 17–31. doi: 10.1080/00913367.2006.10639231

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Bush, A. J., Martin, C. A., and Bush, V. D. (2004). Sports celebrity influence on the behavioral intentions of generation Y. J. Advert. Res. 44, 108–118. doi: 10.1017/S0021849904040206

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Carfora, V., and Catellani, P. (2023). Psychosocial drivers influencing local food purchasing: beyond availability, the importance of trust in farmers. Front. Nutr. 10:1204732. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1204732

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Carlson, B. D., Donavan, D. T., Deitz, G. D., Bauer, B. C., and Lala, V. (2020). A customer-focused approach to improve celebrity endorser effectiveness. J. Bus. Res. 109, 221–235. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.048

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Chai, S., Liu, Q., and Yang, J. (2023). Renewable power generation policies in China: policy instrument choices and influencing factors from the central and local government perspectives. Renew. Sust. Energ. Rev. 174:113126. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2022.113126

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Chaker, N. N., Walker, D., Nowlin, E. L., and Anaza, N. A. (2019). When and how does sales manager physical attractiveness impact credibility: a test of two competing hypotheses. J. Bus. Res. 105, 98–108. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.08.004

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Chakraborty, U., and Bhat, S. (2018). The effects of credible online reviews on brand equity dimensions and its consequence on consumer behavior. J. Promot. Manag. 24, 57–82. doi: 10.1080/10496491.2017.1346541

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Chen, C.-D., Zhao, Q., and Wang, J.-L. (2020). How livestreaming increases product sales: role of trust transfer and elaboration likelihood model. Behav. Inform. Technol. 41, 558–573. doi: 10.1080/0144929X.2020.1827457

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Cheng, Y., Chen, Y.-R. R., and Hung-Baesecke, C.-J. F. (2021). Social media influencers in CSR endorsement: the effect of consumer mimicry on CSR behaviors and consumer relationships. Soc. Sci. Comput. Rev. 39, 744–761. doi: 10.1177/0894439320987184

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Choi, J. M. (2018). Factors influencing public officials’ responses to requests for information disclosure. Gov. Inf. Q. 35, 30–42. doi: 10.1016/j.giq.2017.11.007

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Choi, H. C., Huang, S., Choi, H., and Chang, H. (Sean) (2020). The effect of flight attendants’ physical attractiveness on satisfaction, positive emotion, perceived value, and behavioral intention. J. Hosp. Tour. Manag. 44, 19–29. doi: 10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.05.001

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Choi, Y. K., Zhang, R., and Sung, C. (2023). Attractiveness or expertise? Which is more effective in beauty product endorsement? Moderating role of social distance. Int. J. Advert. 42, 1201–1225. doi: 10.1080/02650487.2023.2192111,Eunyoung

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Clayman, S. E. (2017). The micropolitics of legitimacy: political positioning and journalistic scrutiny at the boundary of the mainstream. Soc. Psychol. Q. 80, 41–64. doi: 10.1177/0190272516667705

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Crouch, A., and Yetton, P. (1988). Manager-subordinate dyads: relationships among task and social contact, manager friendliness and subordinate performance in management groups. Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process. 41, 65–82. doi: 10.1016/0749-5978(88)90047-7

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Dabbous, A., and Barakat, K. A. (2020). Bridging the online offline gap: assessing the impact of brands’ social network content quality on brand awareness and purchase intention. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 53:101966. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101966

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Deshbhag, R. R., and Mohan, B. C. (2020). Study on influential role of celebrity credibility on consumer risk perceptions. J. Indian Bus. Res. 12, 79–92. doi: 10.1108/JIBR-09-2019-0264

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Ding, Y., and Qiu, L. (2017). The impact of celebrity-following activities on endorsement effectiveness on microblogging platforms: a parasocial interaction perspective. Nankai Bus. Rev. Int. 8, 158–173. doi: 10.1108/NBRI-11-2016-0043

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Dmitrovic, T., and Vida, I. (2007). An examination of cross-border shopping behaviour in south-East Europe. Eur. J. Mark. 41, 382–395. doi: 10.1108/03090560710728390

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Dwivedi, A., and Johnson, L. W. (2013). Trust–commitment as a mediator of the celebrity endorser–brand equity relationship in a service context. Australas. Mark. J. 21, 36–42. doi: 10.1016/j.ausmj.2012.10.001

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Erdogan, B. Z. (1999). Celebrity endorsement: a literature review. J. Mark. Manag. 15, 291–314. doi: 10.1362/026725799784870379

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Freire, J. R. (2009). ‘Local people’ a critical dimension for place brands. J. Brand Manag. 16, 420–438. doi: 10.1057/palgrave.bm.2550097

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Fu, S., Yan, Q., and Feng, G. C. (2018). Who will attract you? Similarity effect among users on online purchase intention of movie tickets in the social shopping context. Int. J. Inf. Manag. 40, 88–102. doi: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.01.013

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Gao, H., Winterich, K. P., and Zhang, Y. (2016). All that glitters is not gold: how others’ status influences the effect of power distance belief on status consumption. J. Consum. Res. 43, 265–281. doi: 10.1093/jcr/ucw015

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Guo, Y., Zhang, K., and Wang, C. (2022). Way to success: understanding top streamer’s popularity and influence from the perspective of source characteristics. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 64:102786. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102786

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Ha, N. M., and Lam, N. H. (2016). The effects of celebrity endorsement on customer’s attitude toward brand and purchase intention. Int. J. Econ. Financ. 9, 64–77. doi: 10.5539/ijef.v9n1p64

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., and Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. Eur. Bus. Rev. 31, 2–24. doi: 10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Halder, D., Pradhan, D., and Roy Chaudhuri, H. (2021). Forty-five years of celebrity credibility and endorsement literature: review and learnings. J. Bus. Res. 125, 397–415. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.12.031

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Hartono, E., Holsapple, C. W., Kim, K.-Y., Na, K.-S., and Simpson, J. T. (2014). Measuring perceived security in B2C electronic commerce website usage: a respecification and validation. Decis. Support. Syst. 62, 11–21. doi: 10.1016/j.dss.2014.02.006

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Hazlett, R. L., and Hoehn-Saric, R. (2000). Effects of perceived physical attractiveness on females’ facial displays and affect. Evol. Hum. Behav. 21, 49–57. doi: 10.1016/S1090-5138(99)00036-7

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

He, Y., Li, W., and Xue, J. (2022). What and how driving consumer engagement and purchase intention in officer live streaming? A two-factor theory perspective. Electron. Commer. Res. Appl. 56:101223. doi: 10.1016/j.elerap.2022.101223

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Henseler, J., Hubona, G., and Ray, P. A. (2016). Using PLS path modeling in new technology research: updated guidelines. Ind. Manag. Data Syst. 116, 2–20. doi: 10.1108/IMDS-09-2015-0382

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Henseler, J., and Sarstedt, M. (2013). Goodness-of-fit indices for partial least squares path modeling. Comput. Stat. 28, 565–580. doi: 10.1007/s00180-012-0317-1

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Hill, C. T., and Stull, D. E. (1981). Sex differences in effects of social and value similarity in same-sex friendship. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 41, 488–502. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.41.3.488

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Hofstede, G. (1984). Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. New York, NY: Sage.

Google Scholar

Hovland, C. I., Janis, I. L., and Kelley, H. H. (1953). Communication and Persuasion. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.

Google Scholar

Huang, R., and Sarigöllü, E. (2012). How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix. J. Bus. Res. 65, 92–99. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.02.003

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Hussain, S., Ahmed, W., Jafar, R. M. S., Rabnawaz, A., and Jianzhou, Y. (2017). EWOM source credibility, perceived risk and food product customer’s information adoption. Comput. Hum. Behav. 66, 96–102. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.09.034

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Janssen, L., Schouten, A. P., and Croes, E. A. J. (2022). Influencer advertising on Instagram: product-influencer fit and number of followers affect advertising outcomes and influencer evaluations via credibility and identification. Int. J. Advert. 41, 101–127. doi: 10.1080/02650487.2021.1994205

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Jiao, C., Shen, X., and Wang, L. (2021). The effect of baby food e-store image (for ages 0–3) on consumers’ purchase intention. Front. Psychol. 12:796750. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.796750

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

John, P., James, O., Moseley, A., Ryan, M., Richardson, L., and Stoker, G. (2019). The impact of peer, politician, and celebrity endorsements on volunteering: a field experiment with English students. J. Nonprofit Public Sect. Mark. 31, 328–346. doi: 10.1080/10495142.2018.1526743

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Johnson, D., and Grayson, K. (2005). Cognitive and affective trust in service relationships. J. Bus. Res. 58, 500–507. doi: 10.1016/S0148-2963(03)00140-1

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Kandel, D. B. (1978). Similarity in real-life adolescent friendship pairs. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 36, 306–312. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.36.3.306

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Kareklas, I., Carlson, J. R., and Muehling, D. D. (2014). “I eat organic for my benefit and yours”: egoistic and altruistic considerations for purchasing organic food and their implications for advertising strategists. J. Advert. 43, 18–32. doi: 10.1080/00913367.2013.799450

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. J. Mark. 57, 1–22. doi: 10.1177/002224299305700101

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Kiecker, P., and Cowles, D. (2002). Interpersonal communication and personal influence on the internet: a framework for examining online word-of-mouth. J. Euromarketing 11, 71–88. doi: 10.1300/J037v11n02_04

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Kim, D. Y., and Kim, H.-Y. (2021). Trust me, trust me not: a nuanced view of influencer marketing on social media. J. Bus. Res. 134, 223–232. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.05.024

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Kim, J., and Lennon, S. J. (2013). Effects of reputation and website quality on online consumers’ emotion, perceived risk and purchase intention: based on the stimulus-organism-response model. J. Res. Interact. Mark. 7, 33–56. doi: 10.1108/17505931311316734

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Kim, S. K., Park, M. J., and Rho, J. J. (2019). Does public service delivery through new channels promote citizen trust in government? The case of smart devices. Inf. Technol. Dev. 25, 604–624. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2017.1412291

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Kim, J.-H., and Song, H. (2020). The influence of perceived credibility on purchase intention via competence and authenticity. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 90:102617. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102617

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Lalancette, M., and Raynauld, V. (2019). The power of political image: Justin Trudeau, Instagram, and celebrity politics. Am. Behav. Sci. 63, 888–924. doi: 10.1177/0002764217744838

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Lee, S., and Dubinsky, A. (2003). Influence of salesperson characteristics and customer emotion on retail dyadic relationships. Int. Rev. Retail Distrib. Consum. Res. 13, 21–36. doi: 10.1080/09593960321000051666

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Li, G., Cao, Y., Lu, B., Yu, Y., and Liu, H. (2023). Luxury brands’ live streaming sales: the roles of streamer identity and level strategy. Int. J. Advert. 42, 1178–1200. doi: 10.1080/02650487.2023.2215075

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Li, Y., and Peng, Y. (2021). What drives gift-giving intention in live streaming? The perspectives of emotional attachment and flow experience. Int. J. Hum. Comp. Interact. 37, 1317–1329. doi: 10.1080/10447318.2021.1885224

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Liang,, Saraf,, Hu,, and Xue, (2007). Assimilation of enterprise systems: the effect of institutional pressures and the mediating role of top management. MIS Q. 31:59. doi: 10.2307/25148781

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Lili, Z., Al Mamun, A., Hayat, N., Salamah, A. A., Yang, Q., and Ali, M. H. (2022). Celebrity endorsement, brand equity, and green cosmetics purchase intention among Chinese youth. Front. Psychol. 13:860177. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.860177

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Lim, J. S., Choe, M.-J., Zhang, J., and Noh, G.-Y. (2020). The role of wishful identification, emotional engagement, and parasocial relationships in repeated viewing of live-streaming games: a social cognitive theory perspective. Comput. Hum. Behav. 108:106327. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2020.106327

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Ling, L., Luo, D., and She, G. (2019). Judging a book by its cover: the influence of physical attractiveness on the promotion of regional leaders. J. Econ. Behav. Organ. 158, 1–14. doi: 10.1016/j.jebo.2019.01.005

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Liu, M. T., Yan, L., Phau, I., Perez, A., and Teah, M. (2016). Integrating Chinese cultural philosophies on the effects of employee friendliness, helpfulness and respectfulness on customer satisfaction. Eur. J. Mark. 50, 464–487. doi: 10.1108/EJM-01-2015-0025

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Lou, C., and Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: how message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. J. Interact. Advert. 19, 58–73. doi: 10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Loureiro, S. M. C. (2013). The effect of perceived benefits, trust, quality, brand awareness/associations and brand loyalty on internet banking brand equity. Int. J. Electron. Commer. Stud. 4, 139–158. doi: 10.7903/ijecs.1000

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Lu, B., and Chen, Z. (2021). Live streaming commerce and consumers’ purchase intention: an uncertainty reduction perspective. Inf. Manag. 58:103509. doi: 10.1016/j.im.2021.103509

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Lv, Z., Zhao, W., Liu, Y., Wu, J., and Hou, M. (2024). Impact of perceived value, positive emotion, product coolness and Mianzi on new energy vehicle purchase intention. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 76:103564. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103564

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Ma, Y. (2021). To shop or not: understanding Chinese consumers’ live-stream shopping intentions from the perspectives of uses and gratifications, perceived network size, perceptions of digital celebrities, and shopping orientations. Telematics Inform. 59:101562. doi: 10.1016/j.tele.2021.101562

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Macdonald, E., and Sharp, B. (2003). Management Perceptions of the Importance of Brand Awareness as an Indication of Advertising Effectiveness. New Zealand: Massey University.

Google Scholar

Madan, C. R., Scott, S. M., and Kensinger, E. A. (2019). Positive emotion enhances association-memory. Emotion 19, 733–740. doi: 10.1037/emo0000465

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Masuda, H., Han, S. H., and Lee, J. (2022). Impacts of influencer attributes on purchase intentions in social media influencer marketing: mediating roles of characterizations. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 174:121246. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121246

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Matthews, L. (2017). “Applying multigroup analysis in PLS-SEM: a step-by-step process” in Partial Least Squares Path Modeling: Basic Concepts, Methodological Issues and Applications. eds. H. Latan and R. Noonan (Cham: Springer International Publishing), 219–243.

Google Scholar

McCracken, G. (1989). Who is the celebrity endorser? Cultural foundations of the endorsement process. J. Consum. Res. 16, 310–321. doi: 10.1086/209217

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

McGuire, W. J. (1985). “Attitudes and attitude change” in The Handbook of Social Psychology. eds. Gardner, L., and Aronson, E. (New York: Random House), 233–346.

Google Scholar

McKnight, D. H., Choudhury, V., and Kacmar, C. (2002). Developing and validating trust measures for e-commerce: an integrative typology. Inf. Syst. Res. 13, 334–359. doi: 10.1287/isre.13.3.334.81

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Memery, J., Angell, R., Megicks, P., and Lindgreen, A. (2015). Unpicking motives to purchase locally-produced food: analysis of direct and moderation effects. Eur. J. Mark. 49, 1207–1233. doi: 10.1108/EJM-02-2014-0075

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Meng, L. M., Duan, S., Zhao, Y., Lü, K., and Chen, S. (2021). The impact of online celebrity in livestreaming e-commerce on purchase intention from the perspective of emotional contagion. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 63:102733. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102733

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Munnukka, J., Uusitalo, O., and Toivonen, H. (2016). Credibility of a peer endorser and advertising effectiveness. J. Consum. Mark. 33, 182–192. doi: 10.1108/JCM-11-2014-1221

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Nagel, D. M., Giunipero, L., Jung, H., Salas, J., and Hochstein, B. (2021). Purchaser perceptions of early phase supplier relationships: the role of similarity and likeability. J. Bus. Res. 128, 174–186. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.01.026

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Napoli, J., Dickinson, S. J., Beverland, M. B., and Farrelly, F. (2014). Measuring consumer-based brand authenticity. J. Bus. Res. 67, 1090–1098. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.06.001

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Nepomuceno, M. V., Laroche, M., and Richard, M.-O. (2014). How to reduce perceived risk when buying online: the interactions between intangibility, product knowledge, brand familiarity, privacy and security concerns. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 21, 619–629. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2013.11.006

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Nicolau, J. L., Sharma, A., and Shin, S. (2020). The tourism effect of president Trump’s participation on twitter. Tour. Manag. 81:104133. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104133

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

O’keefe, D. J. (2015). Persuasion: Theory and Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Google Scholar

Ohanian, R. (1990). Construction and validation of a scale to measure celebrity endorsers’ perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. J. Advert. 19, 39–52. doi: 10.1080/00913367.1990.10673191

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Park, H. J., and Lin, L. M. (2020). The effects of match-ups on the consumer attitudes toward internet celebrities and their live streaming contents in the context of product endorsement. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 52:101934. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101934

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Pasquinelli, C., Rovai, S., and Bellini, N. (2023). Linking place brands and regional innovation: sustainable business strategies leveraging heritage. Reg. Stud., 1–17. doi: 10.1080/00343404.2023.2187046

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Patel, K. J., and Patel, H. J. (2018). Adoption of internet banking services in Gujarat: an extension of TAM with perceived security and social influence. Int. J. Bank Mark. 36, 147–169. doi: 10.1108/IJBM-08-2016-0104

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Pavlou, P. A. (2003). Consumer acceptance of electronic commerce: integrating trust and risk with the technology acceptance model. Int. J. Electron. Commer. 7, 101–134. doi: 10.1080/10864415.2003.11044275

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., and Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. J. Appl. Psychol. 88, 879–903. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Qalati, S. A., Vela, E. G., Li, W., Dakhan, S. A., Hong Thuy, T. T., and Merani, S. H. (2021). Effects of perceived service quality, website quality, and reputation on purchase intention: the mediating and moderating roles of trust and perceived risk in online shopping. Cogent Bus. Manag. 8:1869363. doi: 10.1080/23311975.2020.1869363

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Qiu, L., Chen, X., and Lee, T. J. (2021). How can the celebrity endorsement effect help consumer engagement? A case of promoting tourism products through live streaming. Sustain. For. 13, 1–16. doi: 10.3390/su13158655

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Rungruangjit, W. (2022). What drives Taobao live streaming commerce? The role of parasocial relationships, congruence and source credibility in Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions. Heliyon 8:e09676. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09676

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Salisbury, W. D., Pearson, R. A., Pearson, A. W., and Miller, D. W. (2001). Perceived security and world wide web purchase intention. Ind. Manag. Data Syst. 101, 165–177. doi: 10.1108/02635570110390071

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., Smith, D., Reams, R., and Hair, J. F. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): a useful tool for family business researchers. J. Fam. Bus. Strategy 5, 105–115. doi: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2014.01.002

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Schimmelpfennig, C., and Hunt, J. B. (2020). Fifty years of celebrity endorser research: support for a comprehensive celebrity endorsement strategy framework. Psychol. Mark. 37, 488–505. doi: 10.1002/mar.21315

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Shan, Y., Chen, K.-J., and Lin, J.-S. (Elaine) (2020). When social media influencers endorse brands: the effects of self-influencer congruence, parasocial identification, and perceived endorser motive. Int. J. Advert. 39, 590–610. doi: 10.1080/02650487.2019.1678322

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Shi, P., Lu, X., Zhou, Y., Sun, C., Wang, L., and Geng, B. (2021). Online star vs. celebrity endorsements: the role of self-concept and advertising appeal in influencing purchase intention. Front. Psychol. 12:73688. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.736883

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Stewart, K. J. (2003). Trust transfer on the world wide web. Organ. Sci. 14, 5–17. doi: 10.1287/orsc.14.1.5.12810

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Sun, Y., Shao, X., Li, X., Guo, Y., and Nie, K. (2019). How live streaming influences purchase intentions in social commerce: an IT affordance perspective. Electron. Commer. Res. Appl. 37:100886. doi: 10.1016/j.elerap.2019.100886

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Tan, Y., Geng, S., Katsumata, S., and Xiong, X. (2021). The effects of ad heuristic and systematic cues on consumer brand awareness and purchase intention: investigating the bias effect of heuristic information processing. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 63:102696. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102696

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Teng, W., Su, Y., Liao, T.-T., and Wei, C.-L. (2020). An exploration of celebrity business ventures and their appeal to fans and non-fans. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 54:102004. doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.102004

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Teng, S., Wei Khong, K., Wei Goh, W., and Yee Loong Chong, A. (2014). Examining the antecedents of persuasive eWOM messages in social media. Online Inf. Rev. 38, 746–768. doi: 10.1108/OIR-04-2014-0089

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Tian, S., and Li, J.-Y. (2022). Effects of celebrity, social media influencer, and peer endorsements on consumer responses toward a celebrity-owned brand: the role of source credibility and congruency. Int. J. Internet Mark. Advert. 17, 133–161. doi: 10.1504/IJIMA.2022.125146

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Tong, S. C. (2018). Perceived risk and the interplay of expert endorsement, corporate image and investment knowledge in mutual fund advertising. J. Financ. Serv. Mark. 23, 179–189. doi: 10.1057/s41264-018-0054-9

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Tsfati, Y., Markowitz Elfassi, D., and Waismel-Manor, I. (2010). Exploring the association between Israeli legislators’ physical attractiveness and their television news coverage. Int. J. Press. 15, 175–192. doi: 10.1177/1940161209361212

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Tzavlopoulos, Ι., Gotzamani, K., Andronikidis, A., and Vassiliadis, C. (2019). Determining the impact of e-commerce quality on customers’ perceived risk, satisfaction, value and loyalty. Int. J. Qual. Serv. Sci. 11, 576–587. doi: 10.1108/IJQSS-03-2019-0047

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Von, F. A., and Breuer, C. (2020). How the type of sports-related endorser influences consumers’ purchase intentions. Int. J. Sports Mark. Spons. 22, 588–607. doi: 10.1108/IJSMS-01-2020-0009

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Voss, K. E., Spangenberg, E. R., and Grohmann, B. (2003). Measuring the hedonic and utilitarian dimensions of consumer attitude. J. Mark. Res. 40, 310–320. doi: 10.1509/jmkr.40.3.310.19238

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Wang, A. (2006). The effects of expert and consumer endorsements on audience response. J. Advert. Res. 45:402. doi: 10.1017/S0021849905050452

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Wang, W., and Li, H. (2012). Factors influencing mobile services adoption: a brand-equity perspective. Internet Res. 22, 142–179. doi: 10.1108/10662241211214548

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Wang, S. W., and Scheinbaum, A. C. (2018). Enhancing brand credibility via celebrity endorsement: trustworthiness trumps attractiveness and expertise. J. Advert. Res. 58, 16–32. doi: 10.2501/JAR-2017-042

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Wang, X., Wang, Y., Lin, X., and Abdullat, A. (2021). The dual concept of consumer value in social media brand community: a trust transfer perspective. Int. J. Inf. Manag. 59:102319. doi: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102319

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Wang, Y.-S., Yeh, C.-H., and Liao, Y.-W. (2013). What drives purchase intention in the context of online content services? The moderating role of ethical self-efficacy for online piracy. Int. J. Inf. Manag. 33, 199–208. doi: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2012.09.004

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Weismueller, J., Harrigan, P., Wang, S., and Soutar, G. N. (2020). Influencer endorsements: how advertising disclosure and source credibility affect consumer purchase intention on social media. Australas. Mark. J. 28, 160–170. doi: 10.1016/j.ausmj.2020.03.002

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Winterich, K. P., Gangwar, M., and Grewal, R. (2018). When celebrities count: power distance beliefs and celebrity endorsements. J. Mark. 82, 70–86. doi: 10.1509/jm.16.0169

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Winterich, K. P., and Zhang, Y. (2014). Accepting inequality deters responsibility: how power distance decreases charitable behavior. J. Consum. Res. 41, 274–293. doi: 10.1086/675927

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Wisutwattanasak, P., Champahom, T., Jomnonkwao, S., Aryuyo, F., Se, C., and Ratanavaraha, V. (2023). Examining the impact of service quality on passengers’ intentions to utilize rail transport in the post-pandemic era: an integrated approach of SERVQUAL and health belief model. Behav. Sci. 13:789. doi: 10.3390/bs13100789

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Wu, X., and Santana, S. (2022). Impact of intrinsic and extrinsic gaming elements on online purchase intention. Front. Psychol. 13:885619. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.885619

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Wymer, W., and Drollinger, T. (2015). Charity appeals using celebrity endorsers: celebrity attributes most predictive of audience donation intentions. Volunt. Int. J. Volunt. Nonprofit Org. 26, 2694–2717. doi: 10.1007/s11266-014-9546-y

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Xu, P., Wang, L., Li, Y., and Liu, M. (2023). How do local government information sources affect the purchase willingness of low-carbon agricultural products? The example of regional brand agricultural products. Front. Public Health 11:1169741. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1169741

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Xu, X., Wu, J.-H., and Li, Q. (2020). What drives consumer shopping behavior in live streaming commerce? J. Electron. Commer. Res. 21, 144–167,

Google Scholar

Ye, G., and Van Raaij, W. F. (2004). Brand equity: extending brand awareness and liking with signal detection theory. J. Mark. Commun. 10, 95–114. doi: 10.1080/13527260410001693794

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Yegiyan, N. S., and Yonelinas, A. P. (2011). Encoding details: positive emotion leads to memory broadening. Cognit. Emot. 25, 1255–1262. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2010.540821

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Yu, H. C., and Yu, L. B. (2020). Influence of Korean celebrity endorsement on Chinese consumers’ purchase intention towards fashion goods. J. Fash. Bus. 24, 148–158. doi: 10.12940/JFB.2020.24.6.148

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Zhang, J., and Dai, G. (2023). Political trust and festival attachment: influencing residents’ engagement in traditional festivals. Behav. Sci. 13:741. doi: 10.3390/bs13090741

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Zhang, H., Song, Y., Tan, S., Xia, S., Zhang, H., Jiang, C., et al. (2019). Anti-corruption efforts, public perception of corruption, and government credibility in the field of real estate: an empirical analysis based on twelve provinces in China. Cities 90, 64–73. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2019.01.042

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Zhang, K., Zhang, M., and Li, C. (2021). Effects of celebrity characteristics, perceived homophily, and reverence on consumer-celebrity para-social interaction and brand attitude. Front. Psychol. 12:711454. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.711454

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Zheng, X., Men, J., Xiang, L., and Yang, F. (2020). Role of technology attraction and parasocial interaction in social shopping websites. Int. J. Inf. Manag. 51:102043. doi: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.102043

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Zhichao, L., and Qien, C. (2020). The internet celebrity effect on impulsive consumption behavior across income levels. Front. Soc. Sci. Technol. 2:21305. doi: 10.25236/FSST.2020.021305

Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Zhu, D., and Chang, Y. (2023). Unprofessional or admirable? The influence of e-commerce live streaming by county mayors on purchase intention. Nankai Bus. Rev., 26, 177–187,

Google Scholar