Endorsement effectiveness of different social media influencers: The moderating effect of brand competence and warmth

This research introduces a novel classification for social media influencers, namely informers and entertainers, and examines the impact of influencer type on engagement and online sales. Our findings suggest that endorsements by influencers who take on an entertainer role attract more engagement (number of views, likes, and comments) than endorsements by influencers who are informers. Furthermore, drawing on an influencer–brand congruency theory, the moderating effect of brand stereotypes is examined. We show that informers (vs entertainers) generate more online sales when endorsing competent brands. Contrarily, when endorsing warm and warm-competent brands, there is no significant difference between the two types of influencers. This study reaffirms the importance of identifying and selecting “fitting” influencers for brands and informs advertisers about the way brand stereotypes moderate the effectiveness of influencer marketing.