Influencer Marketing and eWOM Credibility in Airline Product Purchase Intentions in Hong Kong
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70301/Keywords:
Airlines, influencer expertise, eWOM credibility, brand credibility, consumer price sensitivityAbstract
Many airlines have been using influencers to market their products. However, in the competitive airline industry, the factors associating with the effectiveness of influencer marketing remain a question. This dissertation aims to investigate how influencer expertise and argument quality are associated with eWOM credibility, as well as how brand image and customer price sensitivity moderate the relationship between eWOM credibility, brand credibility, and purchase intention for airline products in Hong Kong. An online quantitative survey and focus group interviews were used to investigate the issue. The quantitative survey involved 258 respondents who were airline passengers originating from the Greater China region. The results suggest that influencer expertise (.697, p < .001) was more important than argument quality (.202, p < .001) in associating with eWOM credibility, and brand credibility partially mediates the relationship between eWOM credibility and purchase intention. It also suggests that airline brand image amplified the relationship between eWOM credibility and brand credibility. At the same time, purchase intention and consumer price sensitivity weakened the relationship between brand credibility and purchase intention. Lastly, a one-way ANOVA analysis suggests that customers of low-cost airlines are more price sensitive. The focus group interviews consisted of two groups, each with 10 members. The interviews revealed that influencer expertise, experience, authenticity, objectivity, the interaction between influencers and their subscribers, and their track record are key factors in establishing trust in influencers. Theoretically, the result confirmed that consumers rely more on expertise for more complicated products. It also suggests that eWOM credibility can be associated with brand credibility before associating with purchase intention. Practically, the results suggest that airlines should prioritize influencer expertise and focus on both branding and pricing, depending on customer segmentation.
References
Aaker, D. A. (1996). Measuring brand equity across products and markets. California management review, 38(3), 102-120.
Aaker, J. L. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of marketing research, 34(3), 347-356.
Ambrose, S., & Waguespack, B. (2021). Fundamentals of Airline Marketing. Routledge.
American Marketing Association. (2023). Branding. Retrieved July 8 from https://www.ama.org/topics/branding/
Amos, C., Holmes, G., & Strutton, D. (2008). Exploring the relationship between celebrity endorser effects and advertising effectiveness: A quantitative synthesis of effect size. International journal of advertising, 27(2), 209-234.
Bhutto, M. H., Tariq, B., Azhar, S., Ahmed, K., Khuwaja, F. M., & Han, H. (2022). Predicting consumer purchase intention toward hybrid vehicles: testing the moderating role of price sensitivity. European Business Review, 34(1), 62-84.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic Analysis. In H. Cooper (Ed.), APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology Vol.2 (pp. 57-71). APA.
Campbell, C., & Farrell, J. R. (2020). More than meets the eye: The functional components underlying influencer marketing. Business horizons, 63(4), 469-479.
Chakraborty, U. (2019a). The impact of source credible online reviews on purchase intention: The mediating roles of brand equity dimensions. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 13(2), 142-161.
Chakraborty, U. (2019b). Perceived credibility of online hotel reviews and its impact on hotel booking intentions. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(9), 3465-3483.
Chan, H.-Y., Boksem, M., & Smidts, A. (2018). Neural Profiling of Brands: Mapping Brand Image in Consumers’ Brains with Visual Templates. Journal of marketing research, 55(4), 600-615. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.17.0019
Chang, H. H., Tsai, Y.-C., Wong, K. H., Wang, J. W., & Cho, F. J. (2015). The effects of response strategies and severity of failure on consumer attribution with regard to negative word-of-mouth. Decision support systems, 71, 48-61.
Chu, S.-C., & Kamal, S. (2008). The effect of perceived blogger credibility and argument quality on message elaboration and brand attitudes: An exploratory study. Journal of interactive Advertising, 8(2), 26-37.
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business Research Methods. McGraw-Hill.
Coulter, K. S. (2004). The effects of cognitive resource requirements, availability, and argument quality on brand attitudes: A melding of elaboration likelihood and cognitive resource matching theories. Journal of Advertising, 33(4), 53-64.
Digital Visitors. (2022). 5 Creative Influencer Marketing Tactics for Airlines. Retrieved March 2 from https://digitalvisitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Airlines-ebook-FINAL.pdf
Dirsehan, T., & Kurtuluş, S. (2018). Measuring brand image using a cognitive approach: Representing brands as a network in the Turkish airline industry. Journal of Air Transport Management, 67, 85-93.
El-Said, O. A. (2020). Impact of online reviews on hotel booking intention: The moderating role of brand image, star category, and price. Tourism management perspectives, 33, 100604.
Erdem, T., & Swait, J. (2004). Brand credibility, brand consideration, and choice. Journal of consumer research, 31(1), 191-198.
Erdogan, B. Z. (1999). Celebrity endorsement: A literature review. Journal of marketing management, 15(4), 291-314.
Femenia-Serra, F., & Gretzel, U. (2020). Influencer marketing for tourism destinations: Lessons from a mature destination. Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2020: Proceedings of the International Conference in Surrey, United Kingdom, January 08–10, 2020,
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error. Journal of marketing research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Freberg, K., Graham, K., McGaughey, K., & Freberg, L. A. (2011). Who are the social media influencers? A study of public perceptions of personality. Public relations review, 37(1), 90-92.
Hahnel, U. J., Ortmann, C., Korcaj, L., & Spada, H. (2014). What is green worth to you? Activating environmental values lowers price sensitivity towards electric vehicles. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 306-319.
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Hair, J. F. J., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage Publication.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43, 115-135.
Hung, K., Chan, K. W., & Caleb, H. T. (2011). Assessing celebrity endorsement effects in China: A consumer-celebrity relational approach. Journal of Advertising Research, 51(4), 608-623.
Jeng, S.-P. (2016). The influences of airline brand credibility on consumer purchase intentions. Journal of Air Transport Management, 55, 1-8.
Jiao, J., Levin, I. P., Gaeth, G. J., & Chatterjee, S. (2022). Sincere or exciting? Brand personality and argument quality on brand attitude. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 21(6), 1268-1279.
Kapitan, S., van Esch, P., Soma, V., & Kietzmann, J. (2021). Influencer Marketing and Authenticity in Content Creation. Australasian Marketing Journal, 30(4), 342-351. https://doi.org/10.1177/18393349211011171
Kapoor, P. S., Balaji, M., Jiang, Y., & Jebarajakirthy, C. (2022). Effectiveness of travel social media influencers: a case of eco-friendly hotels. Journal of Travel Research, 61(5), 1138-1155.
Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity. Journal of marketing, 57, 1-22.
Keller, K. L. (2013). Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity. Pearson.
Keller, K. L. (2016). Reflections on customer-based brand equity: perspectives, progress, and priorities. AMS review, 6, 1-16.
Kelley, H. H., & Michela, J. L. (1980). Attribution theory and research. Annual review of psychology, 31(1), 457-501.
Kitchen, Kerr, G., E. Schultz, D., McColl, R., & Pals, H. (2014). The elaboration likelihood model: review, critique and research agenda. European Journal of Marketing, 48(11/12), 2033-2050. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-12-2011-0776
Krueger, R. A. (2014). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Sage publications.
Lavuri, R. (2022). Organic green purchasing: Moderation of environmental protection emotion and price sensitivity. Journal of Cleaner Production, 368, 133113.
Liang, L. J., Choi, H. C., & Joppe, M. (2018). Understanding repurchase intention of Airbnb consumers: perceived authenticity, electronic word-of-mouth, and price sensitivity. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 35(1), 73-89.
Low, W.-S., Lee, J.-D., & Cheng, S.-M. (2013). The link between customer satisfaction and price sensitivity: An investigation of retailing industry in Taiwan. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 20(1), 1-10.
Majeed, M., Owusu-Ansah, M., & Ashmond, A.-A. (2021). The influence of social media on purchase intention: The mediating role of brand equity. Cogent Business & Management, 8(1), 1944008.
Narteh, B., & Braimah, M. (2020). Corporate reputation and retail bank selection: the moderating role of brand image. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 48(2), 109-127.
Nyadzayo, M. W., & Khajehzadeh, S. (2016). The antecedents of customer loyalty: A moderated mediation model of customer relationship management quality and brand image. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 30, 262-270.
Nyumba, T., Wilson, K., Derrick, C. J., & Mukherjee, N. (2018). The use of focus group discussion methodology: Insights from two decades of application in conservation. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(1), 20-32. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12860
Ohanian, R. (1990). Construction and validation of a scale to measure celebrity endorsers' perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. Journal of advertising, 19(3), 39-52.
Ohanian, R. (1991). The impact of celebrity spokespersons' perceived image on consumers' intention to purchase. Journal of advertising Research, 31(1), 46-54.
Ong, Y. X., & Ito, N. (2019). “I want to go there too!” Evaluating social media influencer marketing effectiveness: a case study of Hokkaido’s DMO. Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2019: Proceedings of the International Conference in Nicosia, Cyprus, January 30–February 1, 2019,
Ott, R., & Longnecker, M. (2015). An introduction to statistical methods and data analysis. Cengage Learning Inc.
Page, A., & Negra, D. (2022). Status economies and frequent flier expertise: YouTube first class travel videos. Cultural Studies, 36(4), 543-567.
Parris, D. L., & Guzman, F. (2023). Evolving brand boundaries and expectations: looking back on brand equity, brand loyalty, and brand image research to move forward. Journal of product & brand management, 32(2), 191-234.
Petty, R. E., & Briñol, P. (2011). The elaboration likelihood model. Handbook of theories of social psychology, 1, 224-245.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879.
Pornpitakpan, C. (2004). The Persuasiveness of Source Credibility: A Critical Review of Five Decades' Evidence. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34(2), 243-281. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2004.tb02547.x
Shamhuyenhanzva, R. M., Van Tonder, E., Roberts-Lombard, M., & Hemsworth, D. (2016). Factors influencing Generation Y consumers’ perceptions of eWOM credibility: a study of the fast-food industry. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 26(4), 435-455.
Shaw, S. (2016). Airline marketing and management. Routledge.
Statista. (2022). Influencer marketing worldwide - statistics & facts. https://www.statista.com/topics/2496/influence-marketing/#topicOverview
Statista. (2024a). Influencer marketing market size worldwide from 2016 to 2024. Retrieved December 10 from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1092819/global-influencer-market-size/
Statista. (2024b). Influencer marketing worldwide - statistics & facts. Retrieved December 10 from https://www.statista.com/topics/2496/influence-marketing/
Sweeney, J., & Swait, J. (2008). The effects of brand credibility on customer loyalty. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 15(3), 179-193.
Till, B. D., & Busler, M. (2000). The match-up hypothesis: Physical attractiveness, expertise, and the role of fit on brand attitude, purchase intent and brand beliefs. Journal of Advertising, 29(3), 1-13.
Ullrich, S., & Brunner, C. B. (2015). Negative online consumer reviews: effects of different responses. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 24(1), 66-77.
Verma, D., Dewani, P. P., Behl, A., Pereira, V., Dwivedi, Y., & Del Giudice, M. (2023). A meta-analysis of antecedents and consequences of eWOM credibility: Investigation of moderating role of culture and platform type. Journal of Business Research, 154, 113292.
Wang, S., Liao, Y.-K., Wu, W.-Y., & Le, K. B. H. (2021). The role of corporate social responsibility perceptions in brand equity, brand credibility, brand reputation, and purchase intentions. Sustainability, 13(21), 11975.
Wang, X., & Yang, Z. (2010). The effect of brand credibility on consumers’ brand purchase intention in emerging economies: The moderating role of brand awareness and brand image. Journal of global marketing, 23(3), 177-188.
Zellner, A. (1971). Bayesian and non-Bayesian analysis of the log-normal distribution and log-normal regression. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 66(334), 327-330.
Zhang, T., & Huang, X. (2022). Viral marketing: Influencer marketing pivots in tourism–a case study of meme influencer instigated travel interest surge. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(4), 508-515.
Zhu, D. H., Chang, Y. P., & Luo, J. J. (2016). Understanding the influence of C2C communication on purchase decision in online communities from a perspective of information adoption model. Telematics and Informatics, 33(1), 8-16.
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 WING YIN LEUNG (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Agreement
This Publication Agreement ("Agreement") is made between the author(s) ("Author") and the SBS Journal of Applied Business Research ("Journal"). By submitting a manuscript for publication, the Author agrees to the following terms:
1. Grant of License
The Author retains full copyright ownership of the submitted and published work. The Author grants the Journal a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, and archive the article in any format or medium, including but not limited to online and print versions.
2. Open Access and Licensing
All articles published in the Journal are fully open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means that:
• The work can be freely used, shared, and adapted by anyone, provided that proper attribution is given to the original Author.
• The full license terms can be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
• No additional restrictions are placed on the use of published articles.
3. Author Responsibilities and Warranties
The Author guarantees that:
• The submitted work is original and has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.
• The work does not infringe on any third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, or proprietary rights.
• All necessary permissions for copyrighted materials used in the manuscript (e.g., figures, tables) have been obtained.
• The manuscript complies with ethical research standards and does not contain any form of plagiarism or falsified data.
4. Editorial and Publication Process
• The Journal reserves the right to perform editorial revisions for clarity, formatting, and consistency while maintaining the integrity of the Author’s work.
• The publication of an article is subject to peer review, and acceptance is not guaranteed upon submission.
5. Retraction and Corrections
• The Journal follows COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and reserves the right to retract, correct, or withdraw an article in cases of misconduct, errors, or ethical concerns.
6. Governing Law
This Agreement is governed by the laws of Switzerland. Any disputes arising under this Agreement shall be resolved in the courts of Zurich, Switzerland.
7. Agreement Acceptance
By submitting a manuscript, the Author acknowledges and agrees to the terms outlined in this Agreement.
Editor-In-Chief
Prof. Dr. Milos Petkovic
