The Effects of the Quantity and Structure of Influencer Hashtags on Brand Attitudes: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Persuasive Intent and Appropriateness

Key Points

• The study aims to determine how the quantity and structure of hashtags used by influencers affect consumers' brand attitudes and the underlying mechanisms involved.
• Conducted an online experiment with adults living in the U.S.
• Analyzed the impact of varying numbers and structures of hashtags on brand attitudes and perceived intent.
• Examined the mediating roles of perceived persuasive intent and appropriateness in the relationship.
• Participants using numerous hashtags perceived stronger persuasive intent (HR not provided, p<0.05) and rated appropriateness lower.
• Effects were more pronounced for keyword-list hashtags compared to structured sentence-type hashtags.
• Hashtag structure moderated the indirect effect of hashtag quantity on brand attitude through mediating variables.