How consumers respond to social media influencers’ cross-domain recommendations?——A person brand perspective

Influencer marketing has become an integrated component of marketing strategy for many companies competing in the current digital marketplace. However, research on how to enhance its effectiveness is still limited. Taking social media influencers as person brands, this study investigates key factors influencing consumer reactions towards social media influencers’ cross-domain recommendations from a brand extension perspective. Through five experiments, this study shows that (1) when social media influencers make cross-domain recommendations, purchase motivation moderates the effect of domain relevance on consumers’ purchase intentions, with hedonic consumers more tolerant of low-relevance recommendations; (2) perceived influencer authenticity mediates the effect of domain relevance on purchase intentions but only for functional (vs. hedonic) consumers; (3) when low-relevance products are recommended, hedonic (vs. functional) consumers are inclined to purchase products from warm (vs. competent) influencers. These findings provide important implications for both marketers and influencers on how to employ influencer marketing more wisely.