CONCEPTUALIZATION AND OPERATIONALIZATION OF INFLUENCER IMAGE
(R2024-122515)

AUTHORS

gözde baycur kececi, Yeditepe University; Hüseyin Karaca, Boston University

ABSTRACT

Influencer marketing has received growing scholarly attention recently; however, the understanding of the influencer characteristics that affect the success of influencer endorsement is limited. The main objective of this study is to conceptualize a new construct that we name “influencer image”, and, to develop and validate a scale to measure it. An online survey is used to collect data from 1100 social media users and analyzed using SPSS AMOS. As a result, a six-dimensional scale containing 22 items was developed representing distinctive dimensions of influencer image: trustworthiness, authenticity, perceived expertise, physical attractiveness, popularity, and responsiveness. Future studies can use this scale to understand the relationship of influencer image with related marketing constructs.