AI INFLUENCERS AND CONSUMER ATTITUDES TOWARD ADVERTISEMENT AND BRAND: A HEURISTIC-SYSTEMATIC MODEL PERSPECTIVE
(A2025-130347)

AUTHORS

Nazime Ebru Özkul Arıkan, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Universitiy; Pinar Basgoze, Hacettepe University

ABSTRACT

The rise of virtual influencers on social media platforms has led to a growing need to examine their impact on consumer perceptions in digital marketing. The Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) provides a theoretical framework to explain how consumers interpret influencer content. This study proposes the HSM for explaining the effects of AI influencers on attitude toward ad and brand. It adds to the existing literature by exploring both direct and indirect effects of AI influencer credibility as a key heuristic factor and argument quality of AI influencers’ as a systematic factor on attitude toward brand, through attitude toward ad and message. To test the direct and indirect relations, this study employed a SEM approach using AMOS 21. The results reveal that both AI influencer credibility and AI influencer argument quality positively impact brand, message and ad attitude of consumers. Besides, attitude toward ad and message mediates the relationship between AI influencer credibility, AI influencer argument quality and brand attitude. This study provides insights for brand managers to manage AI influencer communication campaigns more consciously. The limitations are also discussed along with recommendations for future research. Keywords: AI influencers, Attitude toward brand, Heuristic-systematic model Track: Marketing Communication (including digital) and Branding