Non-green influencers promoting sustainable consumption: Dynamic norms enhance the credibility of authentic pro-environmental posts.

Social media influencers can raise awareness for sustainability, and establish norms related to a more sustainable lifestyle. Although non-green influencers can reach a wider audience, they might face credibility issues when communicating about sustainable consumption. In the present 2×2 online mixed method experiment (N = 386), we explored the effect of two credibility-enhancing strategies (authenticity vs. referring to experts) and the presence (vs. lack of) of dynamic norms (information about how other people's behavior is changing over time) on the perceived credibility of the post. Results indicated that referring to expert opinion enhanced perceived post credibility. However, if an authentic message was combined with dynamic norms, it reduced the frequency of mentions of the lack of credibility. Both credibility measures were positively associated with the persuasiveness of the message. These findings can contribute to the growing literature of credibility-enhancing strategies and dynamic norms. The study also provides practical suggestions for non-green influencers on effective communication of sustainable consumption.

COVID-19 messages in sponsored social media posts: The positive impact of influencer-brand fit and prior parasocial interaction.

This study explores the dissemination potential of a COVID-19 message embedded in a sponsored social media post. The moderating role of prior parasocial interaction and influencer-brand fit were considered. 365 respondents participated in the study. A 3 (control, congruent, incongruent brand) × 2 (control, COVID-19 message) between-subject online experiment was designed and executed. Data were analyzed using a mediated moderation model. Results indicated that the three-way interaction of the COVID-19 message, brand presence and prior parasocial interaction affected the perceived influencer credibility, attitudes towards the social media post, and the behavioral engagement with the post. When the COVID-19 message was included in the post, increased prior parasocial interaction intensified the positive effect of influencer-brand fit on influencer credibility, which in turn resulted in a more positive attitude towards the post, and a higher behavioral engagement. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.