How Is Influencer Follower Size Related to Brand Responses? Explaining Influencer Follower Size Success through Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Responses

Research has established that an influencer marketing campaign's success is driven by size of the influencer's following. Taking a step further, the current authors questioned real followers of influencers (N = 299) about their favorite YouTuber, to examine whether micro- versus macro-versus mega-influencers increase or decrease cognitive, affective, and behavioral brand responses. Three underlying, competing mechanisms were tested: wishful identification, perceived credibility, and perceived similarity. Results demonstrate that influencer marketing from micro-influencers (< 100k followers) is associated with more brand awareness, positive brand attitudes, and higher purchase intentions than from larger influencers (> 100k followers). Ultimately, micro-influencers are more persuasive than macro- or mega-influencers because they are perceived as being more similar and more credible.