Beyond Popularity: What Really Drives Brand Perception in Tiktok Influencer Marketing?

This study explores how TikTok influencers affect consumers’ attitudes toward brands and purchase intentions among TikTok Shop users in Indonesia. Although previous research has employed the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to examine influencer impacts, little attention has been paid to the unique dynamics of TikTok’s platform within emerging digital markets. Building on TPB and incorporating elements from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this research investigates six factors: perceived credibility, trust, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, perceived expertise, and perceived congruence. A survey of 200 users was analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with distinct reflective and formative constructs. The findings indicate that trust, subjective norms, perceived expertise, and perceived congruence significantly drive attitudes toward influencers, which in turn shape brand attitude. However, in a surprising twist, neither influencer attitude nor brand attitude directly predicts purchase intention. This paper discusses the implications of these results, emphasizing that cultural context and the entertainment value intrinsic to TikTok may override traditional predictors. We provide theoretical contributions, suggest a visual model to clarify relationships, and outline implications for marketers.