EXPRESS: Can a match between social media influencer’s accent and brand personality influence consumers’ brand attitudes? A stereotype theory and the construal level theory perspective

This study investigates the interaction effect of influencers’ regional accents and restaurant brand personality on brand attitudes, utilizing the underlying premises of the stereotype theory and the construal level theory. Four experimental studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of different regional accents of social media influencers on brand attitudes, as well as to examine the mediating role of processing fluency and the moderating role of psychological distance. Findings demonstrate that when a southern-accented (vs. northern-accented) Chinese influencer is matched with a sophisticated (vs. rugged) restaurant brand, consumers have higher processing fluency, which causes a more positive brand attitude. Findings further demonstrate the moderating effect of psychological distance. Closer (vs. farther) psychological distance results in a more positive effect of the interaction between influencer regional accent and restaurant brand personality on brand attitudes. Findings will enrich the knowledge on consumer psychology and behavior in the hospitality and tourism field.