Unique or mainstream? exploring the impact mechanism of destination virtual endorsers’ apparel on tourist favorability

This study aims to investigate the mechanism through which the apparel of virtual endorsers influences tourists' favorability towards a destination. Drawing on symbolic interactionism and processing fluency theory, a mediation model is developed to explore this effect. Virtual endorsers, as an emerging form of destination promotion, have the potential to influence brand endorsement effectiveness through their apparel design and linguistic style. While previous research has primarily focused on the marketing impact of virtual endorsers, limited attention has been given to how their choice of apparel specifically affects tourist attitudes. Through three experiments, this paper examines the impact and mechanisms of virtual endorsers' apparel on tourist favorability. The results show that virtual endorsers dressed in unique destination-specific apparel significantly increase tourist favorability compared to those in mainstream attire (Experiment 1). Processing fluency mediates this effect (Experiment 2). Additionally, the linguistic style of the virtual endorser moderates this mechanism: when using figurative language, the effect is significant, but it diminishes when using literal language (Experiment 3). This research not only enriches the theoretical framework of virtual endorser marketing but also provides practical strategies for destination management.