How humanlike is enough?: Uncover the underlying mechanism of virtual influencer endorsement

Social media and computer-mediated communication technologies have given rise to the emergence of virtual influencers and created a new digital landscape for online interactions. Although an increasing number of virtual influencers - computer-generated agents are developing partnerships with organizations and brands to connect with social media users, there is a paucity of research exploring the mechanism underlying the endorsement of virtual influencers. With an online experiment (N = 320), this study investigated the effects of using virtual influencers in branding. Particularly, we examined how variations in humanlike appearances affect two-dimensional anthropomorphism and para-social interaction in the communication process. In general, results showed that respondents perceived higher levels of mindful anthropomorphism and stronger para-social interactions with virtual influencers that had a more humanlike appearance, leading to more favorable brand attitudes and higher purchase intentions. No significant difference in branding effects was found between a highly humanlike virtual influencer and a real human. Additionally, the branding effects were not different between using a moderately humanlike virtual influencer and a highly humanlike one or a real human endorser via mindless anthropomorphism. Findings provide both theoretical and practical insights into using virtual influencers in branding.