Can a Vlogger Help to Build Brand Awareness? The Impact of Vloggers on Customers’ Attitude towards Brand Advertisement and Purchase Intention

Objective: This study derives from the postulates of the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein Ajzen, 1975) and the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) to explore the impact of vloggers on customers interested in beauty products. Particularly, this study examines whether the attitude toward vlog- ger’s recommendations impacts the attitude toward the brand advertisement, and what their influence on consumers’ purchase intention is. Methodology: This study applies a cross-sectional mono method of quan- titative analysis. The data collection was assisted with the use of survey by questionnaire built on Qualtrics and distributed in China. We use partial least squares structural equation modelling to analyse the data and test the pro- posed hypothesis. Findings: Vloggers have a considerable impact on customer perceptions due to their proximity to customers who often portray vloggers as ‘friends’ and value their opinions. This study shows that it is not the perceived usefulness of shared information or vloggers trustworthiness that matter when forming the follow- ers’ attitude towards vloggers, but more attention should be given to informa- tion quality and the perceived benefits of information derived from vlogs. The strongest relationship in this study showed to be the one between the attitude towards a vlogger and the attitude towards a brand, which emphasizes the im- portance that content creators can have in building brand awareness. Value added: This article provides a clear picture on exploring the impact of vloggers on customer perceptions. The results of the research can be used to guide companies on how to use vloggers in their marketing campaigns. Recommendations: Considering the growth of social media and the various forms of content available, the companies should know how to apply those new media in their marketing strategies. As the importance of traditional media seems to decline, mostly among younger generations, those new medias are growing, and their application brings new opportunities and challenges.