Role of influencer-follower congruence in influencing followers' food choices and brand advocacy: mediating role of perceived trust

Purpose - This study attempts to encapsulate the idea of influencer marketing in the food sector and the vital role played by food influencers in shaping the dietary preferences, tastes and decisions of their social media followers and turning them into brand advocates. Design/methodology/approach - An online survey of 383 social media users, utilizing a self-administered questionnaire, was undertaken to validate the proposed research design. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology was used to analyze the data and test the relationships between the constructs. Findings - The results confirm the validity and reliability of the research model. The research revealed the positive influence of influencer-follower demographics and attitude congruence on followers' food choices, which in turn leads to followers' delight and significantly impacts their brand advocacy. It also depicts how followers' perceived trust in an influencer mediates the relationship between their similarity with the influencers, their food choices and brand advocacy. Originality/value - The study proposes a new theoretical framework and empirically tests the effectiveness of influencer marketing in influencing social media users' food choice behavior and brand advocacy through the medium of followers' congruence with social media influencers. The findings offer noteworthy theoretical and managerial implications for academicians as well as marketing practitioners.