Lê Thị Kim Tuyết * , Nguyễn Huy Tùng , Nguyễn Hương Quỳnh Hương Võ Nhật Nguyên

* Tác giả liên hệ (tuyetltk@donga.edu.vn)

Abstract

In the digital era, social media influencers (SMIs) play a crucial role in shaping consumer perceptions and enhancing their engagement with brands. This study explores the impact of content characteristics factors, including information quality, design quality, and creativity on parasocial relationships while also assessing the influence of these relationships on three aspects of consumer behavior: consumption, contribution, and content creation. Research data was collected through surveys and quantitative analysis to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings indicate that all content-related factors positively affect social virtual relationships. Moreover, social virtual relationships significantly impact consumers' consumption, contribution, and content creation behaviors. These findings provide important theoretical and practical implications for marketers and content creators in developing optimal strategies to enhance consumer engagement and interaction in the digital environment.

Keywords: Online brand behavior, parasocial relationships, social influence, social media influencers, two-step flow theory

Tóm tắt

Trong kỷ nguyên kỹ thuật số, các cá nhân có tầm ảnh hưởng trên mạng xã hội (SMIs) giữ vai trò then chốt trong việc tác động đến nhận thức của người tiêu dùng và thúc đẩy sự gắn kết của họ với thương hiệu. Nghiên cứu này được thực hiện nhằm khám phá tác động của các yếu tố nội dung bao gồm: chất lượng thông tin, chất lượng thiết kế và tính sáng tạo đến mối quan hệ ảo xã hội, đồng thời đánh giá ảnh hưởng của mối quan hệ này đối với ba khía cạnh của hành vi người tiêu dùng: tiêu thụ, đóng góp và tạo nội dung. Dữ liệu nghiên cứu được thu thập bằng phương pháp khảo sát thuộc nghiên cứu định lượng để kiểm tra các giả thuyết đã đề xuất. Kết quả cho thấy mọi yếu tố liên quan đến nội dung đều tác động tích cực đến mối quan hệ ảo xã hội. Đồng thời, mối quan hệ ảo xã hội cũng tác động đáng kể đến hành vi tiêu thụ, đóng góp và tạo nội dung của người tiêu dùng. Những phát hiện này cung cấp cơ sở lý thuyết và thực tiễn quan trọng cho các nhà tiếp thị và nhà sáng tạo nội dung trong việc xây dựng chiến lược tối ưu nhằm nâng cao sự gắn kết và tương tác của người tiêu dùng trên môi trường số.

Từ khóa: Ảnh hưởng xã hôi, dòng chảy hai bước, hành vi thương hiệu trực tuyến, mối quan hệ ảo, người ảnh hưởng

Article Details

Tài liệu tham khảo

Alhabash, S., & McAlister, A. R. (2015). Redefining virality in less broad strokes: Predicting viral behavioral intentions from motivations and uses of Facebook and Twitter. New Media & Society, 17(8), 1317-1339.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814523726

Bitrián, P., Buil, I., & Catalán, S. (2021). Enhancing user engagement: The role of gamification in mobile apps. Journal of Business Research, 132, 170–185.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.025

Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Casaló, L. V., Flavi´an, C., & Ib´a˜ nez-S´ anchez, S. (2020). Influencers on Instagram: antecedents and consequences of opinion leadership. J. Bus. Res, 117, 510–519.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.005

Cheung, M. L., Pires, G. D., Rosenberger, P. J., & De Oliveira, M. J. (2020). Driving consumer–brand engagement and co-creation by brand interactivity. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 38(4), 523–541.
https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2019-0452

Cheung, M. L., Pires, G. D., Rosenberger III, P. J., De Oliveira, M. J. (2021a). Driving
COBRAs: the power of social media marketing. Market. Intell. Plann, 39(3),
361–376.
Cheung, M. L., Pires, G. D., Rosenberger, P. J., Leung, W. K., Sharipudin, M. N. S. (2021b).
The role of consumer-consumer interaction and consumer-brand interaction in
driving consumer-brand engagement and behavioral intentions. J. Retailing
Consum. Serv
., 61, 102574.

Cheung, M. L., Leung, W. K., Aw, E. C. X., & Koay, K. Y. (2022). “I follow what you post!”The role of social media influencers’ content characteristics in consumers' online brand-related activities (COBRAs). Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 66, 102940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.102940

Chung, S., & Cho, H. (2017). Fostering parasocial relationships with celebrities on social media: Implications for celebrity endorsement. Psychology & Marketing, 34(4), 481-495. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21001

Cialdini, R. B., & Goldstein, N. J. (2004). Social influence: Compliance and conformity. Annual Review of Psychology, 55(1), 591-621. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.142015

Cyr, D., Head, M., & Ivanov, A. (2009). Perceived interactivity leading to e-loyalty: Development of a model for cognitive–affective user responses. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 67(10), 850–869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2009.07.004

DeLone, W. H., & McLean, E. R. (2003). The DeLone and McLean model of information systems success: A ten-year update. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19(4), 9-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2003.11045748

Decision Lab. (2024). The Connected Consumer Q2 2024: Social media usage and influencer engagement trends in Vietnam [Quarterly report]. Decision Lab.

DeVellis, R. F. (2012). Scale development: Theory and applications (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

De Vries, L., Gensler, S., & Leeflang, P. S. (2012). Popularity of brand posts on brand fan pages: An investigation of the effects of social media marketing. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 26(2), 83-91.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2012.01.003

Digital Marketing Institute. (2018). What is a social media influencer? Retrieved from https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/what-is-a-social-media-influencer

Dolan, R., Conduit, J., Frethey-Bentham, C., Fahy, J., & Goodman, S. (2019). Social media engagement behavior. European Journal of Marketing, 53(10), 2213–2243. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-12-2017-0982

DoubleVerify. (2024). Report on consumer actions and social networks in Vietnam (in Vietnamese).
https://vneconomy.vn/gan-60-nguoi-tieu-dung-viet-tin-tuong-mang-xa-hoi-de-quyet-dinh-mua-hang.htm

Faisal, C. M. N., Fernandez-Lanvin, D., De Andrés, J., & Gonzalez-Rodriguez, M. (2020). Design quality in building behavioral intention through affective and cognitive involvement for e-learning on smartphones. Internet Research, 30(6), 1631–1663.
https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-12-2019-0519

Fielding, N. G., Lee, R. M., & Blank, G. (2012). The SAGE handbook of online research methods (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Freberg, K., Graham, K., McGaughey, K., & Freberg, L. A. (2011). Who are the social media influencers? A study of public perceptions of personality. Public Relations Review, 37(1), 90-92.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.11.001

Godey, B., Manthiou, A., Pederzoli, D., Rokka, J., Aiello, G., Donvito, R., & Singh, R. (2016). Social media marketing efforts of luxury brands: Influence on brand equity and consumer behavior. Journal of Business Research, 69(12), 5833-5841.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.181

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2014). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‑SEM). SAGE Publications.

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2016). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Heinonen, K. (2011). Consumer activity in social media: Managerial approaches to consumers’ social media behavior. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 10(6), 356-364.
https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.376

Henseler, J., & Sarstedt, M. (2013). Goodness-of-fit indices for partial least squares path modeling. Computational Statistics, 28(2), 565–580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00180-012-0317-1

Hollis, N., & Bhatia, S. (2019). Creativity in advertising: When it works and when it doesn't. Journal of Advertising Research, 59(1), 3-7.

Horton, D., & Wohl, R. R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction: Observations on intimacy at a distance. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215-229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049

Hudders, L., De Jans, S., & De Veirman, M. (2021). The commercialization of social media stars: A literature review and future research agenda on the advertising content of social media influencers. International Journal of Advertising, 40(3), 327-375.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2020.1836925

Hu, L., Min, Q., Han, S., & Liu, Z. (2020). Understanding followers’ stickiness to digital influencers: The effect of psychological responses. International Journal of Information Management, 54, 102169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102169

Jin, S. A. A., Muqaddam, A., & Ryu, E. (2019). Instafamous and social media influencer marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 37(5), 567-579.
https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2018-0375

Kapitan, S., & Silvera, D. H. (2016). From digital media influencers to celebrity endorsers: Attributions drive endorser effectiveness. Marketing Letters, 27(3), 553–567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-015-9363-0

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003

Katz, E., & Lazarsfeld, P. F. (1955). Personal Influence: the Part Played by People in the Flow of Mass Communication. Free Press, Glencoe, IL.

Kay, S., Mulcahy, R., & Parkinson, J. (2020). When less is more: The impact of macro and micro social media influencers' disclosure. Journal of Marketing Management, 36(3-4), 248-278.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2020.1718740

Khan, M. L., & Siddiqui, S. H. (2021). Impact of social media influencers on consumers' well-being and purchase intention: A TikTok perspective. Journal of Public Affairs, 21(4), e2508.

Ki, C. W. C., Cuevas, L. M., Chong, S. M., & Lim, H. (2020). Influencer marketing: Social media influencers as human brands attaching to followers and yielding positive marketing results by fulfilling needs. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102133.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102133

Kline, R. B. (1998). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (1st ed.). Guilford Press.

Labrecque, L. I. (2014). Fostering consumer–brand relationships in social media environments: The role of parasocial interaction. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 28(2), 134-148.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2013.12.003

Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), 58-73.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501

Lee, J., & Hong, I. B. (2016). Predicting positive user responses to social media advertising: the roles of emotional appeal, informativeness, and creativity. Int. J. Inf. Manag. 36(3), 360–373.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.01.001

Le, M. (2024). The Influencer Marketing market could reach 199.6 billion USD by 2032. Business Forum. (in Vietnamese)
https://diendandoanhnghiep.vn/thi-truong-influencer-marketing-co-the-dat-199-6-ty-usd-vao-nam-2032-10129190.html

Luong, T.‑B., & Ho, C.‑H. (2023). The influence of food vloggers on social media users: A study from Vietnam. Heliyon, 9(1), e18259.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18259

Malhotra, N. K. (2019). Marketing research: An applied orientation (8th ed.). Pearson.

Muntinga, D. G., Moorman, M., & Smit, E. G. (2011). Introducing COBRAs: Exploring motivations for brand-related social media use. International Journal of Advertising, 30(1), 13-46. https://doi.org/10.2501/IJA-30-1-013-046

Nguyen, T. T., Pham, L. H., & Le, T. H. (2022). The impact of social media influencer marketing on consumer behavior in Vietnam. Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies, 29(2), 189-206.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JABES-08-2021-0089

Nguyen, T. (2024). Research on factors influencing consumer online shopping behavior. Economics and Forecasting (in Vietnamese).
https://kinhtevadubao.vn/nghien-cuu-cac-yeu-to-anh-huong-den-hanh-vi-mua-sam-truc-tuyen-cua-nguoi-tieu-dung-28682.html

Nguyen, T. N., & Nguyen, T. H. M. (2024). The impact of social media content quality on brand awareness and purchase intention for OCOP products among consumers in Ho Chi Minh City. Prosiding Seminar Nasional Forum Manajemen Indonesia, 2(1), 222–237

Pham, T. H., & Gammoh, B. S. (2015). Characteristics of social-media marketing strategy and customer-based brand equity outcomes: A conceptual model. International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 9(4), 321-337
https://doi.org/10.1504/IJIMA.2015.072885

Pittman, M., & Abell, A. (2021). More trust in fewer followers: diverging effects of popularity metrics and green orientation social media influencers. J. Interact. Market, 56, 70–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2021.05.002

Q&Me. (2025). Việc sử dụng công cụ số của người Việt Nam [Báo cáo nghiên cứu thị trường]. Q&Me. https://qandme.net/vi/baibaocao/viec-su-dung-cong-cu-so-cua-nguoi‑viet‑nam.html

Shan, Y., Chen, K. J., & Lin, J. S. (2023). The rise of TikTok in influencer marketing: Exploring its impact on brand engagement and consumer trust. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 64, 45-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2023.01.002

Schivinski, B., & Dabrowski, D. (2016). The effect of social media communication on consumer perceptions of brands. Journal of Marketing Communications, 22(2), 189-214.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2013.871323

Shao, G. (2009). Understanding the appeal of user-generated media: A uses and gratification perspective. Internet Research, 19(1), 7-25.
https://doi.org/10.1108/10662240910927795

Sokolova, K., & Kefi, H. (2020). Instagram and YouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial interaction influence purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101742.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101742

Sternberg, R. J. (1999). Handbook of creativity. Cambridge University Press.

Tafesse, W., & Wood, B. P. (2021). Followers’ engagement with Instagram influencers: The role of influencers’ content and engagement strategy. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 58, 102303.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102303

Torres, P., Augusto, M., & Wallace, E. (2019). Improving consumers’ commitment to brands through social media influencers: A multi-group analysis of influencer credibility. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 50, 322-328.

Tsai, W. S., & Men, L. R. (2017). Social CEOs: The effects of CEOs’ communication styles and parasocial interaction on social networking sites. New Media & Society, 19(11), 1848-1867.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816643922

Tukachinsky, R., Mastro, D., & Yarchi, M. (2019). The effect of para-social relationships and perceived similarity to the media character on persuasion. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(5), 1333-1352. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407518760306

Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. R. (2017). Social media marketing (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.

Uzunoglu, E., & Kip, S. M. (2014). Brand communication through digital influencers: leveraging blogger engagement. Int. J. Inf. Manag. 34(5), 592–602.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2014.04.007

Vázquez, D., Wu, X., Nguyen, B., Kent, A., Gutierrez, A., & Chen, T. (2020). Investigating narrative involvement, parasocial interactions, and impulse buying behaviours within a second screen social commerce context. International Journal of Information Management, 53, 102135.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102135

Vrontis, D., Makrides, A., Christofi, M., & Thrassou, A. (2021). Social media influencer marketing: A systematic review, integrative framework and future research agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(4), 617–644. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12695

Zhou, S., Barnes, L., McCormick, H., Cano, M.B., 2021a. Social media influencers’ narrative strategies to create eWOM: a theoretical contribution. Int. J. Inf. Manag. 59, 102293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102293

Zhou, S., Blazquez, M., McCormick, H., & Barnes, L. (2021b). How social media influencers’ narrative strategies benefit cultivating influencer marketing: Tackling issues of cultural barriers, commercialized content, and sponsorship disclosure. Journal of Business Research, 134, 122–142.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.05.014

Zhu, Y. Q., & Chen, H. G. (2015). Social media and human need satisfaction: Implications for social media marketing. Business Horizons, 58(3), 335-345.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2015.01.006

Edelman Trust Barometer. (2022). 2022 Edelman trust barometer.
https://www.edelman.com/trust/2022-trust-barometer

Vnetwork. (2023). Vietnam Internet 2023: Latest data and development trends (in Vietnamese). https://www.vnetwork.vn/en-US/news/internet-viet-nam-2023-so-lieu-moi-nhat-va-xu-huong-phat-trien

Statista. (2023). Usage of social media for brand research in Vietnam by platform type. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299989/vietnam-usage-of-social-media-for-brand-research-by-platform-type/

We Are Social, & Hootsuite. (2022, August 18). Digital 2022: Vietnam – Internet, social media & mobile usage trends [Country report]. We Are Social & Hootsuite.

We Are Social. (2023). Digital Vietnam 2023 report.
https://wearesocial.com/vietnam-2023

We Are Social. (2024). Digital 2024: Vietnam. DataReportal. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-vietnam

VTV. (2025). Many young Vietnamese spend more than 3 hours a day on social media (in Vietnamese).
https://vtv.vn/cong-nghe/nhieu-nguoi-tre-viet-luot-mang-xa-hoi-hon-3-gio-moi-ngay-20250107165655668.htm

Rentracks. (2024). Vietnam Digital Marketing Report 2024 (in Vietnamese). https://rentracks.com.vn/bao-cao-digital-marketing-viet-nam-2024