가상 인플루언서의 특성이 자기만족, 브랜드 신뢰 및 e-WOM에 미치는 영향

This study suggests that virtual influencers (VIs), if strategically utilized by companies, can not only mitigate the risks associated with human information sources but also yield effective outcomes in light of the growing virtual influencer market. While research on traditional influencers has been actively conducted, studies focusing on virtual influencers remain relatively scarce—particularly in relation to constructs such as self-satisfaction, brand trust, and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). Accordingly, this study conceptualized the characteristics of virtual influencers using five subdimensions: attractiveness, expertise, authenticity, communication, and anthropomorphism. The structural relationships among these characteristics, consumer self-satisfaction, brand trust, and e-WOM were empirically tested. The findings revealed that attractiveness, authenticity, and anthropomorphism had statistically significant positive effects on self-satisfaction, whereas expertise showed a significant negative effect, and communication had no significant impact.Moreover, among the VI characteristics, only attractiveness positively influenced brand trust. Additionally, self-satisfaction was found to positively influence brand trust, and both self-satisfaction and brand trust significantly affected e-WOM. These results suggest that companies aiming to build and maintain brand trust through virtual influencers should focus on developing characters that are not necessarily professional in appearance but rather attractive and authentic, emphasizing emotional satisfaction in content creation.