Vlog my life: how the development of influencer-follower relationship affects effectiveness of vlog advertising

• Main Author: Duan, Xu
• Other Authors: Chen Lou
• Format: Thesis-Doctor of Philosophy
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Communication::Promotional communication::Integrated marketing communications
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168595
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Video blogs (vlogs), a type of video that people create by filming and editing their daily lives, have begun to serve as vehicles for not only self-expressions of “ordinary” life but also potential storefronts of audience building and advertising generation. Technologies and social media have enabled video bloggers (vloggers) and followers to juggle the boundary that used to hamper two-way interactions (e.g., watching a TV show), demonstrating different patterns of relationship building. This dissertation, therefore, aims at examining the development of vlogger-follower relationships, and the mechanisms of how such relationships affect advertising effectiveness. Using a multi-method approach, the dissertation involves three studies that are self-contained and yet interrelated. Study 1 develops a qualitative understanding of users’ motivations to follow vloggers on social media. Based on the findings of Study 1, Study 2 provides an integrated model of understanding relationship-building and advertising effects in vlogs. Study 3 involves two between-subjects experiments to investigate the causal relations of the key correlations found in Study 2. Together, the findings of this dissertation contribute to the understanding of the relationship-building process between social media influencers and consumers, as well as their impact on consumers’ brand and product preferences. The dissertation advances the literature on digitally-mediated communication, influencer advertising, and the effectiveness of vlogs as a marketing channel. The findings are also instrumental in developing strategic marketing campaigns that leverage social media influencers.