Consumer Engagement Mechanisms in Influencer Marketing: A Cross-Platform Analysis of TikTok and Instagram

초록

This study analyzes how influencer characteristics affect consumer engagement and users’ platform engagement behavior in the context of TikTok and Instagram. The model included trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, homophily, informative value, and entertainment value, creation and contribution, as well as cognitive and emotional engagement. Empirical data were collected through an online survey of TikTok and Instagram users and analyzed using structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis. The results showed that homophily significantly affects cognitive engagement, while attractiveness, homophily, and entertainment value are positively connected with emotional engagement. In turn, emotional engagement has a significant positive impact on contribution and creation. Multi-group analysis did not reveal significant differences in the main structural relationships between TikTok and Instagram users. This indicates the comparability of the model for both platforms. The study expands the understanding of the role of emotional engagement in influencer marketing and shows that active platform user behavior is more related to emotional engagement than to the perception of the influencer characteristics alone. In other words, users are more likely to comment, share, or create content when influencer-related content causes emotional interest, enthusiasm, or inspiration.

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