Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effect of brand congruence components on brand value and purchase intention, with the mediating role of customer participatory and citizenship behaviors and the moderating role of influencers' metasocial relationships on Instagram. The research method is applicable, descriptive-analytical, and with a causal and survey approach. The statistical population included Instagram social network users, and based on the Krejci and Morgan table, 384 people were selected through available sampling. The data collection tool was a standard questionnaire with face validity and confirmatory factor analysis and appropriate reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.904). SPSS21 software was used for the descriptive part and LISREL8.8 software was used for the inferential part and hypotheses were tested using the structural equation model. The findings showed that brand congruence through customer participatory and citizenship behaviors has a significant effect on brand equity and purchase intention. Also, influencers’ extra-social relationships play a moderating role in the relationship between brand congruence and customer behaviors. Brand equity also has a direct effect on purchase intention. Finally, it was found that customer participatory and citizenship behaviors play an important role in strengthening purchase intention. The results of this study show the importance of brand interaction with customers through Instagram influencers in shaping users’ perceived value and purchase decisions.
Introduction
In the digital age, the use of social media, especially Instagram, has become an effective platform for marketing and brand interaction with consumers. With the expansion of the online space and the formation of new shopping styles, marketers are increasingly paying attention to influencers as effective marketing tools (Farokhi et al., 2024). The influence of the Internet along with globalization has also provided new opportunities for businesses to use to ensure success in the market (Mohcineh et al., 2023; Babashahi et al., 2022). Familiarity with consumer buying behavior in cyberspace helps managers adjust their sales strategies by accurately understanding users' needs (Haji Ali Akbari & Rostami, 2021). Research has shown that influencers' extra-social relationships, especially on platforms such as Instagram, play an important role in customer decision-making (Castillo & Jaramillo, 2022). These relationships affect brand equity and purchase intention by strengthening brand congruence with the audience and creating participatory and civic behaviors among users (Haji Ali Akbari & Rostamlou, 2023). Influencers who are consistent with their audience in terms of attitudes, values, background, or appearance can gain more trust (Madureira & Alturas, 2022). On the other hand, social learning theories (Masuda & Han, 2022) and the cognitive information processing model (Doroudi & Razavi Satvati, 2020) also explain the impact of influencers on consumer behavior. Consumer citizenship behaviors, such as voluntarily promoting a brand or helping other consumers, play an important role in enhancing brand image and can positively affect purchase intention (Wu et al., 2022). On the other hand, brand personality congruence with the audience personality is also a factor that affects brand value and purchase intention (Liu et al., 2023). These types of partnerships can increase purchase satisfaction and loyalty (Chiou & Hsu, 2019; Shekarchizadeh & Valikhani, 2022). Therefore, in this study, we seek to answer the following main questions: Do brand congruence components have a significant impact on brand equity and purchase intention through customer participatory and citizenship behaviors by moderating the metasocial relationship of marketing influencers on Instagram?
Theoretical Framework
Influencer Personal Characteristics: Followers characterize social media influencers based on their observation of these personal characteristics. Three characteristics are very important for describing influencers: homophily attitude, physical attractiveness, and social attractiveness (Kim S et al., 2023(.
Congruence Components Congruence components are related to similarity and are based on the principle that contact between similar people occurs at a higher rate than between dissimilar people. People with similar attitudes often connect with each other; social media influencers who are perceived by their followers to be similar to them may also be more effective due to having similar attitudes (Haji Ali Akbari, Rostamlou, 2023).
Customer engagement behaviors: Engagement, that is, a customer returns to communicate with that company or brand again due to satisfaction with the quality of a company's services or preference for a brand and takes a practical action to establish a connection. Fishbon and Ajzen consider intention to determine action in a certain direction. They have defined behavioral intention as the mental probability of forming a specific behavior. (Ladhari et al., 2020).
Customer citizenship behaviors: The occurrence of behaviors in the customer that help maintain and expand the social and psychological atmosphere of the workplace. This behavior includes dimensions such as helping, assistance, feedback, and advocacy (Gong et al., 2022).
Brand value: Customer citizenship behavior refers to voluntary and constructive customer behaviors valuable to companies (Choi & Lotz, 2016). It creates a pleasant social environment that customers enjoy. It also increases the company's reputation and brand strength, and leads to greater profitability for the company. Companies can reinforce customer citizenship behaviors by rewarding them (Xie et al., 2017).
Purchase intention: Purchase intention is the intention and motivation to purchase a specific product by a customer, which includes the customer's mental planning to use the product in the near future. Customer purchase intention is defined as the consumer's desire and intention to purchase a specific product or service from a seller. Product purchase intention arises from customers' perceptions of the service provider's performance. That is, the consumer is confident in the service provided by the seller or brand (Mohcineh et al., 2022(.
Transsocial relationship: Horton and Wool (1956) defined transsocial relationships as stable relationships that users establish with an intermediary performer. The user perceives the performer as an intimate conversation partner (Sokolova & Kefi, 2020).
Research methodology
This research is applicable in terms of purpose, and descriptive-analytical in terms of method, in a survey manner with a causal approach. The statistical population of the present study includes all Instagram users, with a statistical sample of 384 people selected using the Krejcie and Morgan table and a simple random method. The primary data collection tool is the standard questionnaire (Bayou et al, 2023).
Research findings
For data analysis, SPSS21 software was used in the descriptive section and LISREL8.8 software was used in the inferential section, and hypothesis testing was done using the structural equation model. The findings showed that brand congruence through customer participatory and citizenship behaviors has a significant effect on brand value and purchase intention. Also, influencers' extra-social relationships play a moderating role in the relationship between brand congruence and customer behaviors. Brand value also has a direct effect on purchase intention. Finally, it was found that customer participatory and citizenship behaviors play an important role in strengthening purchase intention. The results of this study show the importance of brand interaction with customers through Instagram influencers in forming users' perceived value and purchase decisions.
Conclusion
This study shows that social media has provided a new platform for influential marketing by providing extensive communication. By producing content, users become social influencers and influence their audience’s purchasing decisions by sharing their experiences. Consumers trust these people more than traditional sellers. The results show that marketing through influencers is an effective strategy for increasing brand awareness and influencing consumers’ purchasing decisions. Social media influencers gain the trust and attention of followers by sharing their daily lives. Unlike traditional celebrities, they are ordinary people who have become influential online figures by producing content in specialized areas such as lifestyle, fashion, and travel. On the other hand, social media has become a powerful tool for organizations to connect with their target audiences and has expanded the boundaries of interaction. Users share their experiences through liking, reviewing, and producing content. Influencers also play an effective role in shaping consumers’ attitudes toward brands by relying on their expertise and influence. The use of influencers has become a key element in social media marketing campaigns, as it can create positive emotional and behavioral responses such as persuasion, excitement, and desire to experience the brand in followers. Audience trust in influencers’ messages, which is based on their expertise, credibility, and goodwill, plays an important role in improving consumer attitudes toward the brand. Therefore, the following hypotheses are put forward: Brand congruence components through customer participatory behaviors have a significant effect on expected brand value; Brand congruence components through customer citizenship behaviors have a significant effect on expected brand value; Brand congruence components through customer participatory behaviors have a significant effect on purchase intention; Brand congruence components through customer citizenship behaviors have a significant effect on purchase intention. The results of this study are consistent with the study of (Bayou et al., 2023, Khajoui, Vedadi & Ahmad 2021, Halim & Karsen 2020),
Therefore, it is recommended to marketers active in the field of brand that utilize influencers to advertise their brand, who are not only popular with the general public and can communicate with ordinary people in society, but also have sufficient knowledge and expertise in the field of fashion and in the field of a specific brand, and try to always use these products in public so that their presence is strongly reminiscent of these products. Also, it is necessary for managers to hold training courses to familiarize influencers with their brand as much as possible. It is also recommended that marketing influencers provide quality and long-term communication for customer participation by considering appropriate discounts and providing free shopping coupons for some products to people who recommend this page to others. In addition, creating a customer club in cyberspace and the possibility of exchanging information between customers and the brand can create a good experience for customers and increase the feeling of participation.