OPINION LEADERS: IMPACT OF FOLLOWERS SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOURAL INTENTION AND MODERATING EFFECT OF PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH OPINION LEADER CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

Social media marketing has evolved as a predominant way for marketers to interact with customers, which enables the marketers to reach the potential consumers through digital platforms using opinion leaders. The social media usage among people has grown exponentially and also the rise in opinion leaders promoting brands through social media have become new strategies for marketers to attain their business goals. The objective of the present study is to explore the influence of opinion leader characteristics among their millennial followers' intention to adopt sustainable behaviour practices. Parasocial relationship is considered as an important factor as a moderator between Opinion leader characteristic and followers’ sustainable behavioural intention. From the results of SEM, it is found that Opinion leader characteristics such as message credibility, congruency, attitude towards environmental living and Perceived similarity is positively related to the sustainable behavioural intention. Further, the findings also revealed that parasocial relationship is moderating the opinion leader characteristics on sustainable behavioural intention. Opinion leaders should strategise ways to improve parasocial relationship with their followers as it is leads to change in behavioural intention.