Abstract

This research investigates the impact of influencer type (food vs. lifestyle) on consumers’ attitudes toward the influencer and their behavioral intentions toward the endorsed restaurant – specifically, intention to search for more information about the restaurant, intention to recommend the restaurant to others, and intention to visit the restaurant. The research also explores the mediating roles of perceived influencer relatedness and credibility, as well as the moderating role of social comparison orientation (SCO). While previous research has shown that the general influencer group can increase restaurant visit intentions, limited attention has been paid to the differential effectiveness of different types of influencers. Two experimental studies were conducted. Study 1 found that food (vs lifestyle) influencers elicited higher perceived relatedness and credibility, which in turn led to more positive attitudes toward the influencer and higher intentions toward the restaurant. In study 2, while food (vs. lifestyle) influencers consistently prompted stronger behavioral intentions toward the restaurant, there was no evidence that influencer type affected influencer- related perceptions or attitudes. Moreover, the moderating effect of SCO was non- significant. These findings provide restaurant managers with new insight into selecting the most effective influencer type to collaborate with for promotional campaigns.