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The impact of employees’ social media advocacy on attitudes toward the brand: the mediating role of parasocial relationships

Dominyka Venciute (ISM University of Management and Economics, Vilnius, Lithuania)
Lukas Karalius (ISM University of Management and Economics, Vilnius, Lithuania)
James Reardon (Monfort College of Business, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado, USA, and)
Vilte Auruskeviciene (ISM University of Management and Economics, Vilnius, Lithuania)

Journal of Product & Brand Management

ISSN: 1061-0421

Article publication date: 5 October 2023

Issue publication date: 27 November 2023

1149

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine how employee advocacy, via the value and credibility of their professional social media content, affects their followers’ attitudes toward the brand through the mediating role of parasocial relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative research was used, and questionnaires were answered by LinkedIn users who follow at least one person they consider to be an employee advocate. A total of 390 responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results suggest that the credibility of an employee advocate positively impacts the parasocial relationship between the user and the employee, which, in turn, impacts the user’s attitude toward the brand represented by the employee advocate.

Practical implications

The results of this study suggest that employee advocacy on LinkedIn can shape positive attitudes toward the advocate’s brand. These findings suggest that organizations should consider employee content and credibility as strategic tools in marketing communications.

Originality/value

This study delineates the linkages between the credibility and content value of the employee advocate, the parasocial relationship they have with followers and their attitude toward the brand. This research contributes to the literature on employee advocacy and studies on the concepts of parasocial interactions and relationships.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Conflict of interest: On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Funding: The Funding was provided by Lietuvos mokslo taryba (Research Council of Lithuania).

Citation

Venciute, D., Karalius, L., Reardon, J. and Auruskeviciene, V. (2023), "The impact of employees’ social media advocacy on attitudes toward the brand: the mediating role of parasocial relationships", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 32 No. 8, pp. 1374-1387. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-12-2022-4253

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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