Finding The Perfect Influencer-Brand Fit: A quantitative study on how the combination of social media influencer type and brand type affects the success of an influencer collaboration.

Abstract: In recent years, the use of influencer marketing as a marketing tool has become increasingly popular. With the growth of influencer marketing, different social media influencer (SMI) types have emerged. Previous literature has explored the favorability of one SMI type over another, but none have incorporated brand type as a moderator. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how the combination of a smaller vs larger influencer and luxury vs mainstream brand will affect the perceived fit of the collaboration, which will then affect influencer credibility, brand credibility, brand attitude, brand interest and eWOM. A quantitative approach was conducted through an online, self-completion survey with 434 valid respondents. The answers were then statistically analyzed through Independent t-Tests, and One- and Two-way ANOVAs. The results of the study show that luxury brands should not use smaller influencers, as such collaboration creates a worse perceived influencer-brand fit. Consequently, the poor fit leads to diluted brand and influencer credibility which negatively affects brand attitude, brand interest and eWOM. However, no significant differences were identified for the mainstream brand. Thus, the results indicate that mainstream brands can collaborate with both smaller and larger influencers. These results contribute to the theoretical field of influencer marketing and are also insightful for marketing managers.