The purpose of this study was to examine the relative effects of travel social influencers (TSIs)’ total number of followers and engagement level on consumers’ intention to travel to the advertised destinations and purchase the advertised products, as well as TSIs’ perceived credibility, expertise, and attractiveness. The results suggest that engagement becomes an important characteristic of TSIs that determines the effectiveness of advertising messages delivered by them, and their perceived attractiveness when consumers are skeptical about influencer messages. Meanwhile, TSIs’ total number of followers better predict the effectiveness of advertising messages delivered by them and their perceived expertise when consumers are not skeptical about influencer messages.

Drawing on propositions from the HAII-TIME (Human–artificial intelligence [AI] Interaction and the Theory of Interactive Media Effects) and Persuasion Knowledge Model, this study examines how knowledge of automated journalism (AJ) moderates the evaluation of algorithmically generated news. Experiment 1 demonstrates the utility of process-related knowledge in user evaluations of agency: individuals with little knowledge of AJ prefer attributions of human authorship over news stories attributed to algorithms, whereas individuals with high AJ knowledge have an equal or stronger preference for news that is described as algorithmically generated. Experiment 2 conditions these effects to show how prior characterizations of AJ—whether more machine- or human-like—shape evaluations of algorithmically generated news contingent on user age and knowledge level. Effects are found for differing age groups at lower levels of AJ knowledge, where machine-like characterizations enhance evaluations of algorithmically generated news for younger users but ascribing human-like traits enhances evaluations of automated news for older users.

Based on the Modality-Agency-Interactivity-Navigability model and the anthropomorphism theory, this study examines whether embedding human-like characteristics in algorithms increases the persuasiveness of algorithm-written news. This study further investigates how different types of relationships (servant or friend) that human writers form with algorithms determine the persuasiveness of algorithm-generated news. Experiment 1 demonstrated that participants who read the human- and humanized algorithm-written news showed greater emotional involvement in the stories and liked the articles more than those who read the algorithm-written news. The participants also reported that news written by humans, humanized algorithms, and algorithms, had equal news credibility. Experiment 2 further showed that the participants perceived the news as more credible and experienced greater degrees of emotional involvement when human writers formed a partner-to-friend relationship with humanized algorithms while generating news rather than a servant-to-master relationship.

No psychometrically sound measurement scale exists to effectively measure sports team reputation. The current study proposed and developed the Spectator-based Sports Team Reputation (SSTR) by considering the most important stakeholder groups - spectators. The results indicated that SSTR had a positive and direct impact on team identification and trust towards a team. The most significant theoretical contribution of this study is the conceptualisation and development of the SSTR scale, with a multi-dimensional approach from the spectator perspective.

Purpose: Marketers and brand managers are subject to reputational crises when their endorsers are involved in scandals. To effectively manage such crises, it is imperative to understand (1) the underlying mechanisms through which consumers process negative information surrounding morally tainted endorsers, and (2) how these mechanisms affect consumer behavior in the context of athlete scandals.Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on attribution theory and the moral reasoning strategy framework, we investigate the impact of attribution on moral reasoning strategies, and the impact of such strategies on consumers' responses to scandalized athletes and endorsements.Findings: Overall, our results demonstrate that the same scandal can be evaluated differently, depending on its information, including the consensus, distinctiveness, and consistency of the scandal. The results of Study 1 show that in the context of an on-field scandal, individuals engage in a sequential cognitive process in which they go through attribution, the choice of a moral reasoning strategy, and ultimately a response. The results of Study 2 reveal that in the context of an off-field scandal, attribution directly influences consumers' responses.Originality/value: We extend the existing literature on the moral reasoning of athlete scandals by suggesting that attribution is a determinant of moral reasoning choice in the context of on-field scandals. We also extend the sports marketing and consumer behavior literature by suggesting that consumers' diverse reactions to athlete scandals depend on their attribution patterns and moral reasoning choices.

Most sport teams utilize mascots as a distinctive brand element to draw the attention of existing and potential fans and to deliver optimal fan experiences. We investigated the effects of anthropomorphic promotion using team mascots on the potential fans’ psychological and behavioral responses. We employed a 2 (figure: logo vs. mascot) × 2 (background color: cool vs. warm) between-subjects factorial design, using the Miami Marlins in the experimental scenario. After controlling for baseball involvement and brand familiarity, analysis of data obtained from 239 potential fans demonstrated the positive effect of anthropomorphic promotion using team mascots on participants’ psychological closeness and media consumption intentions. To explain the psychological mechanism of this effect, we tested and confirmed a causal model containing a sequential mediation (figure type → perceived anthropomorphism → psychological closeness → media consumption intentions), in conjunction with perceived loneliness.