Qualitative differences in young Asian Australians’ relationships with social media influencers: the impact of identity match and implications for influencer marketing

In social media influencer (SMI) marketing, brands typically assess the value of SMIs based on quantitative metrics such as follower count, overlooking the qualitative factors in influencer-follower relationships. Drawing on Social Identity Theory, this study explored the qualitative dynamics in relationships between racial/ethnic minority individuals and their identity-matching versus non-matching influencers. In-depth interviews with Asian Australian young adults, including those with mixed heritage (N = 22), unveiled critical insights regarding their self-determined identity, the reasons for following identity-(non)matching influencers, the nature of relationships with those influencers, and their reactions to sponsored product/brand endorsements by those influencers. Informants described identity-matching influencers across four different, but interconnected, dimensions and reported higher engagement with them. They believe identity-matching influencers curate and share highly relevant information with followers. Additionally, they perceived brand/product endorsements by identity-matching influencers as more tolerable, authentic, and trustworthy than those by identity-non-matching influencers. These findings challenge the current SMI valuation model and underscore the importance of qualitative factors to assess SMI effectiveness.