IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v200y2025ics0148296325004059.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Conceptualizing and measuring strategic authenticity? A reflective-formative second-order model

Author

Listed:
  • Zhu, Lin

Abstract

Despite the importance of influencer authenticity and the numerous scales created to measure perceived authenticity, limited research has focused on strategic authenticity—the deliberate strategies employed by media producers to project authenticity. In response, this paper develops a comprehensive scale for evaluating strategic authenticity. The study combines both formative and reflective models, using a hierarchical latent variable framework within Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). First, a clear distinction between perceived authenticity and strategic authenticity is established. Following this, a reflective-formative second-order model is proposed to represent strategic authenticity at different levels of abstraction. Through a series of studies, we generate items, establish and confirm the dimensional structure of strategic authenticity, and validate the scale. This rigorous process results in a set of 25 items that measure five dimensions of strategic authenticity: transparency, consistency, ordinariness, truthful endorsement, and naturalness.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhu, Lin, 2025. "Conceptualizing and measuring strategic authenticity? A reflective-formative second-order model," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:200:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325004059
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115582
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296325004059
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115582?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:200:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325004059. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.