Virtual influencers in brand image recovery: A comparative study of younger and older brands after celebrity endorsement crises

On the one hand, the negative publicity of celebrities frequently threatens the image of a series of brands. On the other hand, virtual influencers as emerging alternatives to traditional celebrity endorsers have been popular in advertising initiatives. However, how the use of virtual endorsers after brand celebrity endorsement crises affects the recovery of brand image, particularly across different brand types (younger vs. older brands) has not been explored. Based on image repair theory (IRT) and persuasion knowledge theory (PKT), three studies were conducted to examine the interaction effect of influencer and brand types on brand attitude in the post-crisis context. The results reveal that younger brands using virtual (vs. human) endorsers after endorsement crises can better repair brand image. However, when it comes to older brands, no significant difference is observed between virtual and human influencers in repairing brand image. These effects are fully mediated via perceived manipulative intent (PMI) and perceived brand trustworthiness (PBT). Additionally, it should be noted that the performance of virtual influencers on brand image recovery is different between Western and Eastern cultural contexts. By bridging theoretical insights and practical implications, this research extends the application scenario of virtual influencers and provides new strategies for brand image recovery within the context of celebrity endorser crises.