Micro vs. Macro or Expert Influencers: The Impact of Influencer Marketing on Brand Trust and Loyalty in Saudi Arabia and Spain

Influencer marketing is a popular strategy for brand communication to enhance trust and brand loyalty. However, the mechanisms through which influencers create consumer trust and foster long-term brand loyalty remain underexplored, particularly in cross-cultural contexts. Mega influencers, who include sports or film stars, are admired by consumers from a great distance. In contrast, consumers treat micro influencers like family members, friends, or close colleagues. This study investigates how consumers perceive different types of influencers via semi-structured interviews with 25 social media users,10 from Spain, and 15 from Saudi Arabia. The conceptual model, based on source credibility theory (SCT) and parasocial interaction (PSI) theory, suggests that micro and macro influencers, consumer-generated comments and reviews, brand fit, and reality contribute to the development of brand trust and loyalty. These findings underscore the critical role of influencer marketing and provide a theoretical framework for understanding influencer trust and loyalty dynamics. Thus, this study provides practical implications for marketers to focus on providing consumer-generated content (reviews and comments) on social media, and depend more on long term collaborations with brand fit credible micro and expert influencers because, they enhance the perceived quality and, increase trust, as well as brand loyalty.