The Role of Source Congruence in Effective Marketing Communications

The study aims to build a more comprehensive model of the relationship between the source’s characteristics and the purchase intention by involving several variables that are considered moderating and mediating variables in the relationship between the two variables. The respondent is the individual who follows influencers, whether they are celebrities or non-celebrities, on social media and often reads the influencers’ content in the last six months. SEM processes the data obtained. The results show that groups of consumers who have a higher level of conformity, both in Congruence Source Characteristics with the Brand Characteristics, Congruence Source Characteristics with the Customer Characteristics, and Congruence Customer Characteristics with the Brand Characteristics, have a better perception of the influencers’ character and have a higher purchase intention in this group. In addition, the results of the study also show that the influencers who have expertise related to the product are considered honest in conveying the message, attractive, and have a positive influence on the positive attitude of consumers towards the influencers. The subsequent impact of a positive perception of the influencers is the emergence of consumers’ positive attitudes towards the product or brand being promoted. Furthermore, the consumers’ positive attitude towards the product has increased their interest in buying the product or brand.