How do popular online streamers influence viewers’ purchase intention? Evidence from a mobile game campaign on YouTube

Shan Jiang, Xiaxin Hua and Robert Parviainen
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Shan Jiang: College of Management, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA
Xiaxin Hua: Seriously Digital Entertainment, USA
Robert Parviainen: Seriously Digital Entertainment, USA

Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing, 2020, vol. 7, issue 4, 332-343

Abstract: Influencer marketing is vital for the gaming industry because most users are relatively young and many are exposed to social media on a daily basis. This research attempts to understand the mechanism of influencer campaigning in the mobile game industry. The research model proposes that influencer marketing affects purchase intention in two key ways: direct triggering and indirect amplification. The study empirically tests the model using mobile game influencer campaigns conducted on YouTube. A case study is presented to support the proposed direct triggering effect. For the indirect amplification effect, statistical tests were performed using additional marketing and purchase data. The results suggest that influencer marketing has huge and timely impacts on the revenue of game companies early on, but the effects diminish quickly. Within the domain of game apps, influencer marketing not only has a direct impact on the purchase intention of viewers, but also indirectly amplifies the purchase intention of non-viewers through brand visibility and brand awareness.

Keywords: influencer marketing; social media marketing; mobile games; purchase intention; user conversion; app ranking; case study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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