Healthcare influencer-follower relationships: The roles of truthful endorsement and endorsement overload

Monica Priyadarshini Roy and Chandrasekaran Padmavathy

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2025, vol. 87, issue C

Abstract: Despite extensive academic research on influencer marketing, factors that affect influencer-follower relationships remain uncertain. In the context of healthcare influencer marketing, this research integrates the theory of consumption values and relationship marketing theory to examine the effects of consumption values on relationship quality (fanaticism), maintenance (stickiness), and development (value co-creation). Drawing on a sample of 1410 followers from India, this study findings exhibit mixed results on the effects of consumption values on relationship maintenance and development. The findings indicate that fanaticism mediates the effects of consumption values on relationship maintenance and development. Further, the results show positive moderating effects of truthful endorsement and negative moderating effects of endorsement overload on the influencer-follower relationships. This study provides valuable implications for influencers to maintain and develop long-term relationships with their followers.

Keywords: Healthcare influencer; Influencer-follower relationships; Theory of consumption values; Relationship marketing theory; Truthful endorsement; Endorsement overload (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joreco:v:87:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925001274

DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104348

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