Palazón, Ma iola; Ala cón-del-Amo, Ma ía-del-Ca men; Ma ínez, Bo ja; López,
Manuela
A icle
Consume s' heal hy li es yle as a de e minan o he
in luence o mic oceleb i ies and mic oin luence s
Eu opean Jou nal o Managemen and Business Economics (EJM&BE)
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Eu opean Academy o Managemen and Business Economics (AEDEM), Vigo (Pon e ed a)
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Palazón, Ma iola; Ala cón-del-Amo, Ma ía-del-Ca men; Ma ínez, Bo ja; López,
Manuela (2025) : Consume s' heal hy li es yle as a de e minan o he in luence o mic oceleb i ies
and mic oin luence s, Eu opean Jou nal o Managemen and Business Economics (EJM&BE), ISSN
2444-8451, Eme ald, Leeds, Vol. 34, Iss. 2, pp. 133-148,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/EJMBE-02-2024-0041
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
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Consume s’ heal hy li es yle as a
de e minan o he in luence o
mic oceleb i ies and mic oin luence s
Ma iola Palaz�
on, Ma �
ıa del Ca men Ala c�
on-del-Amo,
Bo ja Ma �
ınez and Manuela L�
opez
Depa men o Ma ke ing, Uni e si y o Mu cia, Mu cia, Spain
Abs ac
Pu pose –This s udy analyzes wha ype o in luence – mic oceleb i y o mic oin luence – is bes sui ed o
p omo ing heal hy ood b ands and how ha in luence depends on consume s’ heal hy li es yles.
Design/me hodology/app oach –An empi ical s udy wi h a eal heal hy ood b and was de eloped in
which h ee eal in luence s om Ins ag am collabo a ed and pos ed a s o y showing he company’s
p oduc s. A o al o 148 indi iduals pa icipa ed in he s udy. The p oposed model was es ed using he
PROCESS mac o.
Findings –D awing on he celeb i y endo semen li e a u e and he meaning ans e model, his s udy
p oposes ha mic oceleb i ies’ and mic oin luence s’ in luence on consume s’ pe cep ion and beha io
in e ms o pos ele ance, b and a i ude and pu chase in en ion owa d heal hy ood b ands depends on
he consume s’ heal hy li es yle. Thus, mic oceleb i ies ha e mo e in luence on indi iduals wi h
unheal hy li es yles, while mic oin luence s ha e mo e in luence on indi iduals ha pu sue a heal hy
li es yle.
O iginali y/ alue –I is one o he i s s udies o examine he di e en oles o mic oin luence s e sus
mic oceleb i ies in p omo ing consume s’ a i udes and beha io s owa d heal hy ood b ands. In addi ion, his
is one o he ew s udies o show a highe e ec o mic oceleb i ies o e mic oin luence s.
Keywo ds Heal hy ood b ands, Heal hy li es yle, Mic oceleb i ies, Mic oin luence s, Food in luence s
Pape ype Resea ch pape
1. In oduc ion
Consume s’ conce ns abou ood quali y ha e been inc easing, pa icula ly ega ding ood’s
pe cei ed heal hiness (Teixei a and Rod igues, 2021). People ha e de eloped a p opensi y o
main ain heal hy li es yles (Teixei a and Rod igues, 2021) and use social media o seek and
sha e in o ma ion ega ding heal hy ood consump ion (Belenio i e al., 2015;Samoggia e al.,
2019). One o he mos powe ul in o ma ion sou ces on social media abou heal hy ood is
in luence s, as hey ha e been shown o a ec consume s’ ood choices. Fo ins ance, Che ioui
e al. (2023) demons a ed ha in luence s a ec consume s’ pu chases o o ganic ood
b ands; Sicilia e al. (2023) showed ha in luence s can e en ha e a g ea e e ec on heal hy
ood choices compa ed o on -o -package labeling. The e o e, companies selling heal hy
p oduc s ha e begun o ely on in luence s in hei communica ion campaigns (Alwa i e al.,
2022). Al hough p e ious s udies in he ood con ex ha e s a ed o analyze in luence s’
e ec , a clea unde s anding o hei in luence is s ill lacking (Hudde s and Lou, 2023). I is
Eu opean Jou nal
o Managemen
and Business
Economics
133
© Ma iola Palaz�
on, Ma �
ıa del Ca men Ala c�
on-del-Amo, Bo ja Ma �
ınez and Manuela L�
opez. Published
in Eu opean Jou nal o Managemen and Business Economics. Published by Eme ald Publishing
Limi ed.This a icle is published unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone
may ep oduce, dis ibu e, ansla e and c ea e de i a i e wo ks o his a icle ( o bo h comme cial and
noncomme cialpu poses), subjec o ull a ibu ion o he o iginal publica ion and au ho s. The ull
e mso his licence may be seen a h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
The au ho s hank he g an MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (G an numbe : PID 2020-116247
GB-I00) o suppo ing his wo k. The au ho s also hank he in luence s ha collabo a ed in he da a
collec ion wi hou any compensa ion. We also app ecia e he aluable commen s ecei ed du ing he
e iew p ocess.
The cu en issue and ull ex a chi e o his jou nal is a ailable on Eme ald Insigh a :
h ps://www.eme ald.com/insigh /2444-8494.h m
Recei ed 8 Feb ua y 2024
Re ised 9 June 2024
2 Augus 2024
23 Sep embe 2024
Accep ed 23 Oc obe 2024
Eu opean Jou nal o Managemen and
Business Economics
Vol. 34 No. 2, 2025
pp. 133-148
Eme ald Publishing Limi ed
e-ISSN: 2444-8494
p-ISSN: 2444-8451
DOI 10.1108/EJMBE-02-2024-0041
i al o analyze whe he in luence endo semen can a ec consume knowledge, awa eness o
heal hy ood choices, and heal hy ood beha io s (Ven u a e al., 2021).
This s udy seeks o unde s and how di e en ypes o in luence s (mic oin luence s s
mic oceleb i ies) a e bes sui ed o p omo ing heal hy ood b ands. P e ious esea ch abou
in luence s has dis inguished be ween celeb i ies, who a e known in o he a eas ou side social
media, and in luence s, who a e unknown o line bu ha e become amous h ough hei sel -
b anding ac i i ies on he In e ne (Al-Emadi and Yahia, 2020). Bo h can be conside ed mic o i
hey ha e ewe han 100,000 ollowe s (De Vei man e al., 2017). In gene al, p e ious s udies
ha e shown a highe e ec o in luence s on consume s compa ed o celeb i ies (Dja a o a and
Rushwo h, 2017;Schou en e al., 2021). This esul could be explained because in luence s a e
seen as close han celeb i ies (Leung e al., 2022). Howe e , when bo h ypes o in luence s
ha e a simila numbe o ollowe s, mic oceleb i ies in e ac simila ly o in luence s, educing
hei ollowe s’ dis ance. In ac , mic oin luence s and mic oceleb i ies ha e been ound o be
mo e in luen ial han mac o ones (Taylo , 2020). Addi ionally, p e ious s udies ha e shown
ha celeb i ies’ in luence on consume s is aspi a ional, ha is, consume s ollow he celeb i y’s
beha io because hey wan o be like him/he (Escalas and Be man, 2009). The e o e, in he
heal hy ood con ex , consume s could ea he same oods as celeb i ies o ge he same body.
Then, mic oceleb i ies could become ele an in p omo ing heal hy ood compa ed o
mic oin luence s. Howe e , o he bes o ou knowledge, no s udy has compa ed whe he
mic oin luence s a e also mo e in luen ial han mic oceleb i ies in p omo ing heal hy ood
b ands. P e ious s udies in he ood con ex ha e no dis inguished be ween di e en ypes o
in luence s (e.g. Che ioui e al., 2023); ins ead, hey ha e analyzed a unique ype o in luence
(e.g. P ende e al., 2023) o ocused on spo y in luence s (Von Me enheim and Wiedmann,
2021). This indica es he need o imp o e ou unde s anding o he complex igu e o he
in luence and hei po en ial e ec s on heal h decisions (T uman, 2022).
In he con ex o heal hy ood consump ion, consume s’ conce ns abou ollowing a heal hy
li es yle s and ou . A i udes owa d heal hy ood and ollowing a heal hy li es yle a e ela ed
o he in en ion o consume heal hy ood (Tan e al., 2022) and may de e mine how an
in luence ’s ecommenda ion is pe cei ed (Von Me enheim and Wiedmann, 2021).
Consume s’ heal hy li es yle conce ns in he con ex o ood could ha e a simila ole o
p oduc in ol emen in de e mining consume s’ esponses o in luence s’ ecommenda ions
in o he p oduc ca ego ies such as beau y, ech, o a el. In ha con ex , p oduc in ol emen
could de e mine he di e en e ec s o celeb i ies and in luence s on consume s (e.g. Chapa
and Khan, 2024). Howe e , p e ious esul s a e no conclusi e. Some s udies ha e shown
celeb i ies’supe io i y o in luence s in high-in ol emen condi ions (Chapa and Khan, 2024),
while o he s udies demons a ed he opposi e (Ahmadi and Ieamsom, 2022). Ne e heless,
hese s udies a e limi ed o p oduc ca ego ies un ela ed o consume s’ heal h. The e o e, he
need a ises o in es iga e how mic oceleb i ies’ and mic oin luence s’ impac on consume s
a ies o consume s wi h di e en heal hy li es yle conce ns.
The e o e, we p opose ha he e ec o mic oceleb i y endo se s and mic oin luence s on
b and a i ude and pu chase in en ion owa d heal hy ood b ands is media ed by pos
ele ance, and his indi ec e ec is con ingen on indi iduals’ conce n abou ollowing a
heal hy li es yle. This s udy makes wo main con ibu ions o he li e a u e: (1) I examines he
di e en oles o mic oin luence s e sus mic oceleb i ies in p omo ing consume s’ a i udes
and beha io s owa d heal hy ood b ands. (2) I conside s consume s’ conce ns abou
ollowing a heal hy li es yle.
2. Theo e ical backg ound
2.1 Mic oceleb i ies e sus mic oin luence s
Celeb i ies a e p ima ily known o hei non-social-media- ela ed ac i i ies (e.g. music) and
can ha e hei own communi y o ollowe s on social media (Jin e al., 2019). Howe e , nei he
hei ollowe s no hei main ou comes come om social media; a he , hey use social media
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o suppo hei ca ee s (Campbell and Fa ell, 2020). The e o e, celeb i ies’ cha ac e is ics,
such as hei sou ce o in luence, hei ole as con en c ea o s, and hei ela ionship wi h hei
ollowe s, a e di e en compa ed o in luence s (Sicilia and L�
opez, 2023). Celeb i ies
ypically do no eel ha hey mus c ea e con en and in e ac wi h hei ollowe s. In ac ,
celeb i ies a e less likely han in luence s o in e ac wi h ollowe s and hus a e pe cei ed as
mo e dis an (Yuan and Lou, 2020). In gene al, consume s a e in luenced by celeb i ies
because hey admi e he celeb i ies and aspi e o be like hem (Escalas and Be man, 2009).
In con as , in luence s gain ame on social media h ough sel -b anding – ha is, using
hei social media ac i i ies o engage in s a egic sel -p esen a ion o a ac he a en ion o
a la ge numbe o ollowe s (Folk o d e al., 2020). They can be de ined as “people who
buil a la ge ne wo k o ollowe s and a e ega ded as us ed as emake s in one o se e al
niches” (De Vei man e al., 2017). O dina y people can become in luence s, p oducing hei
own con en and managing hei pe sonal b and image o inc ease public awa eness and
de elop a ollowing ha can be used o comme cial endo semen pu poses h ough online
pla o ms (Khamis e al., 2017). Thei g ea in luence usually comes om hei knowledge,
expe ience, expe ise, and in ol emen wi h a p oduc ca ego y (Lyons and Hende son,
2005). Some imes, hey also in luence consume s due o hei physical and social
a ac i eness (Delbae e e al., 2021) o because hey a e seen as au hen ic and close o hei
ollowe s (Leung e al., 2022).
P e ious s udies ha e compa ed he e ec s o celeb i ies e sus in luence s on consume s.
Schou en e al. (2021) ha e shown ha in luence s ha e a highe e ec on consume s wi h
espec o ad a i ude and b and in en ion compa ed wi h celeb i ies. This highe e ec is
explained by in luence s’ highe c edibili y, expe ise in he p oduc ca ego y, and pe cei ed
simila i y o ollowe s (Schou en e al., 2021). Mo e ecen ly, Hess e al. (2022) showed ha
in luence s ha e a g ea e e ec han celeb i ies when hey ul ill hei ollowe s’ expec a ions
and a e pe cei ed as c edible. Howe e , celeb i ies can ha e a g ea e e ec on consume s han
in luence s in ce ain condi ions. Fo example, Jin e al. (2019) ound ha celeb i ies ha e a
g ea e e ec han in luence s unde condi ions o high sel -disc epancy – ha is, when he
ollowe compa es hemsel es wi h he celeb i y o in luence and eels he e is a disc epancy
be ween ha pe son’s ac ual sel and he idealized media images. Fu he mo e, G €
a e and
Ba sch (2022) showed ha celeb i ies ha e a g ea e e ec on consume s when he p omo ion
is in usi e.
In his con ex , he size o he communi y also de e mines mic oceleb i ies’ and
mic oin luence s’ in luence. Some s udies ha e shown ha mic oin luence s exe a highe
in luence on consume s han mac oin luence s (Taylo , 2020). This e ec can be explained by
s onge pa asocial ela ionships wi h he mic oin luence s (Conde and Casais, 2023) and
because hey a e pe cei ed as mo e au hen ic han mac oin luence s (Taylo , 2020). In he
same ein, mic oceleb i ies may be mo e in luen ial han mac o ones. Mic oceleb i ies can
deli e e y a ge ed messages, as hei audiences include ollowe s who ha e simila in e es s
o he mic oceleb i y compa ed o mac oceleb i ies’ in e es s (Taylo , 2020). Howe e , no
s udy has compa ed he di e en in luences ha mic oin luence s and mic oceleb i ies exe .
Mic oceleb i ies may also ha e adi ional cha ac e is ics associa ed wi h mic oin luence s
such as highe au hen ici y o highe connec ion wi h hei communi y. The e o e, he e is a
need o analyze mic oceleb i ies’ and mic oin luence s’ in luence in ela ion o heal hy ood
b ands.
2.2 In luence ma ke ing o heal hy p oduc s
Heal hy ood in ake is impo an no only because i can educe obesi y bu also because i
inc eases well-being and p e en s diseases (Blanch lowe e al., 2013). Unde s anding he
ac o s ha in luence consume s’ ood choices is essen ial (Tan e al., 2022). T adi ionally,
cus ome s’ ood selec ion has been g ea ly in luenced by hei social en i onmen , including
iends’ opinions, and by comme cial in o ma ion. In iew o his, he ood indus y has been
Eu opean Jou nal
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c i icized o encou aging he consump ion o highly p ocessed p oduc s and no p omo ing
consume s’ heal h (Fleming-Milici and Ha is, 2020). Howe e , since he ou b eak o
COVID-19, he global ood indus y has been unde emendous p essu e o adap o he
changes in he ma ke , and esea che s and indus y expe s ha e obse ed a su ge in demand
o heal hy oods (FoodCi cle, 2022).
Acco dingly, social media can in luence wha ood consume s buy and ea
(Cas o-Gonz�
alez e al., 2024). Consume s who a e exposed o socially endo se heal hy
ood images on Ins ag am end o selec and consume la ge po ions o ui s and ege ables,
in compa ison o hose exposed o non-heal hy ood (Hawkins e al., 2021). Acco ding o
Hawkins e al. (2021), he mo e indi iduals pe cei e o he Facebook use s o consume ui
and ege ables, he mo e he indi iduals consume hemsel es. In addi ion, obese cus ome s
who disclose hei i ness goals on social media show heal hie li es yle beha io in en ions
compa ed o hose ha do no disclose hei goals (Singh and Sha ma, 2022). In luence s may
a ec his (Folk o d e al., 2020), as hey a e impo an c ea o s o con en . In ac , new igu es
in his ealm ha e appea ed, such as Ins ag am heal h and well-being in luence s (Che ioui
e al., 2023) and digi al ood in luence s (Goodman and Jawo ska, 2020), who a e impac ing
he consump ion o heal hy p oduc s. In ac , p e ious s udies ha e shown ha in luence s can
a ec consume s’ well-being (Jamil e al., 2024). In his con ex , in luence expe ise,
c edibili y, and physical a ac i eness ha e been iden i ied as an eceden s o a i ude owa d
he in luence , and hence owa d he in en ion pu chase o o ganic p oduc s (Che ioui e al.,
2023). In addi ion, he in luence ’s pe sonal cha ac e is ics (i.e. a hle ic s seden a y li es yle)
may a ec child en’s heal hy ood choices (De Jans e al., 2021).
Ins ag am pos s egula ly ea u e in luence s whose li es yles and alues a e e e enced in
images – o example, an image o an in luence ea ing heal hy oods (Coa es e al., 2019). Fo
ins ance, young people ha e been shown o a end o heal h- ood ad e ising pos s om
in luence s o longe han hose om o he sou ces (e.g. pee s) (Mu phy e al., 2020).
Howe e , conside ing he cha ac e is ics o heal hy p oduc s, iewe s may be engaged wi h
he in luence bu no eel inclined o imi a e hei die a y beha io (Von Me enheim and
Wiedmann, 2021). Tha is, consume s may eel a ac ed by he in luence , bu no by he
p oduc ca ego y p omo ed. The e o e, i is necessa y o cla i y he ole in luence s play in
ollowe s’ engagemen wi h pos s and in en ion o consume heal hy p oduc s.
2.3 The meaning ans e model
Va ious models and heo ies ha e been employed o explain celeb i y endo semen , including
he sou ce c edibili y model, he sou ce a ac i eness model, he cong uence o ma ch-up
model, and he meaning ans e model (Han and Balabanis, 2024;Jain and Roy, 2016). Mo e
ecen ly, Han and Balabanis (2024) iden i ied pa asocial in e ac ion heo y, he wo-s ep low
model, and he pe suasion knowledge model as being able o explain in luence s’ impac on
a i udinal and beha io al ou comes – al hough hese heo ies do no conside he endo semen
p ocess.
The sou ce c edibili y model posi s ha he endo se ’s c edibili y can ca y o e o
s eng hen he pe suasi eness o p oduc in o ma ion (i.e. S e n hal e al., 1978). Rega ding
he sou ce a ac i eness model, endo semen esea che s ha e ound ha an a ac i e
celeb i y can a ec consume a i udes mo e a o ably han a less a ac i e celeb i y (Jain and
Roy, 2016). The cong uence o ma ch-up model sugges s ha he endo se ’s e ec s a e
con ingen on he “ i ,” o endo se –p oduc cong uence (Ki mani and Shi , 1998). Acco ding
o he meaning ans e model, consume s buy he meanings o he celeb i y li es yle by
consuming endo sed b ands, assuming ha hese symbolic meanings will ans e o hem
h ough mimic y and hus enhance hei sel -iden i y (McC acken, 1989).
Conside ing he di e en meanings ha mic oceleb i ies and mic oin luence s may
ans e o heal hy ood b ands, he meaning ans e model (McC acken, 1989) is especially
ele an o analyze which ype o in luence , he mic oceleb i y o he mic oin luence , is mo e
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e ec i e in p omo ing heal hy ood b ands. McC acken (1989) p oposed a h ee-s age
meaning ans e p ocess. In he i s s age (p e-endo semen ), he meanings associa ed wi h a
celeb i y eme ge om he celeb i y’s oles, campaigns, cha ac e is ics, o accomplishmen s.
Celeb i ies in gene al, and mic oceleb i ies in pa icula , a e in luen ial cul u al symbols, and
as a esul , consume s associa e hem wi h ce ain alued pe sonali y and li es yle a ibu es
(McC acken, 1989). The meanings associa ed wi h mic oceleb i ies de i e mainly om hei
p o essional ca ee s (e.g. singe s, ac o s, jou nalis s) and we e c ea ed ou side o social media,
whe eas mic oin luence s’ meanings de i e om sel -b anding on social media.
In he second s age (endo semen ), he celeb i y ans e s he meanings o p oduc s h ough
endo semen (Jain and Roy, 2016). Jain and Roy (2016) iden i ied se en hemes o celeb i y
meaning: pe sonali y, c edibili y, physical appea ance, eeling, pe o mance, alues, and
cogen powe . In his sense, Campbell and Wa en (2012) ound ha bo h posi i e meanings,
such as sma ness and un and nega i e meanings, such as concei edness and a ogance, we e
ans e ed om celeb i ies o endo sed p oduc s and b ands. Mic oceleb i ies ansmi a
meaning associa ed wi h hei ame and p o essional ac i i y ha mic oin luence s do no
possess. This p ocess akes place h ough celeb i y-endo sed ad e isemen s (Chan and
Fan, 2022).
In he hi d s age (pos -endo semen ), meanings a e ans e ed om he p oduc o he
consume s h ough pu chase and consump ion. The obse a ion o ole models’ (celeb i ies’)
beha io s, a i udes, and li es yle choices may lead o ica ious obse a ional lea ning and
beha io al emula ion (Eas e al., 2014): “I I see a good-looking mic oceleb i y ea ing a
heal hy ood, I am likely o emula e ha beha io .” When he consume can iden i y he
p oduc ’s meanings, hey will espond o he endo semen , p oceeding o he las s ep, namely
consuming he p oduc (Lee and Jeong, 2023).
3. Resea ch model and hypo heses
This s udy p oposes ha he e ec o mic oin luence s’ e sus mic oceleb i ies’ endo semen s
on pos ele ance will di e . Pos ele ance is de ined as he ex en o which consume s
pe cei e he in o ma ion con eyed in a pos as aluable (Sohn, 2014). The p oposed di e en
e ec s on pos ele ance can be explained h ough he “endo semen s age,” when he
celeb i y o in luence should ans e ce ain meanings o p oduc s (Jain and Roy, 2016).
Acco ding o Pa ma e al. (2020), o be e ages and ood p oduc s, endo semen equi es he
celeb i y o in luence o be a ac i e and ha e a heal hy li es yle. Celeb i ies, as opposed o
expe s, c ea e g ea e le els o pleasu e and a ousal om Ins ag am ood pos s
(Kusumasondjaja and Tjip ono, 2019). Ba a and Home (2004) p o ided some o he
ea lies expe imen al e idence showing ha celeb i y ai s could be ans e ed om
celeb i ies o endo sed b ands. Thus, he symbolic meanings associa ed wi h mic oceleb i ies
a e ans e ed o he b ands ha hey endo se h ough ad e ising and ma ke ing
communica ions (Pa ma e al., 2020). As Roy and Jain (2017) demons a ed, celeb i y
meaning con ibu es o b and meaning.
Howe e , he symbolic alues ha mic oin luence s endo se a e based on he pe sonal
b ands hey ha e c ea ed h ough hei pos s on Ins ag am, so hey lack ce ain image y
associa ed wi h mic oceleb i ies. Finally, in he pos -endo semen s age, consume s pe cei e
ha he image y associa ed wi h he celeb i y can be achie ed i hey also consume he heal hy
p oduc . Based on his easoning, we p opose ha mic oceleb i ies may ans e mo e meaning
o heal hy ood b ands han mic oin luence s due o he symbolic meanings associa ed wi h
mic oceleb i ies. The e o e, we p opose:
H1. An Ins ag am publica ion abou a heal hy ood b and will be pe cei ed as mo e
ele an when i is published by a mic oceleb i y han by a mic oin luence .
B and a i ude and pu chase in en ion a e impo an ou comes o de e mine he e u n on
in es men o a social media endo semen (Sicilia and L�
opez, 2023). E ec i e b and-
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sponso ed con en on Ins ag am has led o posi i e consume esponses, such as s onge
ecogni ion, mo e a o able a i udes owa d he b and, o g ea e in en ion o pu chase
(Dja a o a and Rushwo h, 2017). We p opose ha his e ec could be mode a ed by
consume s’ heal hy li es yle conce n.
In he con ex o heal hy ood b ands, consume s’ heal hy li es yle is an impo an
de e minan o a i ude owa d g een p oduc s (Tan e al., 2022). A heal hy li es yle is de ined
as he beha io ela ed o heal h-p omo ing ac i i ies – o example, he consump ion o
na u al ood p oduc s, aking ca e o one’s heal h, and main aining balance in li e (Teixei a and
Rod igues, 2021). Heal h-conscious people end o ha e posi i e a i udes owa d o ganic
p oduc s and a highe in en ion o consume hem, and hey adjus hei beha io o main ain a
heal hy li es yle (Ahmadi Kaliji e al., 2022). Howe e , consume s who ha e low in ol emen
wi h heal hy p oduc s a e ypically also hose whom a heal hy nu i ion campaign should
p ima ily a ge (Von Me enheim and Wiedmann, 2021).
When a mic oceleb i y o mic oin luence pos s ega ding heal hy ood b ands,
consume s’ heal hy li es yles may in luence hei pe cep ion o his message. Acco ding o
he meaning ans e model, celeb i ies/in luence s will ans e meanings o he p oduc hey
endo se (Jain and Roy, 2016). As was discussed abo e, mic oceleb i ies ansmi meanings
associa ed wi h hei ame and p o essional ac i i y. The meanings hey ansmi a e mo e
ela ed o hei image ou side o social media han he con en hey publish. Acco dingly, we
p opose ha o consume s who ha e low heal hy li es yle conce n, mic oceleb i ies’
ecommenda ions will be alued mo e, as consume s y o adop celeb i ies’ beha io s
(Bandu a, 2004). People will be mo i a ed o de elop a ce ain beha io when hey see he
success ha i b ings o o he s whom hey would like o emula e (De Jans e al., 2021).
The e o e, hey will imi a e a mic oceleb i y’s beha io o a ain his/he image.
In con as , o consume s who ha e high heal hy li es yle conce n, he mic oceleb i y’s
e ec is less impo an , as hese consume s al eady ha e mo e knowledge ega ding he
bene i s o heal hy p oduc s and so will be less in luenced by he ole models ep esen ed by
mic oceleb i ies (Hung e al., 2011). Mic oin luence s usually sha e on social media hei
li es yle, wha hey ea , and he exe cise hey do and ad ise ollowe s abou hese issues.
The e o e, consume s who ha e high heal hy li es yle conce n will be mo e c i ical o con en
abou heal hy ood, pe cei ing as mo e ele an he con en c ea ed by a mic oin luence who
has buil his/he image by sha ing his ype o con en . The e o e, mic oin luence s’
publica ions will ha e a highe e ec on hem. Thus, we p opose:
H2. An Ins ag am publica ion abou a heal hy ood b and pos ed by a mic oceleb i y
( e sus a mic oin luence ) (a) will be pe cei ed as mo e ele an and will ha e a
highe e ec on (b) b and a i ude and (c) pu chase in en ion o indi iduals wi h less
conce n owa d main aining a heal hy li es yle.
Acco ding o he meaning ans e model (McC acken, 1989), he posi i e disposi ion owa d
a pos endo sed by a celeb i y wi h whom consume s can iden i y (i.e. a mic oceleb i y) will
ans e in o a mo e posi i e a i ude owa d he b and (Jin, 2018). Du a and Singh (2013)
demons a ed ha celeb i y endo semen led o highe sales o heal hy ood b ands because he
celeb i ies appea ed o make a conscious e o o s ay heal hy by consuming heal hy ood
b ands and main aining a heal hy li es yle. A celeb i y’s beha io a ec s consume s’ ac ions
(Bandu a, 2004); he e o e, we p opose ha he e ec o mic oceleb i y endo se s and
mic oin luence s on b and a i ude and pu chase in en ion is media ed by pos ele ance, and
his indi ec e ec is con ingen on whe he indi iduals ha e high o low conce n abou
ollowing a heal hy li es yle. Based on his easoning, we p opose he ollowing.
H3. The e ec o he ype o in luence (mic oceleb i y s mic oin luence ) on (a) a i ude
owa d a heal hy ood b and and (b) pu chase in en ion is media ed by pos ele ance
and is con ingen on he indi idual’s le el o conce n owa d main aining a heal hy
li es yle.
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Figu e 1 shows he ela ionships p oposed.
4. Me hodology
4.1 Da a collec ion and sample
The s udy was de eloped on Ins ag am, since i is he mos popula pla o m o li es yle
ma ke ing (S a is a, 2019). In addi ion, Ins ag am is a highly popula pla o m on which o
sha e “ i spi a ion” (a po man eau o “ i ness” and “inspi a ion”) images while endo sing
heal hy p oduc s by “ i in luence s” (Tiggemann and Zacca do, 2018).
The s udy’s popula ion was ollowe s o mic oin luence s and mic oceleb i ies on
Ins ag am. Fi s , we chose he in luence s, and hen we app oached hei ollowe s. As
p e ious s udies ha e shown ha an in luence ’s cha ac e is ics, such as gende , age, o ype o
con en sha ed, a ec hei in luence on ollowe s (Sicilia and L�
opez, 2023), o use
mic oin luence s and mic oceleb i ies wi h simila cha ac e is ics is needed. Thus, in luence s
based on ou own judgmen s we e sampled. To app oach hei ollowe s, he in luence s asked
hem o answe a ques ionnai e (see nex sec ion). Thus, pa icipan s we e selec ed using a
non-p obabilis ic sel -selec ing me hod. This p ocess was ollowed as he con ol o ex e nal
a iables was p io i ized abo e sample ep esen a i eness.
The s udy was de eloped in collabo a ion wi h he company P ima lo (a b and o
ege ables and salads), so h ee in luence s om a panel o an in luence ma ke ing agency
ha o e ed hei se ices o his company we e selec ed. These in luence s showed an in e es
in pa icipa ing olun a ily in he esea ch, wi hou any economic incen i e o ecommending
he b and. A mic oceleb i y and wo mic oin luence s we e selec ed. Two mic oin luence s,
ins ead o one we e used, o ensu e a minimum sample size o he social media in luence
ca ego y. The mic oceleb i y was Flo a Gonz�
alez (97,200 ollowe s), who is a wea he
p esen e on Channel News in Spain and appea s in some TV shows. The mic oin luence s
we e C is ina Polanco (27,800 ollowe s), who is a nu se and a hle e, and Rosa So oche
(15,700 ollowe s), who is a beau y and li es yle blogge [1]. The h ee women we e o a
simila age, and he ma ke ing agency conside ed ha , due o hei p o iles and in e es s (e.g.
beau y, li es yle, and spo s), hey we e sui able o p omo e P ima lo p oduc s.
The s udy was conduc ed in a ealis ic se ing. Each in luence c ea ed a s o y abou he
p oduc and sha ed i on hei p o ile on Ins ag am, so each in luence ’s ollowe s saw he s o y
c ea ed. To ensu e ha he s o ies c ea ed by each in luence we e simila , he in luence s we e
ins uc ed on he cha ac e is ics o he s o y hey should c ea e. Speci ically, hey we e old ha
he s o y should be an unboxing ideo, he du a ion should be a ound 20 s, hey should ag he
b and’s Ins ag am accoun (@P ima lo ), and hey should w i e some sho ex o sen ences
e e ing o he Ch is mas season, as he da a we e collec ed in Decembe . I was no ealis ic
Figu e 1. P oposed model
Eu opean Jou nal
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o each in luence o pos iden ical Ins ag am s o ies, as each has he own
communica ion s yle.
To ensu e ha he publica ions pos ed by he h ee in luence s we e pe cei ed simila ly,
a e da a collec ion, a p e- es was conduc ed on he s o ies ha we e published. We employed
a con enience sample o 81 indi iduals (49.4% women, mean age 521.67). These we e
andomly assigned o one o he s o ies and a ed he ex en o which he s o ies we e a ac i e
and in e es ing, as p e ious s udies ha e shown ha hese a iables a ec consume s’ a i udes
and beha io s (Chang e al., 2015). The ollowing esponses we e measu ed using a se en-
poin Like scale: “The s o y was in e es ing,” “The s o y was a ac i e.” No signi ican
di e ences we e ound be ween he h ee in luence s in e ms o a ac i eness (F51.844;
p> 0.1) o le el o in e es (F51.724; p> 0.1).
4.2 P ocedu e and measu emen
The sample collec ion p ocedu e was as ollows: Fi s , in luence s pos ed he ideo ia
Ins ag am s o ies, a ea u e ha le s use s pos pho os and ideos ha au oma ically disappea
a e 24 h. Twen y- ou hou s la e , in luence s pos ed a ec ui men message h ough he same
channel asking hei ollowe s o pa icipa e in a 10-min esea ch su ey o p o ide hei
opinions and eedback abou he P ima lo salads shown in he s o y. Thus, pa icipan s we e
asked se e al ques ions ega ding ege able b ands, pos ele ance, b and a i ude, pu chase
in en ion, and heal hy li es yle. O he con ol ques ions we e asked, such as a i ude owa d he
pos (Ba a and S ayman, 1990), he in luence s’ c edibili y (Schou en e al., 2021),
iden i ica ion wi h he in luence s (Be gami and Bagozzi, 2000), and b and awa eness (Yoo
e al., 2000). In o al, 148 pa icipan s answe ed he ques ionnai e, ep esen ing he inal
sample size. The s udy ook place in Decembe 2020. De ailed in o ma ion on he eliabili y
and alidi y assessmen o he measu emen scales is included as Supplemen a y Ma e ial.
5. Analyses and esul s
5.1 Sample cha ac e is ics
The pa icipan s’ mean age was 33.9, and 85.71% we e women. O he pa icipan s, 74.32%
we e un amilia wi h he b and P ima lo be o e he in luence ’s pos , and 47.29%
emembe ed he pos abou P ima lo a e he exposu e. Be o e es ing he hypo heses, he
sample was spli in o wo g oups: indi iduals exposed o he mic oceleb i y (n586) and
indi iduals exposed o he mic oin luence s (n562). The e we e no di e ences in mean age
be ween he wo g oups (M
mic oceleb i y
533.8, M
mic oin luence s
534, p> 0.10). To check o
di e ences be ween he wo g oups, we con olled o c edibili y and iden i ica ion wi h he
in luence . The e we e no di e ences in c edibili y (C onbach’s α50.95)
(M
mic oceleb i y
55.90, M
mic oin luence s
55.75, p> 0.10) and iden i ica ion wi h he
in luence (M
mic oceleb i y
55.10, M
mic oin luence s
55.15, p> 0.10) be ween he wo g oups.
The a i ude owa d he pos (C onbach’s α50.96) was o e 4.5 o bo h ypes o in luence s.
Thus, he s o ies we e alued posi i ely.
5.2 Hypo hesis es ing
A mode a ed media ion model (see Table 1) was calcula ed wi h he PROCESS mac o 4.2
(Hayes, 2022, Model 8). We decided o use he PROCESS mac o because i is speci ically
ailo ed o media ion, mode a ion, and condi ional p ocess analysis (Hayes, 2022). All o he
epo ed eg ession coe icien s we e uns anda dized, and he boo s apping me hod
(m510,000) was employed. B and awa eness was in oduced as a con ol a iable. As
p edic ed, he ype o in luence (mic oceleb i y 51; mic oin luence 50) had a signi ican
e ec on pos ele ance (β53.01, p< 0.05). Tha is, mic oceleb i y pos s we e pe cei ed o be
mo e ele an han pos s om mic oin luence s, which leads us o accep H1. As we can see in
Table 1, he e was a signi ican nega i e in e ac ion be ween in luence ype and consume s’
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Supplemen a y ma e ial
The supplemen a y ma e ial o his a icle can be ound online.
Co esponding au ho
Ma iola Palaz�
on can be con ac ed a : [email p o ec ed]
Fo ins uc ions on how o o de ep in s o his a icle, please isi ou websi e:
www.eme aldg ouppublishing.com/licensing/ ep in s.h m
O con ac us o u he de ails: [email p o ec ed]
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