Title: Evaluating the relative effect of Instagram and celebrity influencers on brand attitude and purchase intention among Generation-Z: a fashion industry perspective

Authors: Himanshi Sharma; M.A. Sanjeev; Thangaraja Arumugam; Abhishek Ray

Addresses: XLRI Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, India ' Jaipuria Institute of Management, Indore, India ' Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, India ' XLRI Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, India

Abstract: This study compares the influence of celebrity and social media influencers on the fashion purchase intention among Indian Generation-Z - the most prominent online consumers of the category. The study investigated influencers direct and brand attitude-mediated influence on brand purchase intention. Message processing involvement (MPI) is the moderating variable for the celebrity/influencer-brand attitude relation based on the elaboration likelihood model. The study is a cross-sectional descriptive causal investigation using chain referral sampling. The study results indicate social media influencers' positive brand attitude-mediated effect on online fashion purchase intention. However, the brand attitude-mediated influence of celebrity endorsement on purchase intention was negative. MPI significantly moderated both attitude pathways, indicating high consumer involvement for the category. The study results can help improve the promotional efforts of online fashion marketers targeting millennials. The study contributes to the body of knowledge through improved comprehension of the effect of endorsements on millennial fashion customers.

Keywords: influencer marketing; message process involvement; MPI; brand attitude; purchase intentions; celebrity endorsements.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2025.147547

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2025 Vol.23 No.1/2, pp.80 - 97

Received: 27 Apr 2023
Accepted: 17 Jul 2023
Published online: 21 Jul 2025 *

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