Social Media Endorsers and Brand Stereotypes: The Role of Endorser-Brand Fit

Drawing on stereotyping, social media marketing, and influencer marketing literatures, we investigate (a) the transfer of consumer stereotypical perceptions of social media endorsers on consumer stereotypical perceptions of brands, and (b) the role of endorser-brand fit in facilitating such transfer. In a large empirical study (N=816) employing multiple brands from different product categories, we find that stereotype content transfers from the social media endorser to the brand both in terms of warmth and in terms of competence perceptions. Moreover, the degree of endorser-brand fit positively moderates the transfer of warmth, but not the transfer of competence. Our findings contribute to the literature on brand stereotyping and provide managerial insights for selecting social media brand endorsers.