Virtual voices in hospitality: Assessing narrative styles of digital influencers in hotel advertising

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of linear and non-linear narrative styles employed by virtual influencers in hospitality marketing, emphasizing their effects on consumer engagement and attitudes. By integrating narrative transportation theory, and parasocial interaction theory, this research elucidates how deliberate narrative choices by virtual influencers can enhance connections between audiences and media figures through co-constructed social constructionism processes. Experimental findings show that while both linear and non-linear narratives promote positive attitudes toward hotels, non-linear narratives have a significantly stronger impact, particularly when a hotel's hedonic features outweigh its utilitarian aspects, with trust acting as a mediator. This study fills gaps in the literature by showing that different narrative styles fit a hotel's specific offerings and target audiences, rather than affecting all consumers the same way. Additionally, it explores the uncertainty within academia regarding the role of sensemaking in the social constructionism process, specifically by examining how consumers' reflective engagement with narratives influences the effectiveness of sensemaking.