“Like a Human – Just Digital”: adolescents’ and parents’ perceptions of virtual influencer marketing

作者：Simone Lykke Tranholm Mouritzen, Susanne Pedersen, L. F. Jacobsen · 发表于：European Journal of Marketing · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1108/ejm-05-2024-0351 · 被引用次数：1

While the control of virtual influencers’ appearance, behaviour and beliefs is appealing to brands, it remains unclear whether consumers, particularly adolescents, can fully grasp and cope with this new form of persuasive communication. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate how adolescents perceive exposure to virtual influencer marketing and the role parents play in adolescents’ coping with persuasive mediums on social media. Focus groups were conducted: four with adolescents (age 12–18, n = 17) and four with parents (n = 16). The focus group data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal that adolescents experienced emotional discomfort and a sense of betrayal when exposed to virtual influencers without clear disclosure of their artificial nature, indicating that disclosure serves not only a cognitive but also a protective, emotional function. At the same time, parents expressed uncertainty and felt digitally unprepared to guide their children. While this study explores adolescents’ first exposure to virtual influencer marketing, future research should explore the perceptions of adolescents who follow or engage with virtual influencers regularly. Furthermore, future research should have a holistic perspective of parents, including parenting style as well as parental involvement. The findings highlight the importance of clear disclosure of virtual influencers’ artificial nature to prevent emotional discomfort among adoles...