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Entrepreneurs as influencers: the impact of parasocial interactions on communication outcomes
[journal article]
Abstract Purpose: Drawing on the example of car manufacturer Tesla and its early investor Elon Musk, the purpose of this paper is to explore the connection between the personal communication activities of influential entrepreneurs on social media, the emergence of parasocial interactions (PSIs) and the relat... view more
Purpose: Drawing on the example of car manufacturer Tesla and its early investor Elon Musk, the purpose of this paper is to explore the connection between the personal communication activities of influential entrepreneurs on social media, the emergence of parasocial interactions (PSIs) and the related communication outcomes for the company. Design/methodology/approach: This paper conducted an online survey, recruiting 207 participants via purposive sampling. Partial least square path modeling and an independent t-test were conducted to test hypotheses. Findings: The results of this paper show that following entrepreneurs' personal social media activities amplifies PSIs, which in turn positively impact the company's communication outcomes. Organization-public relationships and purchase intentions are improved by PSI. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies that connects the personal and the organizational level in exploring entrepreneurial marketing. The results show that Elon Musk acts as an influential entrepreneur to effectively promote communication outcomes for Tesla. This paper illuminates the potential of entrepreneurs' personal social media activities to support the success of their ventures.... view less
Keywords
entrepreneur; social media; communication; enterprise; influence; marketing; digital media; buying behavior
Classification
Marketing
Free Keywords
parasocial interactions; organization-public relationship; purchase intentions; communication outcomes; influencer marketing; social media influencers; digital entrepreneurship
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Journal
Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship (2022) ahead-of-print
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1108/JRME-04-2022-0052
ISSN
1471-521X
Status
Postprint; reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications