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Korean Academic Society of Business Administration
[ Article ]
korean management review - Vol. 54, No. 3, pp.667-689
ISSN: 1226-1874 (Print)
Print publication date 30 Jun 2025
Received 14 Mar 2025 Revised 02 Apr 2025 Accepted 10 Apr 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17287/kmr.2025.54.3.667

인간 vs. 가상 인플루언서의 CSR 활동 효과 비교: 메시지 유형의 조절 효과를 중심으로

장서 ; 허정
(주저자) 한경국립대학교
(교신저자) 한경국립대학교
Comparing the Effects of CSR Activities by Human and Virtual Influencers: The Moderating Role of Message Type
Zhang Xi ; Chung Hur
(First Author) Hankyong National University 971140zhang@naver.com
(Corresponding Author) Hankyong National University chunghur@hknu.ac.kr


Copyright 2025 THE KOREAN ACADEMIC SOCIETY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

초록

본 연구는 해석수준이론을 기반으로 소비자들의 CSR 활동 참여의도에 영향을 미치는 인플루언서 유형(인간 인플루언서 vs. 인간형 가상 인플루언서 vs. 비인간 캐릭터형 가상 인플루언서)과 메시지 유형(바람직성 vs. 실행가능성) 간의 상호작용 효과를 검증하고, 이를 설명하는 처리 유창성의 매개효과를 확인하는 데 목적이 있다. 분석 결과, 실행가능성을 강조한 메시지 조건에서는 인간 인플루언서와 인간형 가상 인플루언서가 비인간 캐릭터형 가상 인플루언서보다 더 높은 참여의도를 유도하는 것으로 나타났다. 한편 인간 인플루언서는 인간형 가상 인플루언서보다 소비자에게 더 호의적인 반응을 이끌어냈다. 반면, 바람직성을 강조한 메시지 조건에서는 비인간 캐릭터형 가상 인플루언서가 인간형 가상 인플루언서보다 상대적으로 더 긍정적인 참여의도를 유도하였다. 그러나 인간 인플루언서와 비인간 캐릭터형 가상 인플루언서 간에는 참여의도에서 통계적으로 유의한 차이가 나타나지 않았다. 또한, 인플루언서 유형과 메시지 유형의 상호작용이 소비자의 CSR 활동 참여의도에 미치는 영향에서 처리 유창성의 매개효과를 검증한 결과, 비인간 캐릭터형 가상 인플루언서 조건에서만 메시지 유형이 처리 유창성에 유의미한 조절 효과를 보이며 매개효과가 있는 것으로 확인되었다.

Abstract

Grounded in Construal Level Theory, this study investigates how the interaction between influencer type (human influencers, human-like virtual influencers, and non-human character virtual influencers) and message type (desirability vs. feasibility) affects consumers’ intentions to participate in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. It also examines the mediating role of processing fluency in explaining these effects. The results reveal that, under a feasibility-focused message, both human influencers and human-like virtual influencers significantly increase CSR participation intentions compared to non-human character virtual influencers. Moreover, human influencers elicit more favorable responses than human-like virtual influencers. Under a desirability-focused message, non-human character virtual influencers lead to higher participation intentions than human-like virtual influencers. However, there is no significant difference between human influencers and non-human character virtual influencers in this condition. Finally, the analysis confirms that processing fluency mediates the interaction between influencer type and message type. This mediating effect emerges specifically in the non-human character virtual influencer condition, where message type moderates the influence on CSR participation intentions.

Keywords:

Virtual Influencers, Social Distance, Message Type, Processing Fluency, CSR Activities

키워드:

가상 인플루언서, 사회적 거리, 메시지 유형, 처리 유창성, CSR 활동

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∙ 저자 장서는 중국 Qufu Normal University에서 학사, 석사 학위를 취득한 후 현재 한경국립대학교에서 마케팅 전공 박사과정 중이다. 주요 연구 관심분야는 디지털 마케팅, 소비자행동 등이다.

∙ 저자 허정은 현재 한경국립대학교 법경영학부 경영학전공 부교수로 재직 중이다. 충남대학교 경영학사, The Ohio State University 통계학 석사, 서강대학교 경영학 석사 및 박사를 취득하였다. 박사 학위 취득 이후에는 소프트웨어정책연구소에서 선임연구원 등으로 일하였으며, 현재 주요 연구 관심분야는 소비자행동, 행동경제학, 디지털 기술 및 제품의 소비자 인식 등이다.