How micro-influencers’ personality influences the personality of novice and established brands

The proliferation of social media resulted in less control over who shares brand content. While brand content sharing by micro-influencers is sought by many firms, the effects of such an activity on brands’ personality remains unknown. This study combined context effects and schema theories to demonstrate that assimilation occurs for novice brands, while contrast and ceiling effects take place for established brands due to micro-influencer-brand (in)congruence against the existing brand schemas. Currently, managers target consumers under an assumption that a match between a brand and an influencer is beneficial. We demonstrate that such targeting is advantageous only for novice brands. Established brands paired with congruent micro-influencers experienced no boost in brand personality (ceiling) with a boost occurring only when micro-influencers and brands were incongruent (contrast). Our results raise questions about the effectiveness of current branding strategies and caution about novice brands assimilating undesirable personalities.