Huong Thi Lan Le

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
As influencer marketing intensifies within the hyper-competitive personal care industry, selecting the optimal brand endorser ranging from high-profile celebrities to niche social media influencers has become a critical strategy for fostering sustainable consumer loyalty. Grounded in the Source Credibility Model and Match-Up Hypothesis, this study empirically investigates the impact of four key endorser attributes (attractiveness, trustworthiness, popularity, and brand-endorser congruency) on brand advocacy, while examining the mediating mechanism of customer experience. Primary data were collected from April to June 2025 through a mixed-mode survey targeting consumers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City who had recently purchased endorsed personal care products. Using a convenience sampling method across major shopping centers and relevant online beauty communities, the study analyzed 231 valid responses via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that brand-endorser congruency exerts a direct positive influence on brand advocacy (β = 0.284, p < 0.01). Conversely, attractiveness (β = 0.198, p < 0.01), trustworthiness (β = 0.224, p < 0.001), and popularity (β = 0.173, p < 0.05) impact advocacy solely through the mediation of customer experience. The structural model demonstrates substantial explanatory power, accounting for 61.2% of the variance in brand advocacy. These findings imply that in the Vietnamese market, the strategic alignment between the endorser’s persona and the brand’s image is more decisive for advocacy than fame or physical appeal alone, underscoring the necessity of creating meaningful customer experiences over superficial endorsements to transform passive followers into active brand advocates.