Purpose The importance of influencer marketing is constantly growing. However, little empirical research has examined influencers’ success requirements. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring whether the requirements of influencers’ attractiveness, expertise and trustworthiness are relevant for online influencer campaigns. An entry-level luxury fashion brand is the focus of the experiment. Design/methodology/approach A total of 288 participants completed an online survey evaluating the profiles of influencers who varied in terms of the three abovementioned requirements. The impacts of these requirements on brand image, brand satisfaction and brand trust as well as purchase intention and price premium were tested via structural equation modeling. Findings The results show that the most important requirement is trustworthiness, followed by attractiveness; surprisingly, the relevance of expertise is virtually nil. Research limitations/implications To date, practitioners are still struggling with the success requirements of influencer marketing. They have focused on traditional advertising models and numeric requirements such as the amount of followers. However, regarding merely these requirements can result in wrong decisions. Considering the two requirements, attractiveness and trustworthiness, in a stronger way can provide a remedy to this struggle. In future research, the relevance of the requirements in different involvement conditions and for non-attractiveness-related products might be investigated. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to explore the success requirements that are directly related to influencers (e.g. attractiveness) rather than numeric requirements of their profiles (e.g. page rank) and the impacts of those requirements on brand image, brand satisfaction and brand trust as well as purchase intention and price premium. It adapts the Source-Credibility Model for influencers and shows that its requirements interact in a unique way that is counterintuitive and different from other endorser types such as celebrities or salespersons.

Finding a fitting endorser has proven to be one of the most delicate and critical tasks of influencer marketing. This research explores the relevance of the congruency of the influencer personality with (1) brand personality and consumers' (2) actual/(3) ideal selves. Additionally, the (4) moderating role of involvement is considered, the impacts on post attitude/belief, brand trust and purchase intention are thereby studied. The novelty of this study lies in the integral examination of the types of congruencies and involvement in the context of influencer marketing as well as the consideration of their impact on the brand‐related variables. Based on an online survey with 547 participants analyzed by means of structural equation modeling in SmartPLS, partly counterintuitive findings were produced. When the involvement level rises, congruence with consumers' actual selves becomes more important. Under low‐involvement conditions, practitioners should pay more attention to influencers' fit with consumers' ideal selves. An adequate fit between brand and endorser is paramount and becomes even more important under high‐involvement conditions. Overall, this study reveals that the three types of congruency and involvement interact in a very unique way in the context of influencer marketing.

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Celebrity endorsement is a promising form of marketing communication. Verily, a celebrity endorsement can yield 30 times its costs. On the other hand, a failed celebrity endorsement can likewise cause financial damage: In 1989, PepsiCo had to withdraw its endorsement of pop diva Madonna due to substantial protest and calls for boycott. The loss has been estimated at six million dollars. This ambiguity hints at the fact that celebrity endorsement has to be carried out in a methodical and smart way: In order to help advertising managers to make the right decisions, countless celebrity endorsement models and indices have been designed: Among them are the wellknown, established ones, which are the Source Credibility Model, the Source Attractiveness Model, the Match-Up Hypothesis, the Meaning-Transfer Model, the Q Score, and the Davie-Brown Index. However, there are also lesser known models and indices, which are as follows: the Four Fs, FRED, TEARS, Celebrity Endorsement Model, Dual Entertainment Pass Model, E-Score, and Celebrity Performance Index. All have their virtues and advantages; but which of them are most advisable and reliable? Which cover the critical decision factors of celebrity endorsement in the best way? Additionally the question arises, whether the primacy of the established models is really justifiable. In other words, are the established models and indices really decidedly better than all the rest? Answering these questions is the aim of the study at hand. To this purpose, at first the overlying perspective will be elucidated. Subsequently, a literature review is carried out, in order to reveal all aspects that are relevant for smart celebrity endorsement. Thereby, a list of attributes arises. These constitute the basis for the ensuing assessment of the models and indices. The results imply that concerning models, a combination of Celebrity Endorsement Model and FRED is the best solution for advertising managers. In terms of indices, the Davie-Brown Index and E-Score are best suited. Finally, the results are employed to design implications for advertising managers and point out research gaps. References Available Upon Request

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