Emotional tug-of-war in virtual influencer marketing: Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance (PAD) model and hedonic factors in predicting willingness to buy product recommendations

• Hedonic motivation and hedonic enjoyment positively influence willingness to buy. • Perceived enjoyment is not a significant predictor of willingness to buy. • Pleasure and arousal had no significant impact on willingness to buy. • Dominance positively predicted willingness to buy. • Gender does not significantly moderate the relationships between positive emotions (PAD, hedonic, and enjoyment) and willingness to purchase. A Virtual influencer (VI) has emerged as a prominent figure on social media, exerting considerable influence on consumer behavior. Despite its growing relevance, the role of emotional factors in shaping purchase intention within this context remains under-researched. The present study addresses this gap by investigating the influence of emotions, an essential determinant of human decision-making, on consumer responses to the VI, providing a more nuanced understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying its effectiveness in digital marketing. This study employed a non-probability convenience sample comprising students enrolled in a digital business course. The findings indicate a positive association between hedonic enjoyment, hedonic motivation, the desire for dominance, and consumers’ willingness to buy products recommended by the VI. Moreover, no statistically significant gender differences were identified in these relationships. This research advances theoretical perspectives on emotion in consumer behavior and contributes to the emerging field of AI-driven influencer marketing by highlighting the emotional antecedents of consumer responses to the VI. The findings provide practical insights for enhancing the effectiveness of VI-based marketing campaigns by clarifying the emotional factors that shape consumers’ purchase decisions, thereby informing future digital marketing strategies.