Influencer Marketing and Sustainable Hospitality: The Roles of Social Power and Influencer–Brand Congruence

ABSTRACT Green hotels have grown increasingly dependent on social media influencers to communicate their sustainable consumption and sustainable tourism practices. Although such endorsements can boost credibility, they may also cause suspicion. However, extant research inadequately explains the attribution mechanisms of backlash against influencer‐led green hotel communication. Based on social power theory, match‐up hypothesis and the persuasion knowledge model, the study explores how social power (serving as a source‐based cue) and influencer‐brand congruence (acting as a relational‐fit cue) are linked to perceived self‐serving motives, perceived greenwashing and subsequent avoidance intentions towards both the hotel brand and the influencer. This study adopts a mixed‐method approach combining an online survey (Study 1), an experiment (Study 2) and semistructured in‐depth interviews (Study 3). Quantitative findings indicate that social power and influencer–brand congruence separately decrease perceived self‐serving motives. In turn, perceived self‐serving motives increase perceived greenwashing, which further enhances both brand and influencer avoidance intentions. Findings from interviews support and enrich the quantitative evidence, highlighting the theoretical contributions of this study to the literature on the negative effects of green endorsements, while providing managerial guidance for influencer‐led green hotel communication.