Pixels of prestige: how cue configuration and virtual influencer-brand fit shape luxury brand desire

Purpose As a disruptive innovation in digital endorsement, virtual influencer (VI) endorsements can enhance luxury brand desire yet also trigger scepticism. This study examines how VI cues shape authenticity fit, association fit and benefit fit and the subsequent luxury brand authenticity and desire outcomes. The study also examines the main and conditional effects of VI type and product type (hedonic vs. utilitarian). Design/methodology/approach Study 1 surveyed 865 Chinese followers of human-like VI AYAYI, and Study 2 surveyed 941 followers of anime-like VI Luo Tianyi. Both used partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and combined importance-performance map analysis. Study 3 used a 2 (VI type) × 2 (product type) experiment to test a moderated mediation model. Findings Form and behavioural realism influenced authenticity and association fit but not benefit fit, while competence and warmth influenced association and benefit fit but not authenticity fit. Credibility and prestige influenced all fit dimensions. Brand authenticity was the strongest importance-based driver of brand desire, while benefit fit and credibility were the main necessary conditions. Study 3 showed that VI type affected authenticity and association fit but not benefit fit. Product type moderated only the benefit fit to brand authenticity pathway and its indirect effect on brand desire. VI type had no main effect on brand desire, yet its interaction with product type was significant. Originality/value The study empirically validates VI-brand fit as three different forms of judgements with different antecedents, consequences and boundary conditions. It shows that different VI cues matter for different types of fit. VI effectiveness depends on how cue configuration, fit dimension and product context combine to support luxury brand authenticity and desire.