CONSUMER TRUST DURING BRAND CRISES: INFLUENCER VS. BRAND SPOKESPERSON

Abstract

Purpose- This research aims to investigate the sourcing of the message and the responsibility for the brand crisis that affects consumer trust in the brand in brand crisis scenarios. The study examines the impact of the different message sources (brand spokesperson vs. influencer) and different levels of crisis responsibility (low vs. high) on consumer perceptions of brand trust, brand attitude, purchase intention, and source credibility. Methodology- The research design used was experimental with a quantitative approach. 115 participants were recruited and split into a 2 × 2 between-subject factorial design. The message sourcing (brand spokesperson versus influencer) and the crisis responsibility (low versus high) factors were manipulated in the experiment across four fictional skincare brand crisis scenarios. Following exposure to the scenarios, participants filled out a structured questionnaire that assessed brand trust, brand attitude, purchase intention, and source credibility. Data analysis was performed by SPSS, descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha reliability test, chi-square test, and two-way ANOVA. Findings- The results showed a high internal consistency for all the constructs measured, such as brand trust (α = .918), brand attitude (α = .928), purchase intention (α = .920) and source credibility (α = .937). There was a statistically significant effect on all of the dependent measures of crisis responsibility (all p < .001), with the low responsibility condition having higher means than the high responsibility condition. When looking at the source of the message, there was a significant effect on brand attitude (p = .010) and purchase intention (p = .027), there was no significant effect on brand trust (p = .092). Furthermore, no significant interaction effects were found between message source and crisis responsibility. Conclusion- From the analysis, it can be concluded that during a crisis, more than the source of the message, the responsibility of the crisis is more influential in shaping the consumer's trust and related perceptions of the brand. While the message source has some influence on attitude and purchase intention, its impact on trust is limited. The results indicate that the perception of responsibility in times of crisis must be taken care of to maintain consumer trust and brand evaluation as the main focus of effective communication strategies.

Keywords

• Brand crisis
• consumer trust
• crisis responsibility
• influencer marketing
• brand spokesperson
• crisis communication
• source credibility
• purchase intention
• brand attitude
• social media.

References

1. Abu-Alhaija, A. S., & Elsawy, M. M. (2026). Impact of Social Media Influencer Capability on Brand Loyalty in Saudi Arabia: The Mediating Role of Brand Trust and Moderating Effect of Authentic Leadership. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 21(4), 105- 117.
2. Ajegbomogun, F. O. (2021). Using Social Media for Dynamic Information Dissemination in the 21st Century. In Handbook of Research on Knowledge and Organization Systems in Library and Information Science (pp. 231-250). IGI Global.
3. Chandrasekar, K., & Rehman, V. (2024). Impact of exogenous brand crises on consumer behaviour. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 42(5), 890-915.
4. Chen, C.-C., Khan, A., Hongsuchon, T., Ruangkanjanases, A., Chen, Y.-T., Sivarak, O., & Chen, S.-C. (2021). The role of corporate social responsibility and corporate image in times of crisis: The mediating role of customer trust. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8275.
5. Claeys, A.-S., & De Waele, A. (2022). The importance of authenticity in organizational crisis communication via social media. In Social media and crisis communication (pp. 106-116). Routledge.
6. Coleman, A. (2023). Crisis communication strategies: Prepare, respond and recover effectively in unpredictable and urgent situations. Kogan Page Publishers.
7. Fernandes Crespo, C., & Tille, M. (2024). Examining the role of perceived source credibility on social media influencer’s ascribed opinion leadership. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 36(3), 208-223.
8. Goodwin, T. (2025). Manage the Message, Change the Outcome: An Executive’s Guide to Crisis Management. Taylor & Francis.

9. Ishrat, I., Hasan, M., Farooq, A., & Khan, F. M. (2023). Modelling of consumer challenges and marketing strategies during crisis. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 26(4), 285-319.
10. Kanjer, H., & Doshi, N. C. (2026). Social Media Marketing and Consumer Trust: Examining the Role of Authenticity in Digital Brand Communication. Advances in Consumer Research, 3(1), 21-32.
11. Korpilaakso, M. (2025). Repairing customer trust after a product-harm crisis with high crisis responsibility. Case: Musti ja Mirri.
12. Lıu, X. (2023). Understanding consumer confidence evolution in response to adverse shocks and how marketing contributes to business success in economic downturns. Journal of Management Marketing and Logistics, 10(3), 115-131.
13. Mgbe-Ordinma, C. G., & Aríjeníwà, A. F. (2024). Post-crisis communication strategies for reputation recovery and rebuilding trust. Communication and media dynamics, 293-302.
14. Muniz, F., Stewart, K., & Magalhães, L. (2024). Are they humans or are they robots? The effect of virtual influencer disclosure on brand trust. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 23(3), 1234-1250.
15. Ouaddi, H. (2025). From Crisis to Confidence: The Power of Influencers in Brand Apologies. African Journal of Business and Finance, 3(2), 36- 46.
16. Prasetio, B. (2025). Crisis Communication Strategies in the Digital Era: A Narrative Review of Contemporary Theories, Models, and Practices. Interdiciplinary Journal and Hummanity (INJURITY), 4(12), 948-959.
17. Sandstig, G., & Eriksson, M. (2024). Shared responsibility or not? A responsibility messages experiment during a cyber crisis in designing for risk communication. Journal of risk research, 27(10), 1163-1179.
18. Van Zoonen, W., & Van Der Meer, T. (2015). The importance of source and credibility perception in times of crisis: Crisis communication in a socially mediated era. Journal of public relations research, 27(5), 371-388.
19. Vrontis, D., Makrides, A., Christofi, M., & Thrassou, A. (2021). Social media influencer marketing: A systematic review, integrative framework and future research agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(4), 617-644.
20. Wang, Y., Zhang, M., Li, S., McLeay, F., & Gupta, S. (2021). Corporate responses to the coronavirus crisis and their impact on electronic‐word‐ of‐mouth and trust recovery: Evidence from social media. British Journal of Management, 32(4), 1184-1202.
21. Yang, J., & Battocchio, A. F. (2021). Effects of transparent brand communication on perceived brand authenticity and consumer responses. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 30(8), 1176-1193.