This study investigates the impact of linear and non-linear narrative styles employed by virtual influencers in hospitality marketing, emphasizing their effects on consumer engagement and attitudes. By integrating narrative transportation theory, and parasocial interaction theory, this research elucidates how deliberate narrative choices by virtual influencers can enhance connections between audiences and media figures through co-constructed social constructionism processes. Experimental findings show that while both linear and non-linear narratives promote positive attitudes toward hotels, non-linear narratives have a significantly stronger impact, particularly when a hotel's hedonic features outweigh its utilitarian aspects, with trust acting as a mediator. This study fills gaps in the literature by showing that different narrative styles fit a hotel's specific offerings and target audiences, rather than affecting all consumers the same way. Additionally, it explores the uncertainty within academia regarding the role of sensemaking in the social constructionism process, specifically by examining how consumers' reflective engagement with narratives influences the effectiveness of sensemaking.

中文翻译：

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酒店业的虚拟声音：评估酒店广告中数字影响者的叙事风格


本研究调查了虚拟影响者在酒店营销中采用的线性和非线性叙事风格的影响，强调它们对消费者参与度和态度的影响。通过整合叙事运输理论和超社会互动理论，本研究阐明了虚拟影响者深思熟虑的叙事选择如何通过共同构建的社会建构主义过程来增强受众和媒体人物之间的联系。实验结果表明，虽然线性和非线性叙事都促进了对酒店的积极态度，但非线性叙事的影响要大得多，特别是当酒店的享乐特征超过其功利方面时，信任充当中介。这项研究填补了文献中的空白，表明不同的叙事风格适合酒店的特定产品和目标受众，而不是以相同的方式影响所有消费者。此外，它还探讨了学术界关于意义建构在社会建构过程中的作用的不确定性，特别是通过研究消费者对叙事的反思性参与如何影响意义建构的有效性。