Cognitive and affective factors in AI virtual influencer marketing: A stimulus–organism–response and pleasure–arousal–dominance model approach

Despite the exponential rise of AI-powered virtual influencer (VI), the role of user-centric elements, particularly experiential content and emotional factors in shaping consumer decision-making remains underexplored. This study adopts the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework and incorporates the Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance (PAD) model to conceptualize emotional responses in the VI context. The present research integrates affective (perceived enjoyment, hedonic motivation) and cognitive (satisfaction) emotional states to better understand consumer responses to VI. We surveyed 248 VI followers and employed structural equation modeling to test the conceptual framework. The findings reveal that: (1) Perceived interactivity significantly influences both affective (emotional states, perceived enjoyment, hedonic motivation) and cognitive states (satisfaction); (2) perceived risk and visual appeal significantly influence emotional states; (3) visual appeal significantly influences perceived enjoyment; and (4) hedonic motivation and satisfaction significantly influence willingness to buy. The findings provide practical guidance for designing emotionally engaging VI campaigns by leveraging key stimuli to influence consumer behavior.