On being attractive, social and visually appealing in social media: The effects of anthropomorphic tourism brands on Facebook fan pages

Social media platforms and their associated user-generated content are of increasing significance to the perception of tourism brands amongst consumers. Online fan pages offer a unique opportunity for tourism managers to effect positive engagements between their brand and consumer base. By viewing these online environments in relation to Social Response Theory, this study discerns the impact of brand fan pages with human-like attributes, suggesting that anthropomorphic cues positively influence user engagement. Using PLS-SEM analysis, the study empirically tests a theoretically developed higher-order construct of these anthropomorphic Fan Page Cues, composed of three first-order factors: social interactive value, visual appearance and identity attractiveness. Findings indicate that a social media platform with human-like characteristics positively engages consumers, the theoretical and practical implications of which are clearly presented.