The power of Virtual Brand Ambassadors in shaping Generation Z's Green Consumption in Ho Chi Minh City Context

Abstract

The power of technology is altering the landscape of warfare, playing a significant role in enhancing the capture of customers' minds and influencing their purchasing behaviors. Influencer marketing is not a new concept over the past decade, however, with the advancement of technology, many new forms of influencers have emerged, including virtual brand ambassadors. In the context of the Vietnamese economy and business, virtual brand ambassadors represent a novel concept that has yet to receive significant attention from the academic community. This research paper aims to explore the power of virtual brand ambassadors in shaping the green consumption intention and behavior of Generation Z through the trustworthiness, brand personality, and the uniqueness of social media posts and proposing effective managerial implementations for utilizing virtual brand ambassadors in shaping Generation Z's buying behaviors towards sustainability. The research focuses on qualitative analysis through SPSS software with 390 target respondents who are Generation Z individuals aged 18-25 years living in Ho Chi Minh City. The findings indicated that Virtual Brand Ambassador's degree of awareness and trustworthiness, together with the postings' distinctiveness, had a noteworthy influence on Generation Z consumers' purchasing intentions and behavior in Vietnam. On the other hand, brand personality does not have much influence on Vietnamese purchase intentions. This study's outcomes contribute positively to both theory and practice. The established relationships among the variables, the measurement scale's reliability, and the potential for further customization hold valuable implications for the burgeoning field of virtual brand assistants