Table 1

Previous literature on VIs in the context of pro-environmental behavior

AuthorsPurposeStudy typeKey attributes/characteristics of VIsFindings
Jiang et al. (2024) The research explores the joint effects of VI image, emotional appeal and product involvement in green product endorsementQuantitative method (experiment)The research considers that a human-like VI to have a higher realistic image than an animation-like VI, thereby leading to different perceptions of psychological distanceThe research found that matching HIs (pride) and VIs (gratitude) with relevant emotional appeal could be crucial for increasing effectiveness of green product endorsement
Gerrath et al. (2024) The research examines the effectiveness of VIs’ warmth on engagement with pro-environmental causesQuantitative method (experiment)The research regards VIs as artificially generated, non-existent, and fictional entity with strong visual attributesThe research confirmed the effectiveness of warmth and that the effect was contingent on the audience’s trust in experts
Yang et al. (2023) The research investigates the effectiveness of CSR messaging between HIs and VIsQuantitative method (experiment)The research views that VIs demonstrating human-like attributes using unique vocal features and physical appearanceThe research revealed that active interactivity could enhance the effectiveness of CSR messaging when utilizing VIs
Dabiran et al. (2024) The research aims to understand how consumers evaluate the different types of VIs’ authenticityQuantitative method (survey)The research identifies VIs’ as digital characters that have Four different human-like attributes – appearance, moral virtue, cognitive experience and conscious emotionalityThe research reported that influence-product congruence had crucial moderating influence on credibility and purchase intention
Kılıç and Gürlek (2023) The research aims to conceptualize the green influencer marketing and to develop a scale for its measurementMixed method (survey)The research defines VIs as those who have a human-like appearance but are not real humanThe research developed a green influencer scale that features two sub-constructs (environmentally friendly product/sustainability-oriented influence)
Quach et al. (2024) The research aims to examine the effectiveness of flattery and humanlike appearance of VIs on pro-social behaviorQuantitative method (experiment)The research regards VIs as digitally generated artificial humans emulating human characteristics through motion capture technology and computer graphic techniqueThe research found that engaging users with flattery and human-like appearance could drive prosocial behavior of users
Source(s): Authors’ own work

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