Studi ini menganalisis bagaimana self–influencer congruence memengaruhi kepercayaan merek untuk produk dengan keterlibatan tinggi seperti perawatan kulit, yang sangat dipengaruhi oleh para pemimpin opini media sosial. Mengikuti model yang diajukan oleh Shan et al. (2020), penelitian ini mengkaji dampak langsung terhadap kepercayaan merek dan dampak tidak langsung melalui parasocial identification sambil menilai perceived self-serving motives sebagai faktor moderasi. Sebuah kuesioner daring yang dilakukan di Indonesia menghasilkan sampel sebanyak 300 tanggapan valid, yang dianalisis menggunakan SEM-PLS. Temuan utama mengungkapkan bahwa self–influencer congruence berdampak kuat dan positif terhadap parasocial identification dan kepercayaan merek. Selain itu, ditemukan bahwa parasocial identification memiliki pengaruh dalam meningkatkan kepercayaan merek. Penelitian ini juga menemukan bahwa parasocial identification memediasi hubungan positif antara self–influencer congruence dan kepercayaan merek. Lebih lanjut, kami menemukan bahwa perceived self-serving motives tidak secara negatif memoderasi pengaruh parasocial identification terhadap kepercayaan merek, yang bertentangan dengan apa yang diharapkan. Penelitian ini menambah wacana pemasaran influencer dan hubungan parasosial seputar kepercayaan terutama dalam konteks produk dengan keterlibatan tinggi sambil memberikan wawasan kepada pemasar tentang cara memanfaatkan pendukung merek untuk menumbuhkan kepercayaan dan kredibilitas.

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This study analyzes how self-influencer alignment affects brand trust for high involvement products such as skincare, which is notably impacted by social media opinion leaders. Following the model proposed by Shan et al. (2020), this research looks into both direct impacts on brand trust and indirect impacts through parasocial identification while assessing the perceived self-serving motives as a moderating factor. An online questionnaire conducted in Indonesia provided a sample of 300 valid responses, which were analyzed using SEM-PLS. The major findings revealed that self-influencer congruence impacts strongly and positively both parasocial identification and brand trust. Additionally, it was found that parasocial identification has a positive effect in increasing brand trust. Furthermore, the study confirmed that parasocial identification significantly mediates the positive relationship between self-influencer congruence and brand trust, highlighting a key indirect pathway to building trust. Moreover, we found that perceived self-serving motives did not negatively moderate the effect of parasocial identification on brand trust, which is contrary to what was expected. This research adds to the influencer marketing and parasocial relationships discourse around trust especially in the context of high involvement products while providing marketers insight on how to leverage brand endorsers to foster trust and credibility.