隨著社群媒體和科技的迅速發展，品牌代言的形式逐漸多樣化，虛擬代言人因此崛起，並展現出強大的商業潛力。自 2016 年 Lil Miquela 的出現，虛擬代言人逐漸成為品牌行銷的重要工具，尤其在 COVID-19 疫情期間，虛擬代言人的影響力更是加速成長。儘管現有研究顯示真人代言人在可信度及說服力上更具優勢，但虛擬代言人持續擴大的市場規模顯示出其尚未被完全探討的潛在優勢。
本研究聚焦於品牌個性吸引如何受代言人類別（虛擬 vs. 真人）影響，進一步探討其對消費者購買意願與品牌擁護的中介效果。此外，依據推敲可能性模型 （ELM），本研究檢視產品類別（享樂型 vs. 功利型）是否調節品牌個性吸引與消費者行為間的關係。
研究結果顯示，相較於真人，虛擬代言人能帶來較高的品牌個性清晰度，且品牌個性清晰度對購買意願與品牌擁護皆具有顯著的正向影響。進一步分析發現，品牌個性清晰度在代言人類別與購買意願、品牌擁護之間具有顯著的中介作用。此外，產品類別對品牌個性清晰度與品牌擁護之間具有調節效果，尤其在功利型產品情境下，品牌個性清晰度對品牌擁護的正向影響會更加顯著。
本研究在理論上填補品牌個性吸引及代言效果的研究缺口，並釐清虛擬與真人代言人的成效差異。在實務上，提供企業選擇代言人及制定精準行銷策略的參考依據，以促進消費者購買意願與品牌擁護行為。

With the rapid development of social media and technology, brand endorsement has become increasingly diverse, leading to the rise of virtual endorsers. Since the emergence of Lil Miquela in 2016, virtual endorsers have gained significant traction, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although existing research suggests that real endorsers are more credible and persuasive, the growing market presence of virtual endorsers highlights their untapped potential.
This research investigates how endorser type (virtual vs. real) influences brand personality appeal, and examines the mediating role of brand personality appeal between endorser type and endorsement outcomes, as well as the moderating effect of product type (hedonic vs. utilitarian). Data were collected through an online survey targeting consumers aged 18 and above. Results show that virtual endorsers lead to higher brand personality clarity compared to real endorsers. Brand personality clarity fully mediates the relationship between endorser type and consumer behaviors such as purchase intention and brand advocacy. Moreover, for utilitarian products, brand personality clarity has a stronger impact on brand advocacy than for hedonic products. These findings highlight the importance of selecting endorsers that enhance brand personality clarity and suggest tailoring endorsement strategies based on product attributes.

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