IMC Antecedents and Consumer Segmentation in Influencer-Driven SDG Communication: Cross-National Evidence from the CLMVT Region
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Abstract
This study aimed to (1) examine the effects of upstream integrated marketing communication (IMC) factors, namely communication strategy, message quality, and channel fit, on online influencer credibility and sustainability outcomes under the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM); (2) identify consumer segments based on message-processing patterns and examine the roles of income, education, gender, and nationality in predicting segment membership; and (3) compare key variable differences across the CLMVT region. Data were collected from 1,888 screened respondents in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Welch’s ANOVA, Games-Howell post-hoc comparison, composite structural analysis, bootstrap indirect-effect testing, and K-means clustering. The findings showed that message quality had the strongest effect on influencer credibility, followed by communication strategy and channel fit. The model explained 14.7% of the variance in influencer credibility and 5.6% of the variance in sustainability outcomes. Influencer credibility partially mediated all indirect-effect paths. Cross-national comparison indicated that sustainability outcomes differed significantly across countries; Thailand reported lower mean scores than all other countries, while Lao PDR and Vietnam formed the higher-mean group and did not differ significantly from each other. K-means clustering identified three consumer segments: Engaged Believers, Aware Skeptics, and Indifferent Doubters. Income and education showed stronger explanatory power for segment membership than nationality. In addition, non-binary/other gender identity emerged as exploratory evidence of a boundary condition in SDG message processing. The findings suggest that marketers should prioritize message quality and source credibility before channel allocation and should design strategies based on cross-border consumer segments rather than relying solely on country-based segmentation.
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