A study on the influence of media opinion leaders on consumers' brand recognition of wine tourism destinations – the moderating effect of the degree of media informatization

Abstract

Based on the extensive influence of opinion leaders in the media field and the prevalence of wine tourism, this study introduces the concept of the degree of media informatization and attempts to reveal the influence mechanism of media opinion leaders' communication contents on consumers' brand recognition of tourism destinations from the perspective of media informatization. Yantai, China, a famous wine grape producing area, was used as the study site for empirical analysis through 382 questionnaires. The results show that the expertise, interactivity and popularity characteristics embodied in opinion leaders' communication content positively influence consumers' flow experience and brand recognition; flow experience significantly and positively influences consumers' brand recognition; the degree of media informatization plays a moderating effect in the relationship between opinion leaders' characteristics and flow experience. The findings enrich and improve the research on the influence of media opinion leaders in the field of wine tourism, and provide insights for wine tourism destination brand building and wine business operators, guiding them to improve their business strategies, enrich wine tourism experiences, and enhance consumer brand recognition.