The Pawsitive power of pet influencers to drive responsible sharenting

Sharenting (the act of parents sharing detailed information about their children online) can lead to unintended consequences to children, making responsible sharenting increasingly important. However, limited research has examined how to effectively communicate with parents to promote this behaviour. Despite their influence on audience attitudes and behaviours, pet influencers have been largely overlooked as persuasive sources in educational and social campaigns encouraging socially responsible actions. Drawing on source attractiveness, parasocial interaction, and regulatory focus theories, this study investigates the unique source attractiveness attributes of pet influencers, evaluates their effectiveness in promoting responsible sharenting, and explains the underlying mechanisms through which they exert influence. Specifically, it examines how perceived source attractiveness affects responsible sharenting via different regulatory focus routes (i.e., trust as the promotion-focused route and privacy concern as the prevention-focused route), as well as parent engagement. A sequential mixed-method research design was employed, comprising a qualitative study followed by an experimental study. Findings reveal distinct dimensions of source attractiveness, demonstrate the persuasive effectiveness of pet influencers, and identify dual mechanisms of influence. This research contributes to the literature on sharenting and pet influencers and offers practical implications for social marketers seeking to encourage responsible sharenting behaviours.