Doctor and celebrity credibility: Their dual impact on livestream viewers’ trust and service adoption intentions

This study aims to investigate how credibility cues from doctors and celebrities influence trust formation and consumer intention in cosmetic surgery livestreams. Guided by source credibility theory and signaling theory, we explore the mediating role of utilitarian and hedonic values between source credibility and two dimensions of trust—cognitive and affective. A mixed-method approach combines qualitative analysis of livestream content and comments with a quantitative survey (N = 190) analyzed using PLS-SEM. Findings reveal that doctor credibility enhances utilitarian value, fostering cognitive trust, while celebrity credibility significantly impacts both hedonic value and trust, emphasizing emotional engagement. Trust emerges as a critical driver of consumer intention to use cosmetic services, highlighting the complementary roles of doctors and celebrities in livestreaming contexts. This study contributes to digital healthcare marketing by offering actionable guidance: livestream strategies should assign informational roles to doctors to boost cognitive trust, and use celebrities to enhance emotional engagement, ultimately increasing conversion intentions.