THE POWER OF PERSONAL BRANDING: HOW FOOD VLOGGERS INFLUENCE SUBSCRIPTION DECISIONS ON YOUTUBE CHANNEL

The research ultimately seeks to clarify the psychological mechanisms linking personal branding to subscription behaviour. It concludes that understanding audience perception is crucial for strengthening digital engagement. A quantitative method using path analysis was employed to assess the structural relationships among personal branding, personal image, and subscription decisions. The sample included 800 respondents (400 Gen Y and 400 Gen Z) who follow Indonesia’s ten most popular food vloggers, using structured questionnaires to gather data. The study concludes that personal image is a critical psychological bridge between personal branding and audience commitment. Generational distinctions further reveal that creators must tailor their approach to different demographic expectations. The findings strengthen theoretical models that connect branding, perception, and digital engagement. They suggest that effective digital personas are central to audience loyalty across platforms. Managers and creators should design branding strategies that resonate culturally and emotionally. Strong personal branding can translate into long-term subscriber loyalty and greater ecosystem value. The study is limited to focuses solely on food vloggers, which restricts generalization to other countries and content categories. Future research should broaden geographical and content scope while integrating behavioral analytics. Such expansions would deepen understanding of how personal branding operates across diverse digital ecosystems.