ARE CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS NECESSARY IN CAMPAIGNS FOR LUXURY BRANDS?

Abstract

Many information sources have reported that celebrity endorsements of luxury fashion brands are considered one of the success factors that enhance the growth of luxury markets. Yet two contrasting views are held as to whether or not celebrity endorsements are necessary for luxury brands. One view in support of celebrity endorsements for luxury brands insists that the use of celebrities generally provides many beneficial advantages, serving as a good communication tool. Specifically, the celebrity endorsements are effective in increasing ad viewers’ attention, polishing brand images, introducing new brands, and repositioning existing brands (Erdogan, 1999), enhancing message recall (Friedman & Friedman, 1979), and generating favorable attitudes toward ads and brands (Atkin & Block, 1983). Above all, brands endorsed by celebrities often obtain high brand awareness, resulting in a rapid sales increase (Ruiz, 2008). In contrast, the other view is more concerned with the diminished luxuriousness that is overshadowed by celebrities, rather than realizing an immediate increase in sales (Dubois, Laurent, & Czellar, 2001). Celebrity endorsements in ads are expected to increase brand awareness and simultaneously reduce the brand rarity impacting a qualification for status, which is central to brand luxuriousness in particular (Berry, 1994). The publicly recognized brand names would draw more attention from average consumers than from rich consumers, as the wealthier are the less influenced by celebrity endorsements (Gaudoin, 2013). In addition, considering that luxury brands are already constructed with well-defined brand meaning and personalities, using non-celebrity endorsers with luxurious images would be as effective as using celebrity endorsers in terms of improving brand luxuriousness (Okonkwo, 2007). As such, celebrity-endorsed luxury branding strategies seem to be questionable, though they are popularly being adopted. The current study aims to reveal the overall effectiveness of the use of celebrity versus non-celebrity endorsers on consequential consumer evaluations and highlight the importance of congruence between the brand and the endorser (match-up).