National vs. Local Celebrity Endorsement and Politics

Abstract

Celebrities have long been used by marketers to enhance their brand’s appeal by attracting attention and improving recall rates, and the same is applicable in politics. However, research on the effect of celebrities on politics is of recent origin and is mixed on whether their endorsements and pronouncements are effective in altering voter attitudes and behaviors. Based on the associative network memory model and brand signaling theory, the results indicate a direct and positive relationship between endorser credibility and political brand credibility as well as a positive relationship between political brand credibility and political brand equity, which in turn leads to the formation of the electorates’ voting intentions. It is also confirmed that this relationship varies by the type of celebrity (i.e., national vs. local) employed. Several implications for the celebrity endorsement, branding, and political marketing research streams are discussed.