Endorser Type Research Articles

Social media advertising endorsement: the role of endorser type, message appeal and brand familiarity

In an investigation of social media ad endorsers’ successful effects, this study examines congruity effects between endorser type (celebrity vs. social media influencer [SMI]), message appeal (soft sell vs. hard sell), and brand characteristics (familiar vs. unfamiliar). To that end, an experiment was conducted with 351 participants, and the results indicated match-up effects between SMI and hard-sell appeal in brand attitude and purchase intention. Also, an SMI is a better match with familiar brands than a celebrity endorser in terms of purchase intention. Furthermore, a significant three-way interaction effect was found so that the congruity effects between endorser type and message appeal on brand attitude are more pronounced with familiar brands than with unfamiliar brands. As expected, endorser characteristics play a mediating role between endorser type and advertising effectiveness. Furthermore, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Endorsement Sebagai Strategi Pemasaran Ditinjau Dari Etika Bisnis Pada PT Murbey Pasti Sukses

Online business is one of method of promoting/offering goods/services that are carried out using the internet network by communicating with each other. In online business, marketing strategies are needed by advertising each product produced thru social media. One of these strategies is endorsement acts. There are several business ethics noted when endorsers or celebrities promote a product through their social media. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the endorsement strategy at PT Murbey Pasti Sukses is in accordance with business ethics. This type of research is qualitative and collected data from PT Murbey Pasti Sukses. The results of the research and discussion can be concluded that the business strategy at PT Murbey Pasti Sukses uses two types of endorsers, namely artists/celebrities and influencers who are active on social media. Endorsements selection choosen by PT Murbey Pasti Sukses considered by shown a good engagement rate. The four strategy indicators (product, promotion, price and people) describe that promotion indicator has a dominant impact to attract consumers' attention and encourage them to buy. Likewise with online business through social media on Instagram at this time, Murbey conducts online promotions using the endorsement system.

Evaluating the Advertising Effectiveness Of Noncelebrity Endorsers

Research on advertising endorsements offers only limited knowledge about noncelebrity endorsements. Different types of noncelebrity endorsers (<i>i.e.</i>, customer versus employee), however, could have distinct influences on advertising effectiveness, which is of great managerial interest in optimizing endorser usage. This article indicates that the stated relation is mediated, both positively (advertisement empathy) and negatively (inferences of manipulative intent), resulting in two opposing effects. The relationship varies significantly, depending on the risk associated with the product category advertised. Whereas customer endorsements are preferable in product categories with high levels of social risk (<i>e.g.</i>, sunglasses and luxury clothing), physically risky products (<i>e.g.</i>, car maintenance and repairs) should be advertised through employee endorsements.

Celebrities, Advertising Endorsement, and Political Marketing in Spain: The Popular Party’s April 2019 Election Campaign

One of political marketing’s theoretical tenets is the translation of commercial advertising techniques to politics. This paper focuses on celebrity endorsement as a commercial technique which is translated into political campaigning. Celebrity endorsement relates directly to celebrity politics, that is, the result of celebrity culture getting in touch with politics, as a way of revitalizing the offering of parties and candidates. In this context, our study analyzes the representation and use of celebrity politicians in Spain by the conservative Popular Party (PP) during the April 2019 national election. In order to shed light on the way celebrities were used in the PP’s social media campaign, we content-analyze 1,117 Twitter messages taken from the party’s profile, as well as conservative presidential candidate Pablo Casado’s profile. Analytical variables include frequency of mentions, the strategic axis (rational/emotional) with which celebrities were depicted, the features which were highlighted, and the type of endorsement performed by the celebrities. Message topics and functions were also added to the analysis. Results indicate a weak and flawed strategic use of celebrities, who were scarcely mentioned, and depicted in a non-innovative, traditional fashion. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15377857.2021.1950099 .

Analysing the Moderating Effects of Product Involvement and Endorsement Type on Consumer Buying Behaviour: An Empirical Study on Youth Perspective

As Indian youths have more choices than ever before and purchase products that define them, it becomes necessary for marketers and companies to explore youth behavioural responses. Film celebrities, sports icons, and fictional celebrities influence youths through their status and achievements. Celebrity influence on youth is four times more than their influence on the baby boomer generation, and youthful shoppers evaluate ads more than grown-ups do. Given the battle between celebrity and Mascot for brand endorsement, marketers have an increased interest in examining the differential effect of endorsers and product involvement’s potent effects on youth attitude and purchase intentions. This study has used an experimental design to assess the advertisement effectiveness. The endorser has three levels (i.e. Bollywood celebrity, sports celebrity and mascot) and product involvement had two levels (low vs high involvement, non-food products). Product involvement was used as a moderating variable and was found to enhance the impact of endorsements. The current research also assessed the interaction effect of endorsement and product involvement. This study was conducted on undergraduate and postgraduate students and has used six print ads. The study’s findings revealed that all the paths from endorsement type and product involvement to AaD, AB and PI are found significant. The interaction effects of endorsement type and product involvement significantly predict attitude towards the brand and purchase intentions. The outcomes of this study add value to the body of knowledge and discuss managerial implications.

Influencer Marketing and Authenticity in Content Creation

Across four studies, over 1,100 participants, and two product categories, we examine the impact of endorser type (celebrity vs. influencer) on consumers’ willingness to pay for an endorsed product (Study 1a). We determine whether the impact of endorser type on willingness to pay is mediated by perceptions of authenticity (Study 1b). Finally, we test how perceptions that an endorser as a content creator (vs. paid promoter) acts as a boundary condition on the effect of authenticity on willingness to pay (Study 2a). Moreover, consumers see an endorsement by influencers who demonstrate they are intrinsically motivated and in creative control over their content as more believable and authentic, which significantly drives their willingness to pay for an endorsed product (Study 2b). We propose that in influencer marketing, marketing practitioners should seek to engage influencers who are authentic and retain control over their own content. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and recommendations for future research are presented.

Big names and small price tags: an analysis of celebrity endorsement on consumers’ perceptions of price, quality, and intent to purchase

ABSTRACT This paper investigates if celebrity endorsement offsets the negative effect low prices have on quality perceptions. This research highlights the interactive effect between celebrity endorsement and pricing on purchases (Study 1) and shows that celebrity endorsers’ level of expertise improves perceptions of low-priced offerings and increase purchases. Study 2 finds the mediated effect of price on purchase intentions via quality perceptions is moderated by endorser type such that a celebrity improves the quality perceptions of low-priced products. Study 3 shows price-quality perceptions mediate the effect of price on purchase intentions. Results suggest celebrity endorsements are effective in promoting low-priced offerings.

Country-of-origin effects in celebrity endorsements: the case of China

ABSTRACT This study examines the impacts of country of origin (COO) of the celebrity and the endorsed brand on consumers’ quality perception and attitudes in the Chinese sportswear market based on data collected from 249 young Chinese consumers. It is the first empirical effort to investigate the effectiveness of a new hybrid type of celebrity endorsement ‘international sports star of China’. The results reveal that celebrity COO has a significant impact on Chinese consumers’ brand attitudes, and the congruence between celebrity COO and brand COO is required for international sportswear brands to create a high level of perceived quality in China.

Health-related claims in food supplements endorsements: a content analysis from the perspective of EU regulation

ObjectivesBased on the legal framework regulating the advertisement of food supplements in the EU, the aim of this article is to analyse the relationship between the presence of endorsers, the different types of health-related claims (H-RCs) and product content information. Study designWe applied a quantitative approach based on the content analysis of all radio spots broadcast throughout 2017 on full-service radio stations in Spain. MethodsA corpus of 10,556 radio spots was obtained of the three radio stations with the highest audience levels (165 without repetitions). We incorporated data on the accumulated broadcast frequencies to supplement the content analysis specific to each radio spot with its weight in relation to the overall advertising discourse. We developed a coding scheme to assess the type of endorser, the types of H-RCs, and the product content information. ResultsResults show that European directives are breached in different ways. Healthcare experts prevail in disease claims, although they are prohibited. Celebrities are the most widely used endorsers (25%) in the function and reduction of disease risk claims. In addition, although these types of claims require substantiation by authorised ingredient, 73% of H-RCs lack this information. ConclusionsThe high presence of illicit H-RCs and endorsers, such as physicians, and the omission of compulsory product information suggest that public administrations must apply stricter monitoring and sanctioning mechanisms to dissuade advertisers from further breaches of the law and to protect consumers. Implications for public health policy are made.

Effects of endorser type and testimonials in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA)

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of different types of endorsers (expert vs consumer vs celebrity) in testimonial vs non-testimonial message contexts on consumers’ responses toward direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA).Design/methodology/approachAn online experiment was conducted with a 3 (endorser type: expert vs consumer vs celebrity) × 2 (message type: testimonial vs non-testimonial) plus control group (no endorser, no testimonial) factorial design to assess the various dependent variables.FindingsPerceived source credibility and similarity was significantly different across the endorser types, and the expert endorser (i.e. a doctor) generated the highest mean level of source credibility, while consumer endorsers generate the highest mean source similarity. The interaction of endorser type and message type significantly impacted ad believability and skepticism. Specifically, the endorser type factor had a significant impact on the dependent variables only in the testimonial ad condition, but not in the non-testimonial ad condition. The effects were mediated by source credibility.Originality/valueWhile the focused results show celebrities may not be the strongest choice to endorse when using testimonials, the overall lack of main effect of testimonials lends to the possibility of a plateauing of effects with the various appeals used in DTC ads. DTCA has now been around for over 20 years, and this study lends to the possibility consumers are becoming unaffected by the various appeals used by pharmaceutical manufactures and only respond when a multitude of personally relevant factors are in place.

Attitudes of Australian psychologists towards the delivery of therapy via video conferencing technology

ObjectiveThis study aims to explore psychologists' attitudes towards the use of video conferencing technology (VCT) to deliver therapy.MethodParticipants (N = 12) were recruited via opportunistic sampling either via the Australian Psychological Society website or social media. Participants (three males and nine females) were located in Queensland. They were aged between 23 and 50-years of age (mean age = 32.91, SD = 9.36), held varying levels of experience in psychology (<1 year to 12-years) and types of endorsement (e.g. provisional, general, clinical and health). A semistructured interview schedule was applied in‐person (n = 7) or via telephone (n = 5). Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) five‐step method for assessing qualitative data in psychology.ResultsResults indicated that psychologists' attitudes towards VCT to deliver therapy paralleled the tri‐component definition of attitudes proposed by Breckler (1984) and Rajecki (1982 ). Subthemes reflecting these components included perceived limitations or benefits of VCT (i.e. a cognitive component), a sense of comfort when using VCT (i.e. an affective component), and a general tendency to resist or embrace VCT (i.e. a behavioural disposition).ConclusionsKey barriers and facilitators identified underscore the need for training to improve knowledge and awareness of VCT, including its evidence base. Specifically, the assistance of ‘embracers’ to provide training in VCT (e.g. adapting microskills to a different medium and using technology flexibly) may also dispel negative views held by psychologists regarding VCT and its effectiveness and consequently facilitate a wider adoption of VCT throughout Australia.

Supporting entrepreneurs: The role of third-party endorsement in crowdfunding platforms

Third-party endorsements are appreciated in entrepreneurial ventures since they help signal the value of an idea and the trustworthiness of an entrepreneur. They contribute therefore to reducing ‘information asymmetry’, always present in an entrepreneur-investor relationship. However, the role of third-party endorsements in for-profit contexts might differ from that in prosocial contexts. In prosocial contexts, investors are interested not only in financial returns but also in creating a social impact. On the one hand, the endorsement might signal trustworthiness, while on the other, it might also signal that the entrepreneur already has some financial support and thus is less in need than an entrepreneur with no support at all. Investors seeking to maximize their social impact might perceive the social impact generated by funding an endorsed entrepreneur as smaller than the social impact created by funding an entrepreneur with no support at all. This study analyzes these contradictions through the lens of signaling theory and explores the role of third-party endorsements in the success of entrepreneurial projects in the context of online social crowdfunding. A comparison of different types of endorsements shows that having a pro bono endorsement provides the best equilibrium between the number of investors and dollars per investor.

How the type of sports-related endorser influences consumers' purchase intentions

PurposeAs the superiority of sports celebrities' endorsements has been questioned, the purpose of this study is to identify various types of endorsers' direct and indirect effects on consumers' purchase intentions.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical data were collected from 240 useful responses to an online experiment, and research hypotheses were tested using (moderated) serial mediation analyses.FindingsThe study's findings indicate that an endorser has a positive influence on consumers' purchase intentions through their perceptions of the advertisement and the endorsed brand. A moderated serial mediation analysis finds differences in the four types of endorsers analyzed. A sports celebrity is the most effective type of endorser in increasing consumers' purchase intentions, whereas endorsements by company managers and peer consumers, while also positive, are less effective in influencing advertising outcomes. An expert's endorsement is comparable to that of a manager but not significant.Research limitations/implicationsThe generalizability of the study's findings is limited because of a restricted data sample, the use of fictitious endorsers and the limited number of product categories and brands analyzed.Originality/valueThe study systematically analyzes the behavioral influence of four types of endorsers on consumers' purchase intentions, mediated by their perceptions of the advertisements and the endorsed brand. The results of this analysis extend the current state of endorsement research, indicating that endorsements should be integrated into companies' marketing strategies and provide marketing professionals practical guidance on which type of endorser is most effective in influencing advertising outcomes.

Investigating the effect of social endorsement on customer brand relationships by using statistical analysis and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA)

This study investigated how like-clicking activities on social media can signal users' social endorsement behaviors, which influence customer–brand relationships. Through the simple clicking of emojis, consumers can engage with and express their perceptions regarding brands on social media. Researchers have paid limited attention to the direct and indirect influence of liking behaviors on users in online social networking ecosystems. Specifically, how a user is influenced by others' liking behaviors remains unclear. On the basis of social identity theory and signaling theory, this study proposes that “likes” in social media contexts are a form of social endorsement. A research framework was developed to investigate the effects of two types of social endorsement, namely friend endorsement and crowd endorsement, over two studies. In study 1, an online survey was conducted with Facebook users recruited through convenient sampling, and in study 2, an experiment was performed with participants from Amazon MTurk. This research adopted statistical analysis and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to examine the influence of friend and crowd endorsement on users' like-clicking behavior. Results indicated that both friend and crowd endorsement exert positive influences on users’ like-clicking behavior. Results also indicated that liking behaviors result in enhanced brand attitude, customer engagement, and customer–brand identification, all of which facilitate purchase intention. Moreover, fsQCA results supported the conjunctural causal effects of social endorsements and suggested other two conditions for such causalities.

Attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise – social influencers’ winning formula?

Purpose The importance of influencer marketing is constantly growing. However, little empirical research has examined influencers’ success requirements. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring whether the requirements of influencers’ attractiveness, expertise and trustworthiness are relevant for online influencer campaigns. An entry-level luxury fashion brand is the focus of the experiment. Design/methodology/approach A total of 288 participants completed an online survey evaluating the profiles of influencers who varied in terms of the three abovementioned requirements. The impacts of these requirements on brand image, brand satisfaction and brand trust as well as purchase intention and price premium were tested via structural equation modeling. Findings The results show that the most important requirement is trustworthiness, followed by attractiveness; surprisingly, the relevance of expertise is virtually nil. Research limitations/implications To date, practitioners are still struggling with the success requirements of influencer marketing. They have focused on traditional advertising models and numeric requirements such as the amount of followers. However, regarding merely these requirements can result in wrong decisions. Considering the two requirements, attractiveness and trustworthiness, in a stronger way can provide a remedy to this struggle. In future research, the relevance of the requirements in different involvement conditions and for non-attractiveness-related products might be investigated. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to explore the success requirements that are directly related to influencers (e.g. attractiveness) rather than numeric requirements of their profiles (e.g. page rank) and the impacts of those requirements on brand image, brand satisfaction and brand trust as well as purchase intention and price premium. It adapts the Source-Credibility Model for influencers and shows that its requirements interact in a unique way that is counterintuitive and different from other endorser types such as celebrities or salespersons.

The role of endorsers in bringing defunct brands back to life: theory and evidence

Purpose This study aims to investigate a randomized 3 (endorser type: celebrity vs CEO vs expert) × 2 (product type: hedonic vs utility) between-respondents factorial experiment to inspect the effects of the endorsers and product types on consumers’ engagement in BRM through brand-relationship variables [i.e. self-brand connection (SBC), perceived product attachment (PPA) and source credibility (SC)]. Marketing in a digital era is witnessing a rising trend of “brand resurrection as revolution” led by consumer power. The successful revitalization of various dead brands provides some new opportunities for companies to engage millennial consumers in brand resurrection movements (BRM) through the right choice of brand endorsers. The new-found love of companies for the revitalization of long-forgotten brands has attracted considerable interest among scholars and marketing practitioners. Despite the brand resurrection’s high practical relevance, little is known in marketing research about how to revive failing brands back to life. Design/methodology/approach Using source credibility theory (SCT) as a lens, this study conducted two studies (i.e. Study 1, N = 300; Study 2, N = 300) and builds on an analysis of data from Pakistani millennials. The hypotheses were inspected using both structural equation modeling and SPSS’s PROCESS macro. Findings Through two studies, the authors find that the match between endorser types and product types affects customer motivation to engage in BRM via SBC, PPA and SC (i.e. attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise).[AQ2] The results showed that for utilitarian products, both SBC and PPA mediate the link between endorser types and BRM, but for hedonic products, PPA does not play a role. Similarly, the authors’ results indicate that for hedonic products, attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise mediate the link between endorser types and BRM, but for utilitarian products, trustworthiness does not play a role. Practical implications The results of this research will help marketing managers devise effective brand endorsers strategies in reviving failing brands. Specifically, this endeavor highlights that understanding brand advertisements merely in terms of celebrity endorsement restricts the full potential that brand advertisements could have and also that a comprehensive understanding must include expert and chief executive officers (CEO) endorsers. Therefore, one of the central contributions of this research is the introduction of expert and CEO endorsers and the evidence that both celebrity (i.e. celebrity and CEO) and non-celebrity endorsers (i.e. experts) have an impact on consumers’ motivation to engage in BRM. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first endeavors of its kind to empirically explore consumer attitude/motivation behind participation in reviving failing brands. The significance of this work is underscored by the fact that numerous dead brands are being brought back by companies because of consumer–brand co-creation movements.

THE INFLUENCE OF ENDORSER ON YOUTH PURCHASE DECISION

ABSTRACT Social media influencers have become more popular in endorsing a product and it has become a common tactic in marketing strategy to the current advertising field. Most of the company start to switch from using celebrity endorser to social media influencer as their endorser. Promotional marketing has been a chain of cycle used by companies to promote their products. To do that, most companies use endorser as a medium to promote their product and influencing the consumer purchase decision. Celebrity endorser is the most popular type of endorser that affects youth purchase decision. However, nowadays the emergence of social media influencer has also played a role in influencing the youth purchase decision. Therefore, this research has been run to identify which endorser has more influence on youth purchase decision based on endorser characteristics namely attractive, expertise, likeability, meaningful and trustworthy. 400 survey questionnaires have been distributed to the youth age between 18-25 years old. The findings indicate that social media influencer makes the highest influence on youth purchase decision with likeability characteristic has the highest contribution in influencing the youth purchase decision. Keywords: endorser, social media influencer, celebrity endorser, youth purchase decision, influence

Endorsers’ presence in regulation and endorsements in dietary supplements’ advertising on Spanish radio

Healthy lifestyles provide a market niche for products offering health benefits in a context where consumers have a misconception of the characteristics and functions of dietary supplements (DS). Due to an increase of endorsers’ advertising persuasion, their presence is limited and, in some cases, forbidden. The main objective of this work is to analyse the presence of endorsers in DS advertising on Spanish radio in order to verify its compliance with current legislation and determine the endorsements’ characteristics. Specifically, this paper analyses the quantity, frequency, placement and endorsement type of DS spots on full-service radio stations. Content analysis of the totality of radio spots broadcast throughout the year 2017 is conducted, deriving a corpus of 165 different radio spots belonging to the product category of dietary supplements, broadcast a total of 10,566 times. The results show that 40% of radio spots use endorsers not allowed by law, such as health care professionals, typical consumers and celebrities. The latter have an unusually high presence in DS radio advertising, with one out of four spots featuring celebrities or opinion leaders, including journalists and radio hosts as well as a frequent use of testimonial endorsements. Implications for health and public policy are made.

Dietary supplements’ endorsements. A content analysis of claims and appeals on Spanish radio

The aims of this study are to analyze the presence of endorsers in DS advertising on Spanish radio and the health-related product information of endorsements on full service Spanish radio. To this end, the content analysis of all radio spots broadcast throughout the year 2017 is conducted, deriving a corpus of 165 different radio spots belonging to the product category of dietary supplements, broadcast a total of 10,566 times. According to the Elaboration Likelihood Model, endorsers are a peripheral cue and increase advertising persuasion. The main results show that the most prevalent type of endorser in DS radio spots is the anonymous spokesperson, followed by celebrities, and that endorsers use explicit claims more frequently than implicit claims. Additionally, experts and celebrities use rational appeals more frequently while emotional appeals predominate in endorsements by typical consumers. Thus, rational appeals are prevalent in endorsements voiced by the most credible endorsers: experts and celebrities. That is, the higher the social recognition and credibility of the endorser, the greater the weight of direct, explicit and rational arguments in the message, while less attention is given to emotional appeals.

Impact of celebrity endorsement type on consumers' brand and advertisement perception and purchase intention

We examined how different types of celebrity endorsement influence consumers' advertisement and brand evaluation, and purchase intention. We also investigated the relationship between celebrity endorsement type and consumers' attribution style. Participants were 309 students from a private university in Korea. Results show there was no significant relationship between celebrity endorsement type and consumers' attribution style, or between consumers' identification with a celebrity endorser and attribution style. However, after a consumer's exposure to a celebrity endorsed advertisement, dispositional (vs. situational) attribution led to a more positive evaluation of the advertisement and brand. Last, we found that consumers' strong (vs. weak) identification with a celebrity endorser resulted in a more favorable evaluation of the advertisement and brand, and higher purchase intention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.