No abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine if the star power of an athletic endorser influenced consumers’ consumption of the advertised product. Specifically, does the amount of star power an athlete is thought to have impact consumers’ direct consumption of the advertised product and media consumption of the athlete? Moreover, the components of star power, along with congruency measures, were examined to determine which components of star power influenced both direct and media consumption. Design/methodology/approach Four advertisements were created that used an athlete with high star power and an athlete with low star power. Respondents viewed two of the advertisements, but did not know which athlete had high star power or low star power. They were asked to answer a questionnaire that contained questions pertaining to the components of star power (source attractiveness, source credibility, professional trustworthiness, likeable personality and character style), congruency of the athlete and product, direct consumption of the advertised product and media consumption of the athlete. Findings Results indicated that overall star power increased the direct consumption of the advertised product and the media consumption of the athlete, however not each component was found to be significant. Character style was the only component that was consistently significant across all four advertisements. The congruency between the athlete and product was also found to be significant across all four advertisements. Research limitations/implications First, this study only looked at two athletes; others may generate different results. Second, the products used in the study were fashion related; other categories of products may also generate different relationships. Third, only two brands were used. It was also assumed that the respondents knew the athlete in the advertisement. Finally, the questions used to measure direct consumption did not distinguish between buying the brand in the store or online. Originality/value This study has the potential to contribute theoretically by analyzing how and which components of star power affect consumption of endorsed products, as well as which components influence consumers. Moreover, adding a congruency measure will aide in strengthening the measurement of endorser effectiveness. The justification of the present study lies in the need to determine how the dimensions of star power an athlete possesses contribute to the consumption behaviors of consumers.

In today’s advertising landscape the use of celebrity endorsers continues to be a popular type of advertising. Due to the media’s continual creation of reality television and the revolving door of reality stars, the celebrity culture has changed. The purpose of the study was to separate the type of ‘celebrity’ into two categories, ‘self-made’ and ‘manufactured’, and measure consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions towards the brand the celebrity is endorsing. Two print advertisements were used that contained a ‘self-made’ and a ‘manufactured’ celebrity endorsement of apparel brands. Respondents viewed both advertisements in the same order and answered questions pertaining to their attitudes to and purchase intentions for the advertised brand. Findings indicated that both types of endorsers increased purchase intent and created favourable attitudes towards the advertised brand.