Celebrity or athlete? New Zealand advertising practitioners' views on their use as endorsers

Abstract

Substantial literature exists researching effective celebrity endorser characteristics, and a growing body of literature investigates the specifics of professional athlete endorsements. However, there has been little focus on selection from the advertising practitioner's perspective; research that does exist is limited to the United States and British markets. This research among New Zealand advertising agencies found that celebrities/athletes are used primarily to achieve' cut through' and that their use is generally thought to be effective provided there is a tight fit between celebrity/athlete, brand and message. Interestingly, for New Zealand practitioners, the risk of negative publicity and hiring costs were the most important factors in the endorsement decision.

Establishing Athlete Brand Among Female Pakistani Fans

“…The results of the current study indicate that fans take notice when they see their favourite athlete advertising for that brand. So the athlete is causing brand awareness among his or her fans, which is a replication of the same idea that celebrity endorsers generate awareness of brands (Charbonneau & Garland, 2005). The attachment of an athlete with a certain brand spreads a positive message about the brand among the athlete's fans according to the responses of our participants.…”

Impact of Role Model on Behavioral and Purchase Intentions among Youngsters: Empirical Evidence from Karachi, Pakistan

“…Limited information was the main reason to explore those dimensions. A large amount of literature was devoted to how effective endorser-audience and endorser product relationship influenced consumers (Charbonneau & Garland, 2005;Tingchi Liu, Huang, & Minghua, 2007;Jones & Schumann, 2000;Schaefer & Keillor, 1997). In this study, impacts of celebrity endorsement on different brand and product purchases had not been considered.…”

The use of celebrity athletes as endorsers: views of the New Zealand general public

“…For instance, Charbonneau & Garland (2005) found that advertising practitioners in New Zealand placed greater importance on risk of negative publicity and hiring costs; by contrast, much of the consumer literature placed greater importance on credibility and trustworthiness. This may reflect the increasing costs of celebrity endorsements and the intense media interest in celebrity actions.…”

“…Four main studies have explored advertising practitioners' perspectives towards celebrity endorsements in the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand: Miciak & Shanklin (1994); Erdogan & Baker (1999,2000; Erdogan et al (2001);and Charbonneau & Garland (2005). Only the latter specifically investigated celebrity athlete…”