Effects of Multiple Endorsements and Consumer–Celebrity Attachment on Attitude and Purchase Intention

Jasmina Ilicic, Cynthia Webster

Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ) · 2011 · 157 citations · 35 references

Concepts

TL;DR

The study investigates how consumer–celebrity attachment operates in multiple endorsement contexts. The authors used a 2×2 factorial design varying attachment strength and endorsement situation, controlling for celebrity attractiveness, familiarity, and match‑up. Results show that strong attachment to a celebrity boosts positive attitudes toward ads and brands regardless of endorsement number, while purchase intention depends on attachment and endorsement count—high attachment with multiple endorsements lowers intention, whereas weak attachment with multiple endorsements increases it.

Abstract

This study examines consumer–celebrity attachment within multiple endorsement situations. A 2 × 2 factorial design manipulates attachment strength to the celebrity and endorsement situation while controlling for celebrity attractiveness, familiarity and match-up. Results show strong attachment to a celebrity encourages positive attitude towards the advertisement and brand regardless of the number of endorsements. A significant interaction effect is found for purchase intention, suggesting that both attachment and the number of endorsements influence likelihood of purchase. When consumers are more attached to a celebrity and view that celebrity endorsing multiple brands, this negatively impacts their purchase intention. Yet, when consumers have a weak attachment, their purchase intention is increased with multiple endorsements.

References

35