Celebrities in Advertising: Looking for Congruence or Likability?

TLDR

Choosing a celebrity endorser is a critical advertising decision that requires significant resources, and while popular celebrities are common, cognitive congruence between brand and celebrity is also essential. The study applies affective and cognitive theories to show that brand–celebrity congruence is as effective as celebrity likability. Both brand–celebrity congruence and celebrity likability positively influence ad predisposition, thereby shaping brand beliefs and purchase intention.

Abstract

ABSTRACT The choice of a celebrity endorser for a brand is an important topic in advertising and marketing, as considerable time and effort resources are dedicated to finding the right celebrity to represent a given organization. Celebrities used as endorsers in advertisements are often very popular ones. However, from a cognitive point of view (and a more academic one), congruence between brand and celebrity seems to be very important too. Based on affective and cognitive theories to explain endorsement effectiveness, congruence between brand and celebrity is shown to be as effective as celebrity likability. Moreover, congruence between brand and celebrity as well as celebrity likability have an impact on the predisposition toward the ad, which in turn influences brand beliefs and purchase intention.