Assessing Celebrity Endorsement Effects in China

TLDR

Celebrity endorsement is a prominent strategy in China, with national celebrities endorsing more than 20 brands. The study adopts a relational perspective to examine how celebrity worship transfers values and influences brand purchase intent. The relational perspective is grounded in Chinese collectivism, risk aversion, and power distance, and proposes a model linking celebrity worship to value transfer and purchase intent. Survey data from 1,030 consumers show that celebrity worship predicts endorser effects, that over‑endorsement moderates this relationship, and that the model holds for both sports and entertainment celebrities.

Abstract

<h3>ABSTRACT</h3> Celebrity endorsement is a salient executional strategy in china, where national celebrities often endorse more than 20 brands. This paper adopts a relational perspective to examine this research issue. The relational perspective is driven by three core chinese cultural values: collectivism, risk aversion, and power distance. The authors propose a model that postulates how celebrity-worship leads to value transfer that, in turn, affects brand purchase intent. Findings from a survey involving 1,030 respondents from a national panel of consumers, showed that consumer celebrity worship is a significant antecedent to endorser effects; over-endorsement by a celebrity is an important moderator; and the model is robust across both sports and entertainment celebrities.