Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 1

Celebrity endorsement & persuasion

EFFECT OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT ON CONSUMERS

PERSUASION
A study on mobile phone users of undergraduate students of Peshawar

Mian Irfan Zafar

BBA (A)

Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar

Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 2

A Research Proposal on

EFFECT OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT ON CONSUMERS PERSUASION

A study on mobile phone users of undergraduate students of Peshawar
Introduction:
In the marketing setting, the term consumer alludes to the
demonstration of procurement itself, as well as to examples of total
purchasing which incorporate pre-buy and post-buy exercises (Yoon, 2005).
Pre-buy movement may comprise of the developing familiarity with a need or
need, and a quest for and assessment of data about the items and brands
that may fulfill it. Post-buy actions comprise the assessment of the
purchased item in custom and the decrease of any anxiety which escorts the
acquisition of lavish and rarely-bought things (Velayutham, 2000).
The objectives of advertising are various, they varies from making
mindfulness for another item to influencing rehashed buys (Lauga, 2010).
The persuasion literature has a long tradition of studying the impacts of
motivational elements, for example, contribution, needs, and values on
assessment of messages (Yoon, 2005). Conferring to the socioemotional
selectivity theory old age people are more inspired by objectives aimed at
getting passionate importance from life with respect to objectives that
expand future readiness. The memory and influence written works propose
that individuals will probably recall and to be persuaded by messages that

Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 3

are more objective applicable (Hedden, 2005). Consumer behavior has been
consistently of excessive interest to the advertisers. The knowledge of
purchaser conduct assists the advertiser with understanding how buyers
think, feel and select from options like items, brands and so forth and how
the buyers are affected by their surroundings, the reference gatherings,
family, and salespersons etc. (Brosekhan, 2000). The act of utilizing famous
people as a part of commercials to elevate items goes back to more than a
hundred years and proceeds till date (Roy, 2009). A few studies have
discovered that as much as 25 % of the aggregate notices disclosed use big
name supports. A reason of utilizing a big name is his/her wide
acknowledgment which affects the validity of the product endorsed (Moorthi,
2009).
There are two methods or roots to a consumer persuasion, a central
route and a peripheral route (Petty, 1983). A next group of theoretical
methods to persuasion stresses a more peripheral path to attitude change.
Attitude changes that follow via the peripheral route do not happens because
an individual has personally measured the pros and cons of the matter, but
because the attitude issue or object is connected with positive or negative
cues or because the person makes a modest inference about the advantages
of the encouraged position based on various simple cues in the urging
context (Schumann, 1983).

Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 4

Celebrity endorsement has been practiced for many years. Already in

1979 one in every six ads used a personality and in 2001 that fraction raised
to 25%. Endorsement of celebrities is not expected to change because
individuals and Western culture have been fixated with celebrities. This is
derived from the fact that media burdens society with news and graphics
about celebrities and gives them an entertainment meaning (Hoekman,
2003). Several studies have observed consumers reaction to celebrity
endorsement in ads. Results show that celebrities make ads credible
(Agarwal, 1995). Ultimately celebrity endorsements are believed to generate
a greater likelihood of customers choosing the endorsed brand. The use of
celebrity endorsements in an advertising strategy that should enhance the
marginal value of advertising expenditures and create brand equity by
means of a secondary association of celebrity with a brand (kamakura, 1995)
According to Agrawal & Kamakura, (1995), when a celebrity is paired with a brand, the
image helps shape the image of that brand in the minds of consumers. Most of the celebrities
used help in developing credibility and trust of the product being advertised on the audience.
Many people hold certain celebrities in high regard, so an endorsement of a product instantly
increases the amount of trust the consumer has in the brand. Celebrity endorsers attract
supporters as well as funs to try the brand, increase brand awareness and consumption intentions.
Celebrity likeability and congruence between endorser and the endorsed brand influence
predisposition towards the advertisements, which in turn affect attitude toward the brand
purchase intention (Fleck et al., 2012)
Statement of Problem:

Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 5

To study the effect of celebrity endorsement towards consumers persuasion.

Research Objectives:
The main objectives of this study will be to see that if celebrity has an effect on consumers
persuasion
Proposed Research Hypothesis:
H1: Celebrity endorsement in ads has a positive effect on consumers persuasion
Model Framework to be used:

Celebrity
Endorsement

Consumer
Persuasion

The term celebrity is related to persons who are regularly in the public eye and normally
have a high profile in sports, showbiz, and businesses among others. They are used to approve
facilities, products, ideas or organizations (Ziporah, 2014)
Celebrities are individuals who relish communal recognition by a large share of a definite group
of persons (Joulyana, 2005). They are the most persuasive icons those people respect and are
fascinated towards. The word Celebrity refers to an individual who is recognized to the
community (artist, sports figure, performer, etc.) for his or her attainments in areas other than
that of the product class endorsed (Dimed, 2005).
According to McCracken (1989), it can include people from movies, television, sports,
politics, business, artists and persons from the military. Whereas, in this current age of
marketing, Celebrities may also be a vibrant character like Fred Flintstone, or an animal (Miciak

Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 6

& Shanklin, 1994). As McCrakan, consumers buying behavior is greatly affected by well-known
persons. He also stated that celebrity endorsements advertising has been recognized as a
pervasive feature of major marketing.
Variables to be studied:
Independent variable:
Celebrity Endorsement:
According to Dimed & Joulyana, (2005) celebrities are those persons who enjoys
audience recognition by a large group of certain people who have different features such
attractiveness and trustworthiness. A celebrity endorsement is when a famous person uses their
notoriety to help sell a product or service (Carlson, 1994). Celebrity Endorsements is a billion
dollar industry in todays era. . Marketers spend huge amount of money on celebrity
endorsement contracts annually. It shows that celebrities play an important role in the advertising
industry. Celebrity Endorsement is a method to get the brand observed amidst the urgency that is
there in the marketplace (Mberia, 2014). Celebritys alike film stars and cricketers have not only
been effective in collecting vast public devotion, but also in cumulating sales capacity. Celebrity
Endorsements act as a reliable means of cash burning. This is because this is a world of goods
for which the worth a buyer obtains from acquiring any given variety (Khatri, 2006).
The notion of celebrity endorsement has its basis in Psychology. Scholars in psychology
have comprehensively studied the communicator-message-receiver association and its sub
matters such as the impression of communicator/source aptitudes on making the message
reliable, effects of the communicator in approach change of the receiver, communicator message
match etc. (Roy, 2009). In this age of strong rivalry, where seizing a place in the consumers'
mind space is very hard, celebrity endorsements give an additional advantage to the companies

Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 7

for holding the spectators' attention (Zafar, 2013) Celebrities can catalyze product acceptance
and offer the huge drive that brands need by endorsing the inherent worth to the brand (Rafique,
2013). Endorsement is a conduit of brand communication in which a celebrity acts as the brands
representative and verifies the brands assertion and position by encompassing his/her
personality, reputation, physique in the public or expertise in the field to the brand (Mukherjee,
2009). Every day buyers are exposed to thousands of advertisements and this will obstruct
companies to create an inimitable position and obtain attention from buyers. Using personalities
can help companies to generate distinctive advertisements and provoke a positive result on the
attitude and sales objective towards the brand (Aaker, 1997).
Dependent variable
Consumer Persuasion:
As stated by Lancaster et al. (2005) revealed that satisfaction of consumer needs is the
ultimate goal for a business; thus the marketers job is to accurately identify the customer needs
and accordingly develop product that satisfies their wants. Therefore, it is very critical for
marketers to have a proper understanding of consumer buying behavior. Perner (2009) defined
consumer behavior as, the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they
use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs
and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society. According to Perner
(2009) knowledge of consumer buying behavior helps marketers in developing their marketing
strategies by understanding the psychology of the consumers.
Sources of information:
The data will be collected from all type of undergraduate students of Peshawar where the
students have seen an ad with celebrity endorsement, at least once.

Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 8

Sampling Technique & procedure:

The study proposes to select respondents through non- probability sampling by using
convenience sampling, mainly because the total size of the population is neither known nor
accessible, the researcher will identify clusters like educational institutes, where the potential
respondents are found and based on convenience approach the potential respondents.
Sampling size:
Based on previous studies (Dimed & Joulyana, 2005); (Cornwell, 2011). This study proposes to
use a sample size of 300 respondents.

Methods of data collection and procedure:

Data will be collected through personal survey of the researcher. Data will be collected from all
types of university students who are convenient to the researcher.
Instruments of data collection:
The data would be collected through structured questionnaire, carrying simple and close ended
questions.
Statistical Test to be used:
The statistical test that would be used is Regression Analysis.
Possible Outcomes:
The possible outcome of this research could be that there is a positive effect of celebrity
endorsement ads towards consumers persuasion. After this study, marketers we will be able to
extract results that how much mobile phone users of undergraduate students of Peshawar are
persuaded by celebrity endorsement advertising of different mobile phone companies and what is

Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 9

the impact, whether they buy the product or not. This will give an understanding to the marketers
and advertisers of different mobile phone companies towards the market of Peshawar and how
they can effectively advertise ads for them.

Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 10

References:
Agarwal, Kamakura, 1995. The economic worth of celebrity endorsers: an event study
analysis. Journal of marketing. Vol 59 (1995) 56-62
Brosekhan, Velayutham (2000): Consumer Buying Behavior A Literature Review: IOSR
Journal of Business and Management PP 08-16
Chabo dimed (2005). Celebrity endorsement, hidden factors to success. Contribution to brand
literature. International review of management and marketing. vol. 4, no. 4, 2014, pp.259-275
Dengra (2013). Impact of Celebrity Endorsement on Customers Buying Behavior. Altius
Shodh Journal of Management & Commerce
Dr Mberia, Zipporah (2014). The effects of celebrity endorsement in advertisements.
International journal of academic research in economics and management sciences, vol. 3, no. 5
Dr. Khatri (2006). Celebrity endorsement: a strategic promotion perspective. Indian media
studies journal. vol.1
Hedden, Yoon (2005). Cognition, Persuasion and Decision Making in Older Consumers.
Jiang (2014). Consumer reaction & the effectiveness of celebrity endorsed advertising. Studies
in media & communication. Vol, 2
Lin fang (2015). Persuasiveness of celebrity endorsed advertising and a new model for
celebrity endorser selection. Journal of Asian business strategy, 5(8)2015: 153-173
Petty, Cacioppo, Schumann (1983). Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising Effectiveness:
The Moderating Role of Involvement. Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 10, No. 2
(Sep., 1983), pp. 135-146

Celebrity endorsement &

persuasion 11

Roy, Moorti (2009). Celebrity endorsements and brand personality. IIMB working paper
volume 3, pp.01-05
Zafar, Rafique (2013) Impact of celebrity advertisement on customers brand perception and
purchase intention. Asian journal of business and management sciences. vol. 1 no. 11, 53-67