Celebrity Endorsement

 Celebrity endorsement

Celebrity endorsement refers to a marketing strategy in which a well-known personality, such as a movie star, musician, athlete, or social media influencer, is associated with a brand, product, or service to promote or endorse it. This strategy leverages the popularity, credibility, and influence of celebrities to create brand awareness, enhance brand image, and ultimately drive consumer behavior. Using endorsements in marketing is not a new phenomenon (van der Waldt et al., 2009). It is important in terms of getting attention and achieving good recall from customers. Endorsements can either be in the form of a celebrity or a created spokesperson. Endorsement grips an important part of the brand management process as a competitive and distinguishing feature. Endorsers, because of their filmic attractiveness, are regularly used in order to reach target customers. In this way, brand awareness, recall, and recognition can be provided.   Using celebrity endorsement is “a ubiquitous feature of modern marketing” (McCracken, 1989: 310). A celebrity is a person who is widely known to the public for accomplishments in domains that are unrelated to the product class (Friedman et al., 1977). Celebrity endorsers can be defined as “any individual who enjoys public credit and takes advantage of this recognition by appearing with consumer good in an advertisement” (McCracken, 1989: 310). Performers, sport numbers, and artists (actors, sports figures, entertainers, etc.) are existence used fairly normally as company orators and invention endorsers (Friedman et al., 1978).

Meanwhile the nineteenth century, the celebrity endorsement strategy has been extensively used by vendors and multinationals. Before the term “celebrity endorsement” can be further explained, Faiz Kasi has defined a celebrity as someone who is recognized by the public for his or her unresolved qualities, such as an exceptional talent and lifestyle, which separates them from the rest of the public [Kasi, n.d.]. Meanwhile, Kasi also defines endorsements as a brand communication channel, whereby the celebrity acts as a brand spokesperson and solidifies the brand by “extending his popularity, personality, build in the society, or expertise in the field” [Kasi, n.d.]. The practice of celebrity as endorsers started as far as the eras of Queen Victoria, and her connotation with Cadbury’s Cocoa, and by chance, in the middle 1880s, an American tobacco company called Goodwin and Co. made their baseball cards and slot in on every cigarette packs they sold [Cycleback.com, n.d., Sherman, 2010]. Unluckily, baseball cards containing baseball troupes are an illegal procedure of endorsement [Cycleback.com, n.d.]. With the arrival of radio and television in the 20s and 30s, celebrity endorsements have boomed, particularly with the practice of actual human celebrities as themselves and their imaginary types individually, and also cartoon characters (An example would be the Hanna- Barbara character Yogi Bear indorsing Kellogg’s Corn Flakes [Sherman, 2010]. In the setting of today’s globalization, celebrities have seemed in many advertisements and other PR activities as the brand’s spokesperson, be in print media, conventional media, and the internet.

Celebrity Endorsement is observed as a billion-dollar industry in today’s era. (Kambitsis et al, 2002). Various companies are signing deals with celebrities in the hope that by using celebrities they can achieve an inimitable and pertinent position in the minds of consumers. (Temperley & Tangen, 2006).Celebrity endorsement is increasingly being employed across various industries irrespective of the product type. It is known to be playing the role of a signaling strategy. (Mustafa, 2005). Also According to Reynolds (2000) celebrity endorsement can bounce a brand a hint of glamour. All supposed and complete, one takes to consider the possible risks vs. the possible rewards by way of celebrity endorsements are continuously a high-risk, high-reward condition and there is continuously a human component that you might not know about. While according to (R.Sathiya, 2014) the usage of celebrity in marketing is similar a double-edged armament, carefully examining and correctly performing it might not be always real, as it depends on the celebrity, the product, the message, the implementation and the media. Celebrity endorsement is very useful advertising cue to attract or to make more customers and also helpful to accomplish potential customers consideration towards the product or service*. Different celebrities have been used to endorse face care products. It is a very popular strategy of any brand to use famous celebrities for the endorsement of a brand and all these attractive brands have been very efficacious in using this marketing tool.

Celebrity endorsement has been defined as: “Any individual who enjoys public recognition and who uses this recognition on behalf of a consumer good by appearing with it in an advertisement” (McCracken, 1989). It is value stating that why organizations spend a lot on brands by involvement of celebrities to endorse. Celebrities are well-recognized personalities having a strong attractive and impressive power to pursue the audience either by their likeliness, attractiveness, trust or by their congruency with the brand which primes in the formation of strong brand image and value in viewers’ minds. The available literature on the endorser effect gives clear information that how value is transferred (McCracken, 1989) by celebrity for promotion brand and creating awareness for the brand by celebrity characteristics, credibility, attractiveness (Pornpitakpan, 2004) and image congruence (Choi et al., 2005, Nazir et al, 2014).   Customers of the good and brand are abundant influence by celebrity after they trust that endorser has real attachment with good and brand relatively than money-oriented gain. Numerous studies have similar views that the involvement of celebrities in advertisements shows effective results on trustworthiness, communication suggest, memory and amiability of the ads and lastly on buying intentions (Menon et al., 2001; Lafferty and Golsmith, 1999).   Therefore, it becomes an core to introduce or to backing the product by well-known and trustworthy personality in a competitive marketing world (Gheysari et al, 2012). In order to increase the market share of product most of the popular brands are currently endorsed by celebrities in Pakistan media who did successful endorsement particularly Lux by Shahrukh Khan and Katrina, Head and Shoulders by Shahid Khan Afiridi, Lux by Reema Khan, Supreme Tea by Akshay Kumar and Sunakshi, Saif Ali khan and Kareena Kapoor for Head and Sholders, Katreena for Veet Cream, Pentiene, Ali Zafar for Lipton Tea etc., with all having single aim in mind to acquire faster brand recall, product preferences and eventually  product purchase. Advertisements mentioned above give a intense picture about the appearance of Indian celebrities along with Pakistan Celebrities for similar as well as good brands.  

Here are some key aspects and benefits of celebrity endorsement:

Brand Awareness: Celebrities have a wide fan base and enjoy significant media attention. By associating a brand with a popular celebrity, companies can quickly generate attention and increase brand visibility. The celebrity's reach through social media, interviews, public appearances, and other media channels can significantly expand the brand's exposure and create buzz around the product or service.

Credibility and Trust: Celebrities are often perceived as experts or authorities in their respective fields. Their association with a brand can enhance its credibility and build trust among consumers. Consumers may trust a product or service more if it is recommended or endorsed by a celebrity they admire or respect. This can be particularly effective when the celebrity has a positive reputation and aligns with the brand's values and target audience.

Emotional Connection: Celebrities have the ability to evoke strong emotions and connect with their fans on a personal level. When a celebrity endorses a brand, their fans may develop a sense of affiliation or emotional connection with the brand. This emotional connection can influence consumer behavior and lead to increased brand loyalty and engagement.

Brand Image and Differentiation: By associating with a celebrity, a brand can shape its image and differentiate itself from competitors. The qualities, characteristics, and values associated with the celebrity can transfer to the brand, helping to create a unique brand identity. For example, a brand may choose a celebrity known for their athleticism to promote sports-related products, emphasizing a sense of performance and excellence.

Increased Sales and Revenue: Effective celebrity endorsements can have a positive impact on sales and revenue. The endorsement can attract new customers who are influenced by the celebrity's endorsement, as well as reinforce brand loyalty among existing customers. The increased visibility, credibility, and emotional connection can drive consumers to try the endorsed product or service, leading to higher sales and revenue for the brand. However, it's important to consider some potential challenges and risks associated with celebrity endorsements. These include: Cost: Hiring a celebrity for endorsement can be expensive, especially if they are highly sought-after or have a large following. Companies need to carefully evaluate the return on investment and ensure that the benefits outweigh the costs.

Relevance and Authenticity: The celebrity should be a good fit for the brand and resonate with the target audience. If the association appears forced or inauthentic, it can undermine the credibility of the endorsement and harm the brand's reputation.

Image and Reputation Risks: Celebrities are human and can face controversies or negative publicity. Any negative behavior or scandal associated with the celebrity can reflect poorly on the brand. Therefore, brands need to conduct due diligence and assess the long-term viability of the endorsement relationship.

Overexposure: If a celebrity endorses multiple products or appears in too many advertisements, their influence and impact may diminish. Consumers may become desensitized to the endorsements or perceive them as mere paid promotions rather than genuine recommendations. Overall, celebrity endorsement can be a powerful marketing tool when executed strategically and authentically. It can help brands reach a wider audience, enhance brand perception, and drive consumer engagement and sales.

Mass media communication offers basis to organizations for concentrating on cultural nonconformity possessions in their ads for making them more attractive and attention taking. Celebrities are cultural symbols who reflect the values and ideas of a particular culture. In addition, therefore, the ways such “personas appear in advertising and their impressions may vary from culture to culture” (Choi, Lee and Kim, 2005, Yusoff and Khan, 2013). In the same way, it is a question that whether Indian celebrities are effective souirce endorsers in Pakistan while comparing them with local celebrities. It is a fact that Indian celebrities are much familiar in Pakistan like local celebrities through mass media and similarities of cultures between these two countries. In this study we make a comparison that whether Indian or local celebrities are more effective, attention capturing and appealing towards purchase intention in Pakistan.

Celebrity endorsement according to Solomon (2009) is the use of famous athletes, movie stars, music icons and television stars in promoting or advertising of goods and services. It is also significant to know that celebrities can also play a devastating role that can lead to the collapse of the company or product. Recently, companies that have their products endorsed by Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong in advertising their products have experienced a drastic decline in sales as a result of the negative moral questions that hanged over the necks. Indeed, the two personalities were named as the worst celebrity endorsement of year the 2010, a U.S study revealed. Therefore in choosing a celebrity to endorse, the credibility of the person should be considered since any mishap can affect the buying behaviour of customers (McCracken, 1989).

Every day consumers are exposed to thousands of voices and images in magazines, newspapers, and on billboards, websites, radio and television. Every brand attempts to steal at least a fraction of a person’s time to inform him or her of the amazing and different attributes of the product at hand. The challenge of the marketer is to find a hook that will hold the subject’s attention.In helping to achieve this, use of celebrity endorsers is a widely used marketing strategy.

In this modern age, people tend to ignore all commercials and advertisements while flipping through the magazines and newspapers or viewing TV. But even then, the glamour of a celebrity seldom goes unnoticed. Thus, celebrity endorsement in advertisement and its impact on the overall brand is of great significance. In this process, the companies hire celebrities from a particular field to feature in its advertisement campaigns. The promotional features and images of the product are matched with the celebrity image, which tends to persuade a consumer to fix up his choice from a variety of brands. Although this sounds pretty simple, but the design of such campaigns and the subsequent success in achieving the desired result calls for an in-depth understanding of the product, the brand objective, choice of a celebrity, associating the celebrity with the brand, and a framework for measuring the effectiveness. Companies invest large sums of money to align their brands and themselves with endorsers. Such endorsers are seen as dynamic with both attractive and likeable qualities and companies plan that these qualities are transferred to products via marcom activities. Furthermore, because of their fame, celebrities serve not only to create and maintain attention but also to achieve high recall rates for marcom messages in today’s highly cluttered environments. Similarly, every product has an image. The consumer tries to consume a brand which has the maximum fit with his/her own personality/image. The celebrity endorser fits in between these two interactions, where he tries to bring the image of the product closer to the expectation of the consumer, by transferring some of the cultural meanings residing in his image to the product.

In the same way Atkin and Block (1983), Petty (1983) and Ohanian (1991), Kamins (1990), O’Mahony & Meenaghan (1998) suggested that the celebrity endorsers diverts more positive attitude and greater intensions for purchases than a non-celebrity endorser. Likewise Pack- ard (1991) believes that celebrity endorsement is more effective in selling product and services as a status symbol for certain section of the society. For eg: Parkers pens endorsed by Amitabh Bachchan are sheer symbol of the class associated with the pen.  It signifies the elite and sophisticated side of an individual’s personality. According to Sadhu Ramakrishna, Santhosh Reddy(2005)- To be effective, brands necessity to convince consumers that they carry a different image and value from other competing products. In other arguments, brands have to show their true personality to the potential consumer(s) and celebrities are the best way to do this. Seno & Lukas (2007) found that the widespread action of celebrity endorsement in marketing program is not an accident. Research has found that as compared to the other type of endorsers such as the company manager, typical consumer and the professional expert, by far the celebrities are the most effective. Joshi and Ahluwalia (2008) found that the use of celebrity for endorse- ments create a very favourable impact on the consumer and it creates a connect which forces a consumer to purchase a product. Edwards and Ferle (2009) exposed that though celebrity endorsement have develop an vital part of advertising, there are some potential risks related with celebrity endorsement over which the advertiser does not have any control. Supriyo Patra and Saroj K. Datta (2010) from their study concluded that selection of right and appropriate celebrity for brand endorsement is a challenging proposal. The advertisers and the agencies should con- sider various dimensions while celebrity selection. 

Consumer buying behavior

Celebrity endorsement is a very beneficial advertising cue to attract or to make more customers and also helpful to attain potential customers' attention towards the product or service*. Different celebrities have been used to endorse face care products. It is a very popular strategy of any brand to use famous celebrities for the endorsement of a brand and all these beauty brands have been very successful in utilizing this marketing tool. The purpose of this research was to explore the impact of celebrity endorsement on consumer purchase decision. This study has focused the impact of consumer’s perception that what make their mind to buy face care products, or is the tool only utilized to create awareness of a brands or products in the mind of consumer? or to memorize the brands because of association of brand with endorsement of prominent celebrities. Consumers of the product are much effect by celebrity when they believe that endorser has actual attachment with product rather than materialistic gain. Numerous studies have similar views that the involvement of celebrities in advertisement shows successful results on integrity, communication evoke, recall and likeability of the advertisements and finally on purchase intentions (Menon et al., 2001; Lafferty and Golsmith, 1999).  

Therefore, it becomes an essence to introduce or to support the product by well-known and credible personality in a competitive marketing world (Gheysari et al, 2012). In order to increase the market share of product most of the popular brands are currently endorsed by celebrities in Pakistan media who did successful endorsement particularly Lux by Shahrukh Khan and Katrina, Head and Shoulders by Shahid Khan Afiridi, Lux by Reema Khan, Supreme Tea by Akshay Kumar and Sunakshi, Saif Ali khan and Kareena Kapoor for Head and Sholders, Katreena for Veet Cream, Pentiene, Ali Zafar for Lipton Tea etc., with all having single aim in mind to acquire faster brand recall, product preferences and eventually  product purchase. Advertisements mentioned above give a vivid picture about the emergence of Indian celebrities along with Pakistan Celebrities for similar as well as competitive brands. Mass media communication provides source to organizations for focusing on cultural deviance effects in their ads for making them more appealing and attention capturing. Celebrities are cultural symbols who reflect the values and ideas of a particular culture. Essential to every economic system are exchanges between sellers and purchasers or consumers.  The actual satisfaction of a want or need comes about through the exchange process, and occurs when suppliers and purchasers give to each other something else of value.  It is in this bright that marketing functions are unavoidable. Advertising is the non-personal communication of information typically paid for and usually convincing in nature about products, services or ideas by recognized promoters through the numerous media. Or a form of non-personal promotion that is delivered through selected media outlets that, under most circumstances, require the marketer to pay for message placement (Belch & Belch, 2004).  

Advertising has three key purposes; distinguishing, repeating informing and persuasion. Through advertising, potential buyers are informed about the availability and nature of a product. And when an existing product is being improved in any way, it has to be communicated to potential buyers.  Once buyers have been informed, they need to be persuaded to purchase the product.  This is accomplished by transmitting a positive set of beliefs about the key attributes of the product.  Then, knowing that potential buyers are not constantly thinking about its products and brands, marketers continually remind them of its being and obtainability (Belch & Belch, 2004).

Marketers must understand what happens to the buying decision of the customer when the cultural meanings of celebrities are disgraceful. This is because the customer purchasing and using the product endorsed by the celebrity can obtain some of those meanings and use them in constructing a satisfying self- control. This research is specifically on celebrity endorsement and the influences it has on customers buying decision in attaining consumers’ brand loyalty. Customers’ attitudes regarding brands and products are well enhanced by celebrities, but whether it generates repeat purchase intention and brand loyalty is not so clear (Byrne & Whitehead 2003). However, there is no evidence proving that the usage of celebrity endorsement will achieve stronger brand loyalty in comparison to a non-use of celebrity endorsement. In fact, consumers might pay more attention to celebrities in advertisements than the actual product endorsed, which is not the marketer’s intention. As in most Fan Milk advertisements, physically attractive celebrities are especially recognized. They might exert a magnetic power to consumers resulting in a behavioral purchase instead of true brand commitment. But whether or not the purchase behavior will become repetitive is less clear (Byrne & Whitehead, 2003). 

Buying behavior is a process by which a people search for the product/services they need or want, make decision to buy the required and most suitable one from different alternatives, use and the dispose it. For making marketing decision buying process model is playing a very important role for any one. It makes marketers to think about each step of this process rather than just purchase decision because if marketers just consider the purchase decision, it may be too late for a business to influence the choice of customers. According to this model the customer pass through all stages for purchasing all goods or services.  However, in more regular purchases, customer often skips some the stages (Kirmani & Shiv1998). Consumers of the product are more effect by celebrity when they trust that endorser has actual involvement with product rather than sensual gain. Diverse studies have similar views that the attachment of celebrities in advertisement shows powerful results on credibility, communication invoke, recall and acceptability of the advertisements and finally on purchase intentions (Menon et al., 2001; Lafferty and Golsmith, 1999). Accordingly, it becomes core introduce by well-known and credible personality in a competitive marketing world (Gheysari et al, 2012). In order to high market share of product most of the famous brands are currently endorsed by celebrities in Pakistan ads who did successful endorsement like Lux by Shahrukh Khan and Katrina, Head and Shoulders by Shahid Khan Afiridi, Lux by Reema Khan, Supreme Tea by Akshay Kumar and Sunakshi, Saif Ali khan and Kareena Kapoor for Head and Sholders, Pentiene, Ali Zafar for Lipton Tea etc. with all having single desire in mind to buy highly brand recall, product choice and finally product purchase. Advertisements specified above give a colorful picture about the apperarance of Indian celebrities along with Pakistan Celebrities for same as well as competitive brands. Similarly, every product has an image. The consumer tries to consume a brand which has the maximum fit with his/her own personality/image. The celebrity endorser fits in between these two interactions, where he tries to bring the image of the product closer to the expectation of the consumer, by transferring some of the cultural meanings residing in his image to the product.  In the report, We have focused on the impact of celebrity endorsement on the overall process of brand building and also tried to define: how to make celebrity endorsement a win-win situation for both the brand and the brand-endorser. ―Brand‖ is the most valuable asset of any firm.   The general belief among advertisers is that brand communication messages delivered by celebrities and famous personalities generate a higher appeal, attention and recall than those executed by non-celebrities. The quick message-reach and impact are all too essential in today‘s highly competitive environment. McCracken (1989) stated that these famous personalities’ had great influence on the consumer’s buying behavior that’s why it becomes the most attractive tool of advertising now a day. The major aim to do advertising and adopt this strategy is to influence customers towards the products (Ohanian 1990). (Infection factor) Brewster, Sparrow and Vernon (2007) explain about Factors that affect buying behavior and vary from person to person, age to age, and area to area. Every society follows its own norms, culture and values. At different stages of life our preferences change because of our age, needs, lifestyle, earning and psychological factors. These factors can be Internal (memory and way of thinking) or External (media, word of mouth, publicity and feedback).  There are several factors, which pressure the buying behavior:

Cultural influences:  it has the broadest and the deepest influence on buying behavior. Brewster, Sparrow and Vernon (2007) define culture as shaping process, ‘ for a culture to exist, member of a group or society having different values and norms, which vary time to time. Cultural values can change and have to be watched by marketers. Ignoring this deepest and widest factor can be very costly for company in terms of image and profit.

Social influences: social influences are those influences that clearly mold buying behavior, it affects through reference group, family members and social class (Ahmed & Saeed 2014).

Family influences: family life cycle and family decision making has the most in influence on one’s buying behavior. 

Psychological influences: these influences are related to our perception, learning, memory and motivation. It changes buying behavior through making the perceived picture of product in customer’s mind. Customer buying behavior can be influenced by different factors like: perception, beliefs, society, personality, information choices, preferences and communication.

(impact)Ranjbarian, Shekarchizade & Momeni (2010) agreed that advertisement is the action that persuades individuals of any particular market to buy services and product or service. Through different ways the advertisement message can be spread like TV ads, radio publicity, print promotion, online advertising, billboard marketing, in-store advertise, WOM advertising, and endorsement. Now the question arise that which category of promotion is best? The best nature of advertisement depends on the type of industry or firm and its necessities and desires.   McCracken (1989) found that celebrities endorse characterized an effective way of transferring meaning to brands. The common conviction of the marketers is that there is a significant and huge impact of those advertisements, which are endorsed by the famous celebrities comparably with non-endorsed celebrities.