Celebrity entrepreneurship and celebrity endorsement : similarities, differences and the effect of deeper engagement

Increasingly, celebrities appear not only as endorsers for products but are apparently engaged in entrepreneurial roles as initiators, owners and perhaps even managers in the ventures that market the products they promote. Despite being extensively referred to in popular media, scholars have been slow to recognise the importance of this new phenomenon. This thesis argues theoretically and shows empirically that celebrity entrepreneurs are more effective communicators than typical celebrity endorsers because of their increased engagement with ventures. I theorise that greater engagement increases the celebrity‘s emotional involvement as perceived by consumers. This is an endorser quality thus far neglected in the marketing communications literature. In turn, emotional involvement, much like the empirically established dimensions trustworthiness, expertise and attractiveness, should affect traditional outcome variables such as attitude towards the advertisement and brand. On the downside, increases in celebrity engagement may lead to relatively stronger and worsening changes in attitudes towards the brand if and when negative information about the celebrity is revealed. A series of eight experiments was conducted on 781 Swedish and Baltic students and 151 Swedish retirees. Though there were nuanced differences and additional complexities in each experiment, participants‘ reactions to advertisements containing a celebrity portrayed as a typical endorser or entrepreneur were recorded. The overall results of these experiments suggest that emotional involvement can be successfully operationalised as distinct from variables previously known to influence communication effectiveness. In addition, emotional involvement has positive effects on attitudes toward the advertisement and brand that are as strong as the predictors traditionally applied in the marketing communications literature. Moreover, the celebrity entrepreneur condition in the experimental manipulation consistently led to an increase in emotional involvement and to a lesser extent trustworthiness, but not expertise and attractiveness. Finally, negative celebrity information led to a change in participants‘ attitudes towards the brand which were more strongly negative for celebrity entrepreneurs than celebrity endorsers. In addition, the effect of negative celebrity information on a company‘s brand is worse when they support the celebrity rather than fire them. However, this effect did not appear to interact with the celebrity‘s purported engagement.

An evaluation of equivalence in body dissatisfaction measurement across cultures

We evaluated gender-based and cross-cultural equivalence of the Body Dissatisfaction Scale of the Body Change Inventory in a sample of 4,005 adolescents from 7 cultures that represent diverse body image ideals and response styles. Results of multigroup confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated equivalence of the scale across gender but not across cultures. Follow-up analyses identified small but significant cross-cultural differences in response styles (specifically, acquiescence and middle response option endorsement) as the source of this noninvariance. We recommend use of this scale for gender-based comparisons but caution that researchers should evaluate the presence of response biases before making substantive conclusions about cross-cultural differences in body dissatisfaction.

Young people's perceptions of the wood products industry : a relational view

The basis for this study was in poor attractiveness of the wood products industry among young people as a field to study and work in. The purpose was to produce new information of how to improve the relationship between young people and the wood products industry in order to better attract young people with different relational orientation. A survey was conducted among students of comprehensive schools and students of wood industry at vocational schools selected by systematic cluster sampling. The final sample consisted of 613 students. The study combined the theories and concepts of relationships, communication and trust of several disciplines. In addition, it applied theories of relationship marketing, stakeholders, publics, involvement and concepts of reputation and values. It studied the central relational elements in the form of antecedents, relationship state and its consequences. The study examined, how young people with different background and level of interest perceive wood industry as a field to study and work in from relational point of view, what are the central deficiencies in perceived relational elements and what are the public relations activities enhancing the relationship between wood industry and young people with less and high interest in the sector. The results indicate poor visibility of the wood industry among young people: unfamiliarity with the industry and unawareness of the opportunities to study in the field. It appeared that instead of increasing only information sharing, interactive communication in different forms is needed. The study also suggests that behaviors of the industry sector advancing perceived trustworthiness are of crucial importance. Moreover, the wood industry needs to pay attention to its behaviors and communication also among other stakeholder groups, especially the media, as reputation plays an important role in building up trust and satisfaction between young people and the sector. Finally, the less and highly interested young people were found to assess the relationship partly through different relational elements. In order to develop the relationship with highly interested young people they should be regarded clearly as future employees of the wood industry through activities affirming that they are desired and valued employees in the sector. Further, openness of information disclosure, whether concerning current situation or future prospects, seems to increase credibility and attractiveness of the wood industry. Highly interested young people were also found to appreciate socially responsible activities. The less interested young people seem to be insecure about the reliability of the wood industry as an employer, as well as, its ability and interest to invest in young people s skills. In addition,involvement in issues relevant for young people was found crucial in enhancing the relationship with the less interested young people.The conclusions of the study provide tools for enhancing the attractiveness of the wood industry among young people not only to the industry itself, but also to its advocates, teachers and student counselors of comprehensive and vocational schools, authorities and policy makers.

Evaluating New Zealand sports stars as celebrity endorsers : intriguing results

Celebrity athlete endorsement of products and services has become prominent in the promotional mixes of New Zealand companies and organisations. For years advertisers and researchers have pondered how successful celebrity athlete endorsement really works. Most suggest some form of transfer of positive images takes place between celebrity and the product or service they are endorsing and source-credibility models have become the preferred research design. The overall objective of this research was to assist sport marketing managers and their advertising agencies in matching celebrities with products and services. An ancillary objective was to compare results obtained from multiple-item and single-item scales. An exploratory study with tertiary students was conducted, using both Ohanian’s (1990) 15 item source-credibility scale and two single-item measures to examine potential “endorsement fit” for four New Zealand sporting heroes. They were Bernice Mene (recently retired national netball team captain), Dean Barker (America’s Cup yachting defender’s helmsman), Mandy Smith (recently retired national women’s hockey team star) and Justin Marshall (All Black rugby’s most capped halfback), all of whom were adjudged by students as physically attractive sports stars. The product reported here against which these athletes were scored was an isotonic sports drink. Results were mixed; the Ohanian source-credibility scale yielded selection of different celebrity athletes to the single-item measures. The research results show that matching celebrities to products for potential endorsement opportunities is a complex issue, leaving scope for judgement and intuition alongside quantification. Still unresolved is the question of multiple-item measures versus single-item measures in advertising and service research.

Advertising and Celebrity Endorsement in Burma

Burma (or Myanmar) is not a place that people normally associate with the glamour of film stars, or the fun and frivolity of celebrities, unlike in neighbouring India or Thailand. But each year the very matter-of-factly named ‘Myanmar Economics Import/Export VCD’ company produces a disk of the year’s most memorable television ads, showcasing some of the many Burmese celebrities on television at the moment. As a testament to the catchiness of the ads, disks have become so popular that they can be bought on street corners in Yangon for about 1000 Kyats (US$1). Though advertising in Burma is highly vetted for political content, much like film and print media, the samples featured show a surprising array of entertaining themes and ideas. Much of television advertising, in some way or another, draws upon the profiles of versatile Burmese celebrities to engage and build brand value.

Measuring source credibility of social engineering attackers on Facebook

Past research has suggested that social networking sites are the most common source for social engineering-based attacks. Persuasion research shows that people are more likely to obey and accept a message when the source’s presentation appears to be credible. However, many factors can impact the perceived credibility of a source, depending on its type and the characteristics of the environment. Our previous research showed that there are four dimensions of source credibility in terms of social engineering on Facebook: perceived sincerity, perceived competence, perceived attraction, and perceived worthiness. Because the dimensionalities of source credibility as well as their measurement scales can fluctuate from one type of source to another and from one type of context to another, our aim in this study includes validating the existence of those four dimensions toward the credibility of social engineering attackers on Facebook and developing a valid measurement scale for every dimension of them.

E-entrepreneurship and open source software

As the first stage of a larger project, this paper presents experiences of two e-Entrepreneurs in the light of Open Source Software (OSS) being accepted globally. Unlike proprietary software (such as Windows), OSS comes with its internal details visible to its users. The significant implications of this unique style of software distribution for e-Entrepreneurs are examined. Recommendations arising from the interviews include the need to be technically competent; understanding the reasons behind adopting this strategy; and identifying and addressing customers' requirements. Authors also found similarities between traits (such as being visionary; being responsive to market changes) which make an entrepreneur and e-Entrepreneurs successful.

Influence of credibility, warnings, and source-monitoring questions on the misinformation effect.

Introduction. Erroneous answers in studies on the misinformation effect (ME) can be reduced in different ways. In some studies, ME was reduced by SM questions, warnings, or a low credibility of the source of post-event information (PEI). Results are inconsistent, however. Of course, a participant can deliberately decide to refrain from reporting a critical item only when the difference between the original event and the PEI is distinguishable in principle. We were interested in the question to what extent the influence of erroneous information on a central aspect of the original event can be reduced by different means applied singly or in combination. Method. With a 2 (credibility; high vs. low) x 2 (warning; present vs. absent) between subjects design and an additional control group that received neither misinformation nor a warning (N = 116), we examined the above-mentioned factors’ influence on the ME. Participants viewed a short video of a robbery. The critical item suggested in the PEI was that the victim was given a kick by the perpetrator (which he was actually not). The memory test consisted of a two-forced-choice recognition test followed by a SM test. Results. To our surprise, neither a main effect of erroneous PEI nor a main effect of credibility was found. The error rates for the critical item in the control group (50%) as well as in the high (65%) and low (52%) credibility condition without warning did not significantly differ. A warning about possible misleading information in the PEI significantly reduced the influence of misinformation in both credibility conditions by 32-37%. Using a SM question significantly reduced the error rate too, but only in the high credibility no warning condition. Conclusion and Future Research. Our results show that, contrary to a warning or the use of a SM question, low source credibility did not reduce the ME. The most striking finding was, however, the absence of a main effect of erroneous PEI. Due to the high error rate in the control group, we suspect that the wrong answers might have been caused either by the response format (recognition test) or by autosuggestion possibly promoted by the high schema-consistency of the critical item. First results of a post-study in which we used open-ended questions before the recognition test support the former assumption. Results of a replication of this study using open-ended questions prior to the recognition test will be available by June.

How source credibility and message claims interact in determining advertising effectiveness

Credible endorsers are often used in advertisements. However, there is conflicting evidence on the role source credibility plays in persuasion. Early research found that source credibility affects persuasion when subjects pay attention to the communication. Other research indicates that a credible source enhances persuasion when people do not scrutinize the message claims carefully and thoroughly. This effect is opposite to what was indicated by early research. More recent research indicates that source credibility may affect persuasion when people scrutinize the message claims, but limits this effect to advertisements with certain type of claims (i.e., ambiguous or extreme claims). This dissertation proposes that source credibility might play a broader role during persuasion than suggested by the empirical literature. Source credibility may affect persuasion, at low levels of involvement, by serving as a peripheral cue. It may also affect persuasion, at high involvement, by serving as an argument or biasing elaboration. ^ Each of these possibilities was explored in an experiment using a 3 (source credibility) x 2 (type of claim) x 2 (levels of involvement) full factorial design. The sample consisted of 180 undergraduate students from a major southeastern University. ^ Results indicated that, at high levels of involvement, the credibility of the source affected persuasion. This effect was due to source credibility acting as an argument within the advertisement. This study did not find that source credibility affected persuasion by biasing elaboration, at high involvement, or by serving as a peripheral cue, at low involvement. ^

A Influência do endosso de blogueiras no comportamento das consumidoras de moda no Brasil

The study about the celebrity endorsement has relevance for both the academia and businesses seeking to retain and attract customers through marketing communications. However, most researches conducted analyzes celebrities from the artistic or sports, and study the endorsement in print media or on TV. Few studies analyze the endorsement of influencers in social media. Observing this gap, the aim of this study is to verify if the endorsement of fashion bloggers influence on purchase intention of Brazilian consumers. In addition, other factors were analyzed for better understanding of the fashion consumer behavior: evaluation of the product, brand awareness, brand loyalty, product quality, involvement with fashion, and credibility of the endorser. Therefore, it held two studies. The first consisted of a qualitative exploratory research, which used focus groups to identify and understand how social media affect the behavior of consumers of fashion products. Among the main results of this study, we highlight the Instagram appointed unanimously as the main social media used by respondents for information on fashion, and the mention of blogger Thássia Naves as the main source of fashion reference in social media. In the second study was undertaken an experiment in which half of the sample had access to the image of a dress used by the blogger Thássia Naves on her Instagram, while the other half had access to dress image disclosed at the online store website of the product brand. The number of valid responses considered for the study was 465. To test the hypotheses of the study, we applied the t test for independent samples and ANOVA test for more than two groups. The survey results supported 5 of 8 hypotheses proposed. which were: The endorsement of the fashion blogger has a positive effect on purchase intention of the endorsed product (H1); The endorsement of the fashion blogger has a positive effect on the evaluation of the endorsed product (H2); The credibility of the fashion blogger has a positive effect on purchase intention of the endorsed product (H3); The credibility of the fashion blogger has a positive effect on the evaluation of the endorsed product (H4); and the credibility of the fashion blogger has a positive effect on brand awareness (H5). The other hypotheses have been disproved: The credibility of the fashion blogger has a positive effect on brand loyalty (H6); The credibility of the fashion blogger has a positive effect on the perception of quality (H7); and the credibility of the fashion blogger has a positive effect on involvement with fashion (H8).Within the scope of further analysis, it was found that involvement with fashion positively interfere in purchase intent, the evaluation of the product, brand awareness, loyalty to the brand, the pursuit of product quality and credibility of the endorser. Moreover, it was found that the frequency of access to Instagram for fashion information positively affects the purchase intention, in evaluating the product, the brand awareness in brand loyalty, involvement with fashion, and credibility endorser.

You ain´t seen nothing yet. : Transparency’s (lack of) Effect on Source and Message Credibility

Transparency has been proposed to both change the way journalism is being produced and increase its credibility. However, little research has been conducted to assess the connection between transparency and credibility. This study utilizes an experimental setting (N=1320) to measure what impact transparency have on source and message credibility from the user perspective. The results reveals an almost absence of any transparency effect on both source and message credibility although some small significant effects could be observed primarily regarding internal hyperlinks, comments and contextual information. Although further research is desperately needed in this area the study suggest that transparency does not affect the credibility of journalism in the eyes of the contemporary audience and thus have limited appeal as a new norm in journalism.

The effects of celebrity endorsement on the consumers’ perceptions towards global brands

Brands are those lifestyles which consumers chose to buy in order to gain the value offered by the company, in order to be part of the community created through the brand equity elements and validated in the purchase of the products. Companies have understood how important it is to build a strong brand and many of them spend millions on aligning the brand with the design and style of the products, projecting the face and values of the company into the advertising campaigns. One of the most popular methods is through endorsement, placing a renounced celebrity and leveraging on the positive feedback of those customers that also follow the activities of the star whose face is on the cover of the marcom campaign. Celebrities have been used for a very long time to promote brands, sell products and services. Research has shown that those spokesmen of a brand who are more attractive can improve the statistics of recall and appeal more interest to the promotion campaign, as well as influence more on customer’s intention of buying the product (Kahle and Homer, 1985). The main purpose of this research is to investigate how celebrity endorsements influence the brand equity dimensions (brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality and brand associations) as well as stimulate consumers’ word-of-mouth through brand identification, growth in interest and the advertising memorability. The hypotheses were tested with the aid of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in the PLS (Partial Least Squares) software. The survey is comprised of a target group of 589 respondents, from three countries – Brazil, Moldova and Portugal. Results evidence that the Attitude towards the Celebrity influences different Brand Equity dimensions and affects brand identification, growth in advertisement interest and advertising memorability, generating positive word of mouth (or negative, depending on the type of advertisement and reputation). Based on these findings we suggest further investigation in this area with the possibility to gain more data about the different fields of marcom and the different types of CE which are more appropriate for the given type of business.