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An Investigation into the “Match-up” Hypothesis in Celebrity Advertising: When Beauty May Be Only Skin Deep
Journal of Advertising
Abstract
This study represents a supportive test of the attractiveness aspect of the “match-up” hypothesis of celebrity/product congruence discussed in depth by Kahle and Homer (1985). The hypothesis implies that the physical attractiveness of a celebrity endorser may only enhance both product- and ad-based evaluations if the product's characteristics “match-up” with the image conveyed by the celebrity. Empirically, it was found that for an attractiveness-related product, use of a physically attractive celebrity (Tom Selleck) was observed to significantly enhance measures of spokesperson credibility and attitude toward an ad, relative to use of a physically unattractive celebrity (Telly Savalas). Alternatively, the physically attractive celebrity was found to have no effect on various spokesperson-, product-and ad-based dependent measures relative to the physically unattractive celebrity for an attractiveness-unrelated product. Implications of these findings for advertising strategy are discussed, and directions for future research are outlined.
... This implies that CGIs must appear realistic and accessible enough to generate a sense of personal connection. Kamins (1990) suggests person-product congruence theory, which postulates that the effectiveness of a product promotion depends on the alignment or congruence between the endorser and the product. This means that the perceived similarity between the influencer and the product can enhance persuasion and purchase intent. ...
... To select the most relevant papers on the topic, several inclusion criteria were used, including studies published between 2000 and 2024, but with exceptions for seminal papers that contribute with key theories because of their relevance in constructing fundamental theoretical frameworks. For example, theories of social influence (Kelman, 1958), social presence (Short et al., 1976), and person-product congruence (Kamins, 1990) are essential for contextualizing and analysing the results of the present study. ...
... Total control over the CGIs image and message is another very important reason, as this way brands ensure that influencers can align perfectly with the brand's identity. According to Kamins (1990), congruence between endorser and product is essential for promotional effectiveness, and virtual influencers can be digitally adjusted to meet this congruence, aligning more closely to the brand. Also, virtual influencers can maintain constant and personalized interaction with their audiences, so human limitations of time and availability are not an issue. ...
This scoping review analyzes the influence of computer-generated influencers compared to human influencers on marketing strategies and consumer perception, and explores their advantages or disadvantages in aspects of consumer engagement, perceived authenticity and the effectiveness of advertising campaigns
... Signalling theory (Spence, 1973) explains how online reviews and celebrity endorsements act as signals that reduce information asymmetry, allowing consumers to gauge service quality and brand credibility (Connelly et al., 2011). The match-up hypothesis (Kamins, 1990) further underscores the importance of congruence between the endorser and the healthcare service in enhancing brand reputation (Hwang and Zhang, 2018). Finally, the ELM (Petty and Cacioppo, 1986) illustrates how consumers process online reviews and their influence on brand perceptions, with positive reviews contributing to a stronger brand reputation (Cheung et al., 2008;Shiva et al., 2023). ...
... Empirical research has consistently indicated that consumers tend to hold more favourable perceptions of aesthetically pleasing celebrities, which subsequently results in significantly enhanced attitudes and preferences directed towards those individuals and the products or services they endorse (Eisend, 2009;Kahle and Homer, 1985). The dimension of attractiveness possesses the capacity to markedly affect the efficacy of celebrity endorsements by establishing a beneficial halo effect; this phenomenon occurs when the positive attributes associated with physical attractiveness are seamlessly transferred to the product or brand that is being endorsed (Kamins, 1990;Kushwaha, 2024). This particular phenomenon accentuates the critical importance of physical attractiveness in the realm of celebrity endorsements, thereby illuminating its substantial impact on the attitudes and behaviours exhibited by consumers. ...
... The strategic deployment of celebrity endorsements has been empirically demonstrated to exert a positive influence on consumers' attitudes toward brands, as the presence of a celebrity endorser effectively assists in crafting a more favourable and aspirational image for the brand in the eyes of consumers (Till and Busler, 2000). A favourable attitude toward the celebrity who endorses a brand serves to enhance both the perceived credibility and attractiveness of the brand among consumers, thereby contributing to a more positive overall perception (Kamins, 1990;Jenkins et al., 2020). Erdogan (1999) asserts that when consumers harbour a positive opinion of a celebrity, this favourable perception frequently translates into a positive attitude toward the brand itself, particularly when the values espoused by the celebrity align closely with the image that the brand seeks to project (Zhou and Kraak, 2022). ...
Impact of Online Reviews and Celebrity Endorsement on the Brand Reputation of Health Care Services: Evidence from India .
by Saifuddin Ahmad, Ved Srivastava, Raj Kumar Mishra, Yusuf Kamal
Abstract: This research examines the effects of online reviews and celebrity endorsements on the brand reputation of healthcare services. Empirical data were gathered through a survey using 32 scale items that were adapted and refined from previous studies. These items were specifically crafted to assess eight essential variables associated with celebrity endorsement and brand reputation. A purposive sampling methodology was utilised to select 524 online purchasers from e-commerce platforms operating in India. The findings indicate that Celebrity Attractiveness, Celebrity Credibility, and Online Reviews exert a significant influence on consumer perceptions of celebrities within the Indian healthcare industry. Moreover, Online Reviews, Brand Awareness, and Brand Loyalty exert a positive effect on Brand Attitude. Additionally, Attitude Toward Celebrity has a substantial positive impact on both Brand Attitude and Brand Reputation. The results underscore the pivotal importance of online reviews and celebrity endorsements in shaping the brand reputation of healthcare services in India.
Keywords: Celebrity Endorsement; Brand Reputation; Celebrity Attractiveness; Celebrity Credibility; Online Reviews.
DOI: 10.1504/IJPMB.2024.10068318
... Another strategy to incorporate gay presenters in advertising without alienating mainstream audience is to focus on a match between the image or stereotype of the presenters and the products in the ads (Choi and Rifon 2012;Kamins 1990;Kamins and Gupta 1994). According to the match-up hypothesis, for effective advertising to take place, a presenter's image and the image of the brand should be congruent (Kamins 1990). ...
... Another strategy to incorporate gay presenters in advertising without alienating mainstream audience is to focus on a match between the image or stereotype of the presenters and the products in the ads (Choi and Rifon 2012;Kamins 1990;Kamins and Gupta 1994). According to the match-up hypothesis, for effective advertising to take place, a presenter's image and the image of the brand should be congruent (Kamins 1990). Thus, in gay and lesbian advertising literature, researchers discovered that when the product in the ad was consistent with a sexual orientation stereotype, participants had a more positive attitude toward the ad as well as greater intention to spread or use positive word-of-mouth (Pounders and Mabry-Flynn 2016). ...
This research examines how consumer religiosity moderates heterosexual consumers' responses to ads featuring gay versus heterosexual models for luxury and value brands. Past research shows that using gay models in luxury ads can increase positive responses among heterosexual consumers due to stereotypical associations between gay men and luxury consumption. A 2 (gay vs. heterosexual models) × 2 (luxury vs. value brand) × moderating variable (religiosity) experiment was conducted with 332 heterosexual participants. Results showed a three-way interaction effect on attitude and product evaluation. For low-religiosity consumers, gay models increased ad attitude and product evaluation for luxury but not value brands. However, for high-religiosity consumers, heterosexual models garnered more positive responses regardless of brand type. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering consumer religiosity and product type in utilizing gay imagery. Matching models to audience religiosity and brand associations can enhance ad effectiveness.
... Previous studies have attempted to determine the influencing factors affecting purchase intentions, categorizing them into seven critical factors: trustworthiness (Aggad & Ahmad, 2021;Chekima et al., 2020;Suprawan, 2021); expertise (AlFarraj et al., 2021;Chaovalit, 2014); attractiveness (Chekima et al., 2020;Wiedmann & von Mettenheim, 2021); brand relevance (Kamins, 1990;Kamins & Gupta, 1994); interaction with customers (Reinikainen et al., 2020); helpfulness (Coyle et al., 2012); and advertising value (Gangadharbatla & Daugherty, 2013). Many researchers have acknowledged the positive effects of these factors on customers' buying intentions. ...
... The relevance of an influencer to a brand is determined by the extent of alignment between the qualities associated with the individual and the attributes of the brand itself (Kirmani & Shiv, 1998). Kamins (1990) underscored the need for celebrity images and product messages to harmonize effectively for optimal advertising. Similarly, according to Misra & Beatty (1990), Kamins & Gupta (1994), and Janssen et al. (2021), promoting a product through celebrities with images suitable for the products can enhance the credibility of both the product and celebrities, thereby increasing the intention to buy the product. ...
By incorporating the theories of reasoned action, word of mouth, electronic word of mouth, and the brand identity model, this paper proposes a model including eight independent and two moderating factors to assess the impact of influencer marketing on Vietnamese Generation Z’s purchasing decisions regarding beauty products. The model was evaluated via structural equation modeling on the basis of data collected from a survey of 1261 participants and in-depth interviews with 10 persons in Vietnam. The results revealed that influencers’ trustworthiness is a critical factor shaping Vietnamese Generation Z’s purchasing decisions, both directly and indirectly. However, the extent of this impact varies depending on the influencer’s level of fame and the type of advertised product. While influencers’ attractiveness and the information and entertainment value of the advertisement affect them indirectly through both moderating factors, influencers’ relevance impacts purchasing decisions solely via brand image. On the basis of these findings, this paper asserts that beauty businesses operating in Vietnam should prioritize the selection of trustworthy influencers with healthy, positive, creative, and close-to-youth lifestyles. Additionally, businesses should actively engage in initiatives that strengthen the relationship between Generation Z and influencers, fostering deeper brand–cousumer connections.
... The celebrity's personality must match the product to create a positive consumer response to advertising (Crespo et al., 2024;Jun et al., 2023;Kamins, 1990;Kamins & Gupta, 1994)). In this way, consumers' perceptions of celebrities are influenced by their prior perceptions of the celebrity's previous advertising. ...
... However, companies must not just choose but select their brand ambassadors carefully for various reasons, making research on this topic not just valuable but necessary. Advertising is more effective when the characteristics of a company's products align with those of its ambassadors (Kamins, 1990;Kamins & Gupta, 1994;Liang et al., 2022). Despite investing significant time and energy in finding a celebrity whose characteristics match their brand, concerns about the selection of brand ambassadors often persist (Carrillat et al., 2013;Danaswari & Hidayati, 2024;Louie & Obermiller, 2002). ...
... This insight aligns with the match-up hypothesis (Kamins, 1990), suggesting that the effectiveness of an influencer depends on the compatibility between their image and the endorsed product or destination. For instance, Li (2023) shows that VIs are more effective in promoting destinations associated with competence (e.g., innovation-driven cities), whereas human influencers perform better when warmth and social connection are central (e.g., romantic or heritage-focused locales). ...
... The strategic value of VIs is thus highly context-dependent. As supported by the match-up hypothesis (Kamins, 1990) and source credibility theory (Hovland et al., 1953), VIs perform best in campaigns where their image, expertise, and symbolic cues align with product attributes-particularly in domains emphasizing innovation, aesthetics, or competence (Li, 2023;Liu & Lee, 2024). In contrast, human influencers remain more effective in contexts demanding emotional authenticity, interpersonal warmth, or culturally grounded storytelling (Hofeditz et al., 2022). ...
This chapter explores the growing phenomenon of Virtual Influencers (VIs) in digital advertising and their transformative impact on brand communication. As artificial intelligence and computer-generated imagery enable the creation of lifelike digital personas, VIs offer marketers a new set of tools to engage consumers across global markets. The chapter examines the theoretical foundations of parasocial interaction and source credibility to understand how audiences respond to these non-human figures.
... Attractiveness not only makes the influencer more persuasive but also increases the likelihood that consumers will buy the products they endorse. According to Kamins (1990), physical attractiveness can positively impact consumers' attitudes towards specific products and increase their purchase intentions. This is especially valid for virtual influencers, whose flawless and idealised appearances can create a strong aspirational appeal; consumers often want to attain the lifestyle or appearance of a specific influencer, which motivates them to purchase the products being endorsed (Knoll and Matthes, 2017). ...
... However, an attractive appearance may not be significant in the context of purchasing intentions when this factor's P-value is higher than 0.05 (0.455). This finding contrasts with Kamins (1990), who found that purchase intentions and consumer attitudes regarding a product can be impacted positively by an influencer's physical appearance. It could be existed several differences between VIs and SMIs in terms of physical attractiveness. ...
... Attractiveness not only makes the influencer more persuasive but also increases the likelihood that consumers will buy the products they endorse. According to Kamins (1990), physical attractiveness can positively impact consumers' attitudes towards specific products and increase their purchase intentions. This is especially valid for virtual influencers, whose flawless and idealised appearances can create a strong aspirational appeal; consumers often want to attain the lifestyle or appearance of a specific influencer, which motivates them to purchase the products being endorsed (Knoll and Matthes, 2017). ...
... However, an attractive appearance may not be significant in the context of purchasing intentions when this factor's P-value is higher than 0.05 (0.455). This finding contrasts with Kamins (1990), who found that purchase intentions and consumer attitudes regarding a product can be impacted positively by an influencer's physical appearance. It could be existed several differences between VIs and SMIs in terms of physical attractiveness. ...
The increase in the number of AI influencers has significantly impacted social media marketing, particularly influencer marketing. To attract customers and encourage them to purchase products, firms need to identify the ideal virtual influencers for their businesses. Through the attachment between customers and influencers, firms may explore directions for influencer marketing strategies. This research aims to explore different dimensions of virtual influencers (VIs) by exploring social media influencers (SMIs) and computer-generated imagery (CGI) theory. Empirical research is implemented to analyse data collected from 299 respondents, alongside quantitative partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) research supported by Smart PLS software. The findings highlight that human likeness, source credibility, and attractive appearance have a positive influence on customer-influencer attachment and enhance purchasing intention. Through these results, this study also contributes several implications for managerial strategy and theoretical implications for further research.
... Attractiveness not only makes the influencer more persuasive but also increases the likelihood that consumers will buy the products they endorse. According to Kamins (1990), physical attractiveness can positively impact consumers' attitudes towards specific products and increase their purchase intentions. This is especially valid for virtual influencers, whose flawless and idealised appearances can create a strong aspirational appeal; consumers often want to attain the lifestyle or appearance of a specific influencer, which motivates them to purchase the products being endorsed (Knoll and Matthes, 2017). ...
... However, an attractive appearance may not be significant in the context of purchasing intentions when this factor's P-value is higher than 0.05 (0.455). This finding contrasts with Kamins (1990), who found that purchase intentions and consumer attitudes regarding a product can be impacted positively by an influencer's physical appearance. It could be existed several differences between VIs and SMIs in terms of physical attractiveness. ...
... S'appuyant sur l'hypothèse du match-up, plusieurs recherches démontrent que l'endossement est plus efficace lorsque l'image et le message transmis par l'endosseur sont cohérents avec ceux du produit endossé par celui-ci (Kahle et Homer, 1985, Kamins et Gupta, 1994Till et Busler, 1998 ;Misra et Beatty, 1990). D'ailleurs, une forte congruence entre l'endosseur et le produit ou la marque influence positivement la mémorisation de la marque (Misra et Beatty, 1990), l'attitude à l'égard de la publicité (Kamins, 1990) et l'attitude envers la marque (Kahle et Homer, 1985 ;Till et Buster, 2000). Certaines études ont abordé la notion de congruence en établissant un lien entre le type d'endosseur et la nature du produit endossé (Biswas et al., 2006 ;Kamins et Gupta, 1994 ;Schimmelpfennig, 2018). ...
... Certaines études ont étendu la théorie de la crédibilité de la source en intégrant l'attractivité de l'endosseur comme une troisième dimension de la crédibilité. Ils montrent que l'exposition d'une audience à des endosseurs attractifs influence positivement son attitude à l'égard du produit, la mémorisation de la marque et son intention d'achat (Kahle et Homer, 1985 ;Kamins, 1990). En tant qu'endosseurs, les influenceurs sont considérés comme une source d'information plus crédible que les célébrités (Schouten et al., 2020 ;Djafarova et Rushworth, 2017 ;Uzunoglu et Kip, 2014). ...
... Previous research has shown that celebrity endorsements increase consumer intention to purchase (Daneshvary & Schwer, 2000;Friedman et al., 1976;Kamins, 1990;Knight & Young Kim, 2007;Pradhan et al., 2014). And consumers' purchase intention is even higher when the endorsed celebrity is perceived as a credible endorser (Lafferty & Goldsmith, 1999). ...
... However, these findings contradict the arguments presented by Kamins (1990) and Till and Shimp (1998). Those studies indicate that the credibility of the celebrity has no significant impact on consumers' attitudes toward the brand. ...
Celebrity endorsement is recognized as the most preferred marketing communication tool of modern consumers when enhancing brand recognition and customer purchase intention as well. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between celebrity credibility, attitude towards the brand, and customer purchase intention of malted milk consumers in Western Province, Sri Lanka. It also fills the empirical gap in the literature, while making a valuable contribution to the very limited literature in Sri Lankan context on the relationship between celebrity credibility and purchase intention. The author adopted a quantitative research approach and collected data through a closed-ended questionnaire administered online. The sample population of the study was the malted milk consumers of Western Province aged between 18-60. The snowball sampling method was used when selecting the sample out of the total population. The data for the study was
collected from 441 respondents but only 424 were eligible for the study. Based on the statistical analysis done through SPSS, all four hypotheses developed were accepted. It was revealed that attitude towards the brand has reduced the strength of the direct relationship between celebrity credibility and purchase intention by acting as the mediator. This study not only fills the empirical gap but also provides valuable insights for academics, theoretical understandings, societal dynamics, and practical guidance for decision-makers and managers in various sectors to understand and address issues related to celebrity credibility, attitude towards brand, and purchase intention.
... Il modello dell'"Ipotesi del Match-Up del prodotto" fa riferimento al fatto che, per ottenere un messaggio efficace, il messaggio trasmesso dalla celebrità e quello tramesso dal prodotto devono essere congruenti (Kamins, 1990). Nello specifico, il legame fa riferimento alla corrispondenza di determinate caratteristiche della persona con specifici attributi del brand. ...
... In questo senso, un portavoce "attraente" nella pubblicità genera nella mente dei consumatori una fonte efficace di informazioni in relazione al prodotto correlato. Secondo quanto sostenuto da Kamins (1990), l'utilizzo di un modello particolarmente attraente per una campagna pubblicitaria può suscitare intrinsecamente nella mente dei consumatori l'idea che l'utilizzo di quel determinato brand possa aumentare la loro attrattività, fornendo così un'informazione adattiva. La "teoria dell'apprendimento associativo" spiega invece che la struttura della rete associativa della memoria di una persona contiene un determinato modello di concetti connessi tra loro. ...
... Attractiveness not only makes the influencer more persuasive but also increases the likelihood that consumers will buy the products they endorse. According to Kamins (1990), physical attractiveness can positively impact consumers' attitudes towards specific products and increase their purchase intentions. This is especially valid for virtual influencers, whose flawless and idealised appearances can create a strong aspirational appeal; consumers often want to attain the lifestyle or appearance of a specific influencer, which motivates them to purchase the products being endorsed (Knoll and Matthes, 2017). ...
... However, an attractive appearance may not be significant in the context of purchasing intentions when this factor's P-value is higher than 0.05 (0.455). This finding contrasts with Kamins (1990), who found that purchase intentions and consumer attitudes regarding a product can be impacted positively by an influencer's physical appearance. It could be existed several differences between VIs and SMIs in terms of physical attractiveness. ...
The increase in the number of AI influencers has significantly impacted social media marketing, particularly influencer marketing. To attract customers and encourage them to purchase products, firms need to identify the ideal virtual influencers for their businesses. Through the attachment between customers and influencers, firms may explore directions for influencer marketing strategies. This research aims to explore different dimensions of virtual influencers (VIs) by exploring social media influencers (SMIs) and computer-generated imagery (CGI) theory. Empirical research is implemented to analyse data collected from 299 respondents, alongside quantitative partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) research supported by Smart PLS software. The findings highlight that human likeness, source credibility, and attractive appearance have a positive influence on customer-influencer attachment and enhance purchasing intention. Through these results, this study also contributes several implications for managerial strategy and theoretical implications for further research.
... Para el consumidor la credibilidad de la fuente que encuentra en el mensaje persuasivo tiene importancia en su aceptación; al tratarse de figuras como celebridades, la atención al mensaje será diferente; de acuerdo con Hedhli et al. (2021), al aplicar las nociones de "internalización de la fuente (ruta central)" e "identificación de la fuente (ruta periférica)" descritas por Kelman (1961), la julio-diciembre de 2024 Efecto de normas de persuasión en el servicio personal shopper ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978 credibilidad de la fuente puede tener un papel dual conexo, periférico y central, en un contexto de persuasión. La atención al contenido y los detalles del mensaje sugiere que existen interacciones entre las características de la fuente y la categoría del producto (Kang & Herr, 2006); una característica de la fuente solo tendrá efectividad en el mensaje si se combina con el producto adecuado; un ejemplo de ello es que los modelos físicamente atractivos no necesariamente funcionan para computadores (Kamins, 1990). Sin embargo, de acuerdo con Celsi & Olson (1988), la categoría de producto es un determinante clave de la participación y motivación duraderas del consumidor, por lo que su interés y atención al mensaje aumentan al tratarse de bienes mayores como un computador. ...
... En este aspecto, es viable suponer que las intenciones y actitudes en torno a la adquisición de servicios de asesoramiento para la compra de equipos de cómputo, pueden estar influenciadas por las características inherentes al posicionamiento de marca, calidad percibida y servicio posventa, dado el mayor grado de riesgo económico e involucramiento al momento de asumir una compra tecnológica (Celsi & Olson, 1988). Sin embargo, es claro que, si se trata de la variable comunicativa, algunas características como la credibilidad y reconocimiento de la fuente pueden incrementar la atención hacia los mensajes y su capacidad persuasiva (Hedhli et al., 2021), sin desconocer que los modelos atractivos no siempre funcionan para compra de computadores (Kamins, 1990). En este sentido, tal como se encontró en el presente estudio y lo sugerido por Kang & Herr (2006), las características de la fuente y el tipo de producto pueden interactuar para generar procesos atencionales y persuasivos en el consumidor. ...
Some key disadvantages of online computer sales stem from unmet consumer expectations, insufficient product knowledge, and product returns. This study examined cognitive route factors and persuasive norms in online advertisements to determine the purchase intention of personal shopper services for laptops. Covariates included gender, educational level, marital status, prior shopping experiences, monthly income, and workplace location. The results approach indicate that peripheral route advertising messages positively impact the purchase intention of personal shopper services, especially among women. Findings also demonstrate that monthly income and educational level influence the purchase intention of laptops when aided by a personal shopper. It was found that women prefer personal shoppers providing clear responses, while men prefer those with technical knowledge. Additionally, women prefer to pay for the personal shopper service as 3% of the purchase value, whereas men favoured a single payment. Finally, the purchase intention for the personal shopper service is higher among women. The potential effects of advertising messages on the purchase intentionof the service are discussed.
... Hovland, Janis and Keller (1953) popularized the term "source credibility" by concluding that perceived expertise and trustworthiness were inherent in the concept of source credibility, where expertise defined as "an individual's superior ability to solve problems in a given area" (Chase and Simon, 1973) and trustworthiness was defined as "the degree of confidence that respondent has in the communicator's intentions and ability to make valid assertion" (Hovland et al. 1953). In addition to this, McGuire (1985) has defined source attractiveness in "Source Valence" model which refers to the perceived attractiveness of the source (Kahle and Homer, 1985;Ohanian, 1991;Kamins 1990). In fact, Ohanian (1990) adapted two components from this "Source credibility model" and one component from "Source Valence model" and developed tri-component scale to measure source credibility i.e. ...
This comparative study contains an analysis of effectiveness of advertisements endorsement by celebrity versus created spokes-character. Endorsements can either be in the form of a celebrity acting as a spokesperson for an organization or the organization can create a spokesperson to act as an endorser. The problem that marketers face is of little scientific proof exists if youngsters perceive celebrity endorsements and created spokes-character differently with regards to their expertise and trustworthiness. The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of youth respondents with regards to expertise, trustworthiness and attractiveness of celebrity endorsements and created spokes-character in advertisements. The result showed that the overall credibility of celebrity endorsers was higher than spokes-character endorsers. This knowledge will provide strategic advantage to the marketing professionals regarding how and when to make use of created spokes-character and when to use celebrity for endorsement of their brand.
... 1953). In addition to this, McGuire (1985) has defined source attractiveness in "Source Valence" model which refers to the perceived attractiveness of the source (Kahle and Homer 1985; Ohanian 1991; Kamins 1990). In fact, Ohanian (1990) Petty and Cacioppo (1986) provided Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and founded that endorser serves as a cue during peripheral processing. ...
This study tries to fill this gap, by investigating the impact of created spokes – character credibility (trustworthiness, attractiveness and expertise) on attitude towards the advertisement, attitude towards brand and purchase intention by conducting an experiment.
... Hypothesis H3 is also rejected, indicating that celebrity endorsement doesn't significantly affect brand awareness. This result aligns with the Theory of Celebrity-Brand Congruence which suggests that the absence of convergence between a celebrity's image and the brand weakens the endorsement's impact (Kamins, 1990). ...
This study explores the impact of influencer credibility, user-generated content (UGC), and celebrity endorsement on purchase intention among Generation Z in Jabodetabek, with brand awareness as a mediating variable. This study collected data from 186 respondents who were skincare products users and the data were analyzed by using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that UGC and brand awareness significantly and positively influence purchase intention. However, influencer credibility and celebrity endorsement do not affect purchase intention significantly. Furthermore, brand awareness does not mediate the impact of influencer credibility and celebrity endorsement on purchase intention. These findings highlight the importance of prioritizing user-generated content and brand awareness in shaping consumer’s purchase intention. Moreover, for skincare companies, focusing on authentic user interactions and fostering brand familiarity can enhance marketing strategies, particularly in competitive digital environments. Furthermore, this study offers insights regarding how digital marketing elements influence consumer’s behavior and provides feasible recommendations for businesses who target young and media-savvy customers. The results underline the evolving role of digital content and branding in driving purchase intentions, suggesting that companies should adapt their strategies to align with the expectations of Generation Z, who value relatability and authenticity.
... The match-up hypothesis posits that an endorsement is more effective when the celebrity's attributes align with those of the product (Erdogan, 1999;Hussain et al., 2021). This theory emphasizes congruence based on characteristics such as attractiveness or expertise (Kamins, 1990). When the endorser's image complements the brand, consumer responses tend to be more favorable (Choi & Rifon, 2012). ...
Purpose: This study investigates the impact of product/celebrity match on consumers’ purchase intentions in the Egyptian real estate market. While celebrity endorsements are widely used across industries, limited research has explored their role in high-involvement sectors like real estate, particularly within developing countries. Methodology: A quantitative research approach was employed using a structured questionnaire distributed online to a sample of 384 Egyptian respondents. Data were analyzed using SPSS, including reliability, validity, frequency, and correlation analyses. Findings: The findings reveal a statistically significant relationship between product/celebrity match and purchase intentions, suggesting that alignment between a celebrity’s image and the real estate brand enhances consumer buying behavior. Implications: The study offers practical insights for marketers on selecting endorsers whose public personas align with the brand identity of the property being promoted. Originality: This research contributes original value by extending the application of the product match-up theory to an understudied industry and geographic context, providing empirical evidence from the underexplored Egyptian market. Subject Area: Business Management, Consumer Behavior, Marketing
... The match-up hypothesis, introduced by Kamins (1990), suggests that the stronger the fit between the endorser and the product, the more effective the endorsement will be. Drawn from the celebrity endorsement literature, the match-up hypothesis is widely applied to social media influencers' context, as they are also considered influential. ...
Recent advancements in social media influencer marketing and growing attention from practitioners have propelled academic investigation. Owing to its enormous potential as a research domain, the influence of social media influencers on consumer purchase intention has gained increasing importance. Motivated by the diverse knowledge of this emerging stream of research, we consolidated the existing body of literature through a systematic literature review (SLR) employing SPAR‐4‐SLR. By integrating 76 articles published in international peer‐reviewed journals between January 2011 and December 2023, our review highlights the key areas of existing research in social media influencers and purchase intention. It provides an organizing framework to assist future research. We attempted to combine the stock of knowledge through the TCCM framework to identify several theories, contexts, characteristics, and methods used in this domain. Our review highlights significant research gaps and directs future research addressing key aspects such as theories, contexts, characteristics, and methodologies. Our findings suggest that future researchers can investigate psychological theories such as social identity, social learning, and social influence theory, among others, in the context of virtual influencers, mom influencers, travel, or food influencers. Additionally, research can examine the negative effect of social media influencers on consumer purchase intention. Further researchers can use eye‐tracking and facial recognition methods to gain deeper insights into social media influencers' effectiveness. Researchers from varied disciplines, such as consumer behavior, psychology, and marketing, can gain insights from this review and conduct research in the future. At the same time, practitioners can implement social media influencer marketing in their businesses.
... In terms of the attractiveness dimension of credibility, Kamins (1990) found that an attractive celebrity endorser had a very positive effect on consumer attitude toward the product. A few recent studies also reported similar findings (Abbas & Billah, 2022;AlFarraj et al., 2021;Wiedmann & Von Mettenheim, 2021). ...
Purpose - This study seeks to help marketers in developing an effective marketing promotional strategy, particularly in the soft drink industry. Celebrity advertising has become a common practice in marketing, but the selection of appropriate celebrities is still a challenge. Among the factors that determine the extent to which celebrity endorsement would be effective, attributes of celebrity are of great importance which include physical attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise of the celebrity. Moreover, the effect of the attributes of celebrity on purchase intention may also be moderated by subjective norms of the consumers as suggested by the theory of planned behavior. Therefore, the present study intends to explore the role of a celebrity’s physical attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise on consumers’ purchase intention along with the moderating role of subjective norms for all three attributes among soft drink consumers in Pakistan. Study Design/methodology/approach - This study involved a survey method. Adapted questionnaires were used for data collection through convenience sampling from 392 participants. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the effect of a celebrity’s physical attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise on the purchase intention of the consumers. Findings - The results showed a significant relationship between celebrity physical attractiveness and purchase intention and between trustworthiness and purchase intention. A non-significant relationship between celebrity expertise and purchase intention was found. Research Practical Implications - The findings of this study can provide a basis for future research and business to understand and predict the behavior of soft drink consumers. It particularly suggests that marketers consider physical attractiveness and trustworthiness more seriously while recruiting celebrities for advertising. Originality/value - Since research on the impact of celebrity endorsement on purchase intention with the moderating role of the subjective norm in the soft drink industry of Pakistan is scarce, the present study is expected to make a new and insightful contribution to the field.
... According to this, attractive sources are broadly evaluated as more intelligent, socially skilled, ethical, and competent (Dion et al., 1972;Eagly et al., 1991;Langlois et al., 2000); and such attractive sources can have reliable positive downstream impacts on attitudes and purchase intentions (e.g., Baker & Churchill Jr., 1977). The well-known matchup hypothesis (Kahle & Homer, 1985;Kamins, 1990) further suggests that source attractiveness has particularly strong persuasive effects for appearance-related products. ...
Crowdsourcing has become an increasingly popular way for marketers to conceive of and design new products. Promoting these with “designed by consumers” claims has proven highly effective in boosting innovation appeal and market success. However, beyond the appeal of the perceived similarity between co‐contributors and customers (Dahl et al., 2015), little is known about the effectiveness of different communication strategies for crowdsourced products. Central to the current investigation is the crucial creative strategy decision about whether to show the co‐contributor in the advertisements and the persuasive role of the co‐contributor's level of physical attractiveness. The use of attractive sources is highly prevalent in standard advertisements and is known to have reliable positive effects in persuading consumers (Mello et al., 2020). In contrast, our research suggests that showing attractive co‐contributors in advertisements for crowdsourced products undermines their unique appeal and can even backfire. Through a series of qualitative and experimental studies, we found that this effect results from two mechanisms: (1) negative persuasion knowledge, where consumers question whether the attractive source is the genuine co‐contributor, and (2) disruption of the similarity appeal that typically makes crowdsourced products well‐received. These findings not only advance our understanding of the effectiveness of “designed by consumers” claims but also contribute significantly to the broader communication and persuasion literature. Importantly, our findings provide managers with actionable strategies for maximizing the commercial success of crowdsourced products.
... Furthermore, despite the numerous studies investigating message sources and message styles, there is a severe shortage of research examining the interaction between the types of sources and types of styles in terms of persuasiveness of a PSA. It is evident that the influence of information is stronger when the target audience perceives a match between the messenger and message content, which is explained by the match-up hypothesis (Kamins 1990). Applying this framework, the anti-vaping PSA is expected to be the most effective when there is a successful match between the message source and style. ...
Introduction. Currently, smoking electronic cigarettes (vaping) is considered one of the most widespread and prominent health concerns among young people, with e-cigarette use among young adults surging annually. So, the development of effective public service advertisements (PSAs) is essential to both inform young adults about the actual consequences of vaping and prevent them from engaging in this behaviour. However, there is still a lack of research on how different aspects of anti-vaping PSAs can influence attitudes and intentions, especially regarding the interaction between these factors. To address this issue, this study examines the effectiveness of PSAs among young adults in Russia by focusing on the impact of various message sources (expert vs. peer) and styles (narrative vs. non-narrative) as well as their interactions based on the match-up hypothesis. Materials and Methods. The study employed a 2x2 factorial between-subjects experimental design to compare the impact of different message sources and styles on behaviour and attitudes, utilising a four-group posttest randomised design and involving vaping bachelor university students (N = 112). Results. Expert message sources were more effective in developing a positive attitude towards PSA than peer sources. Exposure to narratively styled messages was associated with a more negative attitude towards vaping compared to non-narrative ones. Nevertheless, no significant differences were observed in the effect of message sources or message styles on the vaping intention. No significant interaction effect between the message sources and styles was found in terms of their influence on the attitude towards PSA, attitude towards vaping and vaping intention. Conclusion. The findings contribute to the development of more effective anti-vaping advertisements, with implications for public health campaigns. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
... Beyond the functional aspects, emotional motivations rooted in mediated relationships play a significant role in influencing why followers remain engaged with influencers. Attractiveness, in this context, goes beyond the mere physical appeal that was examined in prior literature (Kahle and Homer, 1985;Kamins, 1990). Followers are drawn to influencers whose personalities shine through in their content-those who exude sincerity, thoughtfulness, and authenticity. ...
Purpose
This study aims to explore the perceptions of follower identities among Chinese youth and the formation of these identities within the context of use and gratification theory and mediated relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with 22 individuals who followed digital influencers on various social media platforms, and a general inductive approach was followed to analyze the collected data.
Findings
The research uncovered that influencers’ followers view themselves as learners, advisees, surveillants, friends and sponsors, aligning these identities with their reasons for following influencers. These reasons are classified as either emotionally or functionally driven. The study further highlights the critical role these motivations and identities play in influencing the followers’ intentions to buy products and brands endorsed by influencers. Followers motivated by utilitarian reasons focus more on the product’s functionality and practical value, whereas those attracted to influencers for their unique personalities and perceived personal connections place greater importance on the products’ symbolic value.
Originality/value
Despite the widespread attention the influencer market has garnered, scant literature has deeply explored the psychological mechanisms behind individuals’ behavior in following influencers and their subsequent purchasing intentions. This study introduces new insights into influencer marketing by focusing on followers’ psychological motivations, offering a refined understanding of their impact on the dynamics of digital marketing.
... The "match-up" theory was formally proposed by Kamins (1990), who believed that the consistency between celebrity and product determines the effect of advertisement, that is, the higher the degree of matching between the two, the better the effect of advertisement. Mitchell et al. (1995) demonstrated the impact of consistency between store design (e.g., background, lighting, and music) and products on the customer purchase experience. ...
Purpose—The purpose of this study is to examine the mechanism of scene features (i.e., visual appeal, presence, and scene–product matching) of e-commerce live streaming and how it impacts consumers’ flow and purchase intentions of sporting goods. Design/methodology/approach—To test the hypotheses in the conceptualized model that was developed based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model, sports consumers (N = 340) who watched e-commerce live streaming responded to an online survey administration. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine the research model and test the hypotheses. Findings—The results reveal that scene features positively affect consumer flow experience, in which scene–product matching is the main contributing factor. Moreover, the flow experience plays a critical mediating role in influencing purchase intentions; meanwhile, the moderation role of sport identification was not found to be statistically significant. Originality/value—This study fills the void to explore how scene features of e-commerce live streaming influence consumer behavior associated with sporting goods merchandise through immersed flow experience. Confirming the applicability of the S-O-R model in the sports e-commerce live streaming setting, the findings of this study identify dimensions of scene features of e-commerce live streaming and highlight the significance of developing scene–product congruence features when designing, operating, and promoting live streaming programs while enhancing immersive involvement.
... Existing research shows the mere inclusion of an endorser in an ad does not guarantee successful results (Schouten et al. 2020). It simply provides evidence of a link between the degree to which the image, personality, or expertise of the endorser fits with the product advertised and the endorsed advertisement effectiveness (e.g., Kamins 1990;Kamins and 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Author Accepted Manuscript 1994). Several studies show that when an endorser is perceived to have expertise aligning with the product endorsed, product evaluation and purchase intention are enhanced (e.g., Till and Busler 2000;Fink et al. 2004). ...
Influencers are a crucial strategic component for many brands because of their significant marketing value. This research integrates parasocial and signaling theories to posit that relationship-building signals and promotion-focused signals will differentially impact engagement with sponsored posts. The study investigates the role of linguistic personality and content characteristics in driving engagement on social media platforms, with a focus on how follower size moderates these effects. Text mining techniques are used to construct a data set of 961 sponsored posts from 71 influencers. Findings reveal that linguistic agreement, characteristics of the photo (whether the influencer and/or product appear), and of the text (hashtags and emojis) significantly influence engagement. Multiple facets of this influence are moderated by follower size. Specifically, agreeable language positively impacted engagement, while picturing the product and higher hashtag use negatively impacted engagement. Further, follower size moderated the effect of the variables on engagement such that influencers with larger followings benefit more from conscientious language, fewer hashtags, and inclusion of the influencer in the post photo. Influencers with smaller audiences benefit more from extraverted, agreeable, open, and emotionally stable language strategies. These insights offer practical implications for influencers and marketers, suggesting tailored strategies to optimize content.
... The effectiveness of such endorsements, however, depends heavily on the image congruence between the celebrity and the brand [12]. The Match-Up Hypothesis suggests that consumers are more likely to respond positively to an endorsement when the celebrity's persona aligns with the brand's image [13]. This theory is particularly relevant in luxury branding, where the celebrity often embodies the lifestyle and values that the brand seeks to promote [14]. ...
This paper explores the localization strategies employed by global luxury brands on Chinese social media platforms. As China becomes the largest luxury market in the world, brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Burberry have adapted their marketing strategies to better resonate with Chinese consumers' cultural preferences and digital behaviors. Platforms like WeChat, Douyin, and Weibo have become essential for brands to connect with local audiences through personalized content, collaborations with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), and culturally tailored campaigns. Through case studies, this research highlights how these brands successfully integrate global prestige with localized digital strategies to enhance brand awareness, foster consumer loyalty, and drive sales in China. Additionally, the study examines the influence of cultural factors, such as collectivism and the importance of social status, on Chinese consumers attitudes towards luxury goods. These insights shed light on the evolving landscape of luxury brand marketing in Chinas dynamic digital ecosystem and offer perspectives on future trends.
... The source model consists of two parts (Aljasir, 2019): the credibility model (Hovland & Weiss, 1951;Ohanian, 1990) and the attractiveness model (Kamins, 1990). While various authors propose different dimensions of source credibility, most studies confirm Hovland's model, agreeing that expertise and trustworthiness are crucial dimensions (Serman & Sims, 2023;McCracken, 1989). ...
Podcasting has become a globally popular media platform, drawing advertisers’ interest due to its highly engaged and loyal audience. To address the limited research on consumer attitudes toward podcast advertisements, we investigate how explicit product placements read by hosts in podcasts influence brand behavioral intentions. Our study involved an online survey among 512 podcast consumers exposed to brand-related content during podcast listening sessions. For data analysis, we employed partial least squares structural equation modeling. Our findings reveal that consumer attitudes toward the podcaster and toward the brand-related content, as well as the listeners’ parasocial relationship with the host, directly impact brand attitude and recall, subsequently influencing brand behavioral intentions.
... Star power was conceptualized as the power and the unique characteristics of a specific individual that make him or her ''star worthy'' (French & Raven, 1959). Based on four endorser effectiveness frameworks: the source attractiveness model (McGuire, 1985), source credibility model (McGuire, 1968) the meaning transfer model (McCracken, 1989) and the product match-up hypothesis (Kamins, 1990), Braunstein and Zhang (2005) identified athletic star power factors (i.e., professional trustworthiness, likeable personality, athletic expertise, social attractiveness and characteristic style). As such, endorser image dimensions have been considered from various angles. ...
The concept of reputation and its management is a very important topic, but the application of the concept in the context of athlete branding lags behind. Accordingly, the present study was conducted with the aim of identifying salient dimensions of athletes’ reputation. Thematic analysis technique was used to analyze the data obtained from in-depth interviews with 19 reputation experts in sports. A list of 11 components in 5 themes emerged: athletic performance (team and club status, athletic achievement, and sportsmanship), social responsibility (charitable activities, and community engagement), public relations (relationship with the media, and relationship with the fan), financial performance (high salary, and endorsement) and physical attractiveness (fitness, and being stylish and up-to-date). By providing a comprehensive and coherent framework of the key components of athlete reputation, the present study contributes to the development of a systematic understanding of the emerging research field and provides a foundation for future research.
This research aims to test the consequences of endorsements from social media influencers (SMIs)/Internet Celebrities (IC) on consumer trust in marketing campaigns, and how this in turn, impacts impulse purchases of branded cosmetics SMIs. The research focuses on five key elements that encourage impulsive purchases: SMIs popularity, audience identification with the SMIs, admiration for the SMIs, perceived social distance, and the perceived compatibility between the cosmetics brand and the influencer. A survey of 97 internet celebrity or influencer followers in India was conducted, revealing that trust is essential for influencing impulse buying behavior. Both identification with the influencer and perceived fit greatly increases impulsive purchases. Conversely, a great deal of social distance can erode the relationship between trust and impulsive purchases. The study suggests that branded cosmetics should collaborate not only with popular but also relevant SMIs with whom people relate more. SMIs that project a modest and relatable image are more likely to build consumer trust, thereby amplifying the effectiveness of their endorsements. The primary findings of this research have been that trust plays a crucial role in impulse buying of branded cosmetic products. This research also demonstrates that identification and adoration with SMIS impacts impulse buying as more people go toward their own personality closer to SMIS and are ready to buy products when recommended by them.
Purpose – This study explores the impact of flattery in restaurant settings, focusing on customer perceptions and behaviours.
Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected through snowball sampling technique. Using qualitative interviews with 25 participants, the research examines how flattery influences satisfaction, loyalty, and tipping.
Findings – Thematic analysis reveals that sincere and personalized flattery enhances positive emotions and loyalty, while insincere or excessive flattery often leads to scepticism and discomfort. Despite this, some participants reported positive emotional responses even when recognizing flattery as insincere. Findings
highlight flattery’s dual nature and its potential to foster tipping and repeat patronage when used thoughtfully.
Practical implications emphasize staff training and cultural sensitivity.
Originality/value – This study fills a gap in the literature by exploring the psychological and social dimensions of flattery in service settings, moving beyond tipping and loyalty. It examines how sincerity and context shape customer perceptions, emotions, and behaviour. By comparing flattery with other
service strategies like small talk and personalized recommendations, it provides a more nuanced view of customer engagement. The findings extend beyond restaurants, offering broader insights for hospitality, retail, and service industries.
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationship between influencer-product congruence and sustainable consumption intention, with a particular focus on the mediating role of perceived expertise and the moderating effects of green attributes and intimate self-disclosure. The study aims to advance the understanding of influencer marketing and provide actionable insights for promoting sustainable consumption in the context of influencer endorsements.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses. In both studies, participants were recruited from online platforms and exposed to various scenarios designed to examine the key relationships.
Findings
Influencer-product congruence positively influences consumers’ sustainable consumption intention, with perceived expertise serving as a mediator. Higher influencer-product congruence enhances perceived expertise, which, in turn, increases consumers’ sustainable consumption intention. The green attributes of products moderate the relationship between influencer-product congruence and perceived expertise, such that the relationship is stronger for products with green core attributes. Finally, the intimate self-disclosure of influencers amplifies the moderating role of green attributes in the relationship between influencer-product congruence and sustainable consumption intention.
Originality/value
By bridging the gap between influencer marketing and sustainable consumption, this study contributes to the existing literature in both fields. It provides actionable recommendations for brand managers on how to select the right influencers to effectively promote green products, and for influencers on how to optimize their endorsements of sustainable products.
Purpose
This study aims to examine the influence of message appeal in social media posts by cybersecurity firms on consumer behavioral engagement, considering endorsements from either typical consumers or experts. The literature review suggests that both message appeal and endorsement have a positive effect on consumer behavior. Consequently, this research seeks to discern which combinations of message appeal and endorser type elicit the most favorable consumer behaviors toward cybersecurity products.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing a quantitative, experimental between-subjects design, the study enlisted 168 participants randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions via an online survey.
Findings
The findings reveal that posts with emotional message appeal did not significantly enhance consumer behavioral engagement over informational appeal. Moreover, the type of endorser was found to modulate the impact of message appeal on consumer engagement, with posts of emotional appeal generating higher engagement when endorsed by typical consumers, and informational appeal posts performing better with expert endorsement.
Originality/value
This study contributes to cybersecurity marketing by demonstrating that emotional appeals endorsed by typical consumers generate higher engagement than expert-backed informational messages, revealing a novel link between consumer endorsements and engagement while providing strategic insights for effective message design.
This study was undertaken to examine the impact of celebrity endorsement on consumer switching behaviour in 9mobile-A Telecommunications provider in Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design where three hundred and seventy-four respondents were purposively selected from the port-in subscriber database of 9Mobile. The analysis and presentation of data were done using descriptive and inferential statistics and shown frequency distribution tables. Simple regression analysis was employed to form a basis for tests of significance levels and access the variability within the regression model to generate information about the subject matter of the study. Findings from the study showed that, the attractiveness of the celebrity has an impact on consumer switching behavior; though weak. The study showed strong relationship between trustworthiness of the celebrity and consumer switching behaviour; highlighting in addition how the celebrity can be seen as a subject matter expert which can sway positive switching behaviour. The research finally establishes the respect for the celebrity endorser has an impact on consumer switching behavior; a celebrity held in high-esteem can influence consumer porting. It was recommended that companies should ensure that the celebrity endorser reflects critical characteristics like expertise, trustworthiness, respect and attractiveness in that order. It was also suggested that there should be some congruence between the celebrity and the product endorsed whilst adding that celebrity endorsement as a promotional tool should not be used in isolation but in combination with other promotional elements to garner affinity for service offerings.
Purpose
In recent years, social media health and fitness influencers are transforming into a novel kind of digital health communicators, promoting and endorsing businesses and products and are also affecting the purchase decisions of their followers. This study aims to explore how different characteristics of social media influencers (SMI) impact consumers’ purchase intention (PI) towards health and fitness products with consumer attitude (CA) playing a mediating role.
Design/methodology/approach
Data analysis has been done through PLS-SEM using 304 responses from the users of social media in Punjab who are followers of at least one health and fitness influencer on social media. The PLS predict approach has been used to examine the predictive significance of PI. Furthermore, important performance map analysis also has been used.
Findings
Results indicate that the PI is positively influenced by SMI characteristics and CA is a mediator between SMI and PI. The CA, endorser-product fit and the similarity are the significant factors that strongly impact the intention to buy. These factors have a moderate to high level of predictive significance. The findings from IPMA indicate that enhancing the trustworthiness and attractiveness of influencers leads in increased intention to make a purchase.
Originality/value
The present study is the first of its kind to check the relationship between SMIs in health and fitness industry and PI with CA as a mediator in the Indian context.
Purpose
From the author’s point of view, paracrisis is a unique type and closely associated with social media. The paracrisis response would be different from other crises which are less related to social media. Since social media is prone to breed paracrisis, corporate social media character, which shapes publics’ perception of the organization on social media, tends to influence publics’ response to a paracrisis. This study aims to examine if the congruity between corporate character and crisis response framing will be more effective in a paracrisis communication than incongruency effect.
Design/methodology/approach
A 3 (Corporate character: Enterprise vs Agreeableness vs Competence) X 3 (Crisis response framing: humorous vs emotional vs rational) online experiment was conducted.
Findings
The results showed different types of corporate social media character exert distinct impact on organizational evaluation, the underlying mechanisms between the interplay of corporate social media character and response framing regarding organizational evaluation, and under what circumstance humorous response is superior to other types of response framing. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed in the article.
Originality/value
This study is among the first to empirically examine how a corporate social media character influences paracrisis response.
Purpose
This study empirically investigates how source factors of the streamers affect swift guanxi between the streamers and consumers and their subsequent impacts on consumers’ purchase intentions in live stream e-commerce in China.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on source credibility theory (Weiss, 1974) and source attractiveness theory (McGuire, 1985), our study hypothesizes that the expertise, similarity, familiarity and likability of streamers are such source factors. For this empirical investigation, the study conducted online surveys with 428 adult Chinese consumers with previous purchasing experience on live-streaming platforms.
Findings
The study found positive effects with source expertise, familiarity and likeability on swift guanxi and purchase intentions; however, we found no such positive effect for source similarity. Overall, our findings suggest that source factors can have significant effects on swift guanxi and that swift guanxi constructed with source factors can have subsequent effects on purchase intentions.
Originality/value
This study conceptualizes and empirically tests the role of streamer credibility and attractiveness in live stream e-commerce.
Purpose
This study aims to explore how the extensive implementation of virtual influencers (VIs) in the hospitality and tourism industry shapes tourists’ trust perceptions. Specifically, it compares the differences between human influencers (HIs) and VIs based on mind perception theory and outlines the strategies for hospitality and tourism marketers to efficiently adopt influencers to enhance customers’ trust in diversified consumption contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
Three experiments were conducted with online panels ( n = 799). Study 1 outlines the anticipated focal effect and the mediating role of perceived experience. Study 2 replicates the effect and investigates its downstream consequences. Study 3 examines the moderating effect of product type.
Findings
The results reveal that customers are more likely to distrust VIs than their human counterparts because the former is thought to possess a lower degree of perceived experience. This effect is more prominent in the endorsement of experiential (versus functional) products and services.
Originality/value
This research advances the understanding of how tourists perceive HIs andVIs differently in social media endorsement, enriching the growing literature on VIs. Hospitality marketers can also gain insights into the advantages and limitations of VIs, providing valuable information to optimize their marketing effectiveness.
The Super Bowl represents the pinnacle of advertising in the USA, where brands face immense pressure to stand out in a highly competitive, four-hour spectacle. Every year, prominent media outlets and market research firms scrutinize these ads, declaring “winners” and “losers.” Advertisers rely heavily on creative techniques like humor, celebrities, emotional appeals, animals, and music to capture attention. Humor remains a dominant strategy, with emotional engagement proving crucial for connecting with viewers. Celebrity endorsements have also surged in recent years, providing instant recognition and credibility. However, the use of sexual appeals has declined significantly, reflecting societal shifts. This chapter argues that creativity plays a key role in advertising success, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Uniqueness and consistency in a brand’s message are essential for boosting brand recall and positive word-of-mouth. Ads that deviate from the norm while staying true to the brand identity are most effective. Ultimately, Super Bowl advertisers must balance creativity with authenticity to maximize the ad’s impact.
Content creators increasingly use self-disclosure to shape their personas and build strong connections with their audiences. This trend calls for focused scholarly attention on the outcome and underlying mechanism of content creators’ self-disclosure. However, there is a lack of systematic research on how audiences react to these disclosures, and insights from psychology, sociology, communication, and organizational science are often studied separately. This research, which is inherently interdisciplinary, systematically reviewed literature on audience appraisals and responses to self-disclosures. By analyzing 166 influential articles published between 1973 and 2023 using the Web of Science database, we identify key dimensions, impacts, mechanisms, and contextual factors of self-disclosure. Drawing on appraisal theory, our review synthesizes insights from across disciplines and develops an integrative framework. We categorize the findings into seven thematic areas, highlighting the processes involved in audiences’ primary and secondary appraisals of content creators’ self-disclosure and their responses to related efforts. By organizing these themes within a holistic framework, we reconcile inconsistencies in previous research and provide strong foundations for future research. Additionally, we identify gaps and under-researched areas, offering a clear roadmap for future investigations.
Human behavior in cyber space is extremely complex. Change is the only constant as technologies and social contexts evolve rapidly. This leads to new behaviors in cybersecurity, Facebook use, smartphone habits, social networking, and many more. Scientific research in this area is becoming an established field and has already generated a broad range of social impacts. Alongside the four key elements (users, technologies, activities, and effects), the text covers cyber law, business, health, governance, education, and many other fields. Written by international scholars from a wide range of disciplines, this handbook brings all these aspects together in a clear, user-friendly format. After introducing the history and development of the field, each chapter synthesizes the most recent advances in key topics, highlights leading scholars and their major achievements, and identifies core future directions. It is the ideal overview of the field for researchers, scholars, and students alike.
Human behavior in cyber space is extremely complex. Change is the only constant as technologies and social contexts evolve rapidly. This leads to new behaviors in cybersecurity, Facebook use, smartphone habits, social networking, and many more. Scientific research in this area is becoming an established field and has already generated a broad range of social impacts. Alongside the four key elements (users, technologies, activities, and effects), the text covers cyber law, business, health, governance, education, and many other fields. Written by international scholars from a wide range of disciplines, this handbook brings all these aspects together in a clear, user-friendly format. After introducing the history and development of the field, each chapter synthesizes the most recent advances in key topics, highlights leading scholars and their major achievements, and identifies core future directions. It is the ideal overview of the field for researchers, scholars, and students alike.
The results of an experiment examining the use of attitude toward the ad and brand-related beliefs in brand attitude formation under two different processing "sets"-brand evaluation and nonbrand evaluation-are reported. Findings suggest that attitude toward the advertisement affects attitude toward the advertised brand as much under a brand evaluation set as under a nonbrand evaluation set.
The role of direct versus indirect experience in the attitude-behavior consistency issue is reviewed. Using a new communications model, the authors extend the direct/indirect experience paradigm to a common marketing scenario: product trial versus product advertising. The specific contributions of attitude strength and type of behavior are examined, and results show that when attitudes are based on trial they predict purchase very well. When attitudes are based on advertising, however, attitude-behavior consistency is significantly reduced. Implications for when attitude models should be applied in marketing research and practice are discussed.
Examined whether physically attractive stimulus persons, both male and female, are (a) assumed to possess more socially desirable personality traits than physically unattractive stimulus persons, and (b) expected to lead better lives (e.g., be more competent husbands and wives and more successful occupationally) than unattractive stimulus persons. Sex of Subject * Sex of Stimulus Person interactions along these dimensions also were investigated. Results with 30 male and 30 female undergraduates indicate a "what is beautiful is good" stereotype along the physical attractiveness dimension with no Sex of Judge * Sex of Stimulus interaction. Implications of such a stereotype on self-concept development and the course of social interaction are discussed.
Just-world theory provides a possible explanation of physical attractiveness stereotyping, in that believing in a just world should lead to a positive bias toward "winners," such as the physically attractive. Several hypotheses derived from this premise were tested by having adults complete the Just World Scale and rate the personality traits and expected life outcomes of an attractive or unattractive stimulus person. Predictions for the personality trait ratings were borne out for male but not for female stimulus persons: (a) Believers in a just world perceived the personalities of attractive, male stimulus persons as more socially desirable than nonbelievers and also attributed more socially desirable personalities to male stimulus persons who were attractive rather than unattractive; and (b) no effects were found for female stimulus persons. Predictions for the life-outcome ratings and differences in correlations between personality and life-outcome ratings as a function of belief in a just world were clearly supported. Implications for just-world theory, status-characteristics theory, and physical attractiveness stereotyping are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
In a field setting, each of 68 physically attractive or unattractive male and female communicator Ss (undergraduates) delivered a persuasive message to 2 undergraduate target Ss of each sex. Results indicate that attractive (vs unattractive) communicators induced significantly greater persuasion on both a verbal and behavioral measure of target agreement. In addition, female targets indicated greater agreement than male targets. Data gathered from communicator Ss during an earlier laboratory session indicate that physically attractive and unattractive communicators differed with respect to several communication skills and other attributes relevant to communicator persuasiveness, including GPA, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, and several measures of self-evaluation. These findings suggest that attractive individuals may be more persuasive than unattractive persons partly because they possess characteristics that dispose them to be more effective communicators. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
120 householders heard a counterattitudinal communication on a sales tax vs an income tax from a person who visited their homes. The communication remained constant, but the person delivering it was sometimes conventionally dressed and sometimes deviant in appearance. Dissonance theory predicts that the dissonance aroused by an individual's choosing to listen to a counterattitudinal communication could be reduced by cognitions concerning the communicator's attractiveness if he were conventional in appearance but not if he were deviant. Therefore, the deviant campaigner was expected to effect greater attitude change than was the conventional campaigner. Follow-up interviews with the householders confirm this prediction. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
106 female undergraduates were asked to assess personalities from a photograph, description, or opinion statement. Results do not support H. C. Kelman's (see record
1964-00831-001) functional theory (i.e., an expert source's effect on persuasion is more dependent on supporting argumentation than is an attractive source's) but do support C. Hovland et al's (1953) reinforcement approach to persuasion because of the following findings: (1) agreement was greater when the source was expert and when supporting arguments were provided, (2) the persuasive impact of source expertness and argumentation was independent and additive, and (3) physical attractiveness had no main or interactional affects on persuasion. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Summarizes experimental evidence from advertising and related disciplines on the effects of physically attractive communicators and models on opinion change, product evaluation, source perception, and recall. Evidence indicates that attractive communicators consistently are liked more, are perceived in more favorable terms, and have a more positive impact on the products with which they are associated as compared to unattractive communicators. Source attractiveness is also related positively to agreement, although the effects appear to be less consistent, especially when the communicator is female. A critical assessment of previous studies and specific directions for future research are presented. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Three factors were manipulated in an advertisement for disposable razors: celebrity-source physical attractiveness, celebrity-source likability, and participant product involvement. Attitudes and purchase intentions changed due to celebrity-source attractiveness, and the results were interpreted as supporting social adaptation theory.
What are the effects of employing either nudity or sexual overtones in advertising, and do males and females react differently?
A considerable amount of social science research suggests an individual's initial perception of and reaction to another individual are affected by the physical attractiveness of the other person. The authors attempt to assess whether this general finding applies to people's perceptions of advertisements. Specifically, they assess the impact of attractiveness of male and female models on subjects' evaluations of ads, and seek to determine whether the reactions depend on the sex of the ad reader or on the type of product being advertised.
The authors consider the effects of exposure to various advertising appeal types (differing in sidedness) on cognitive response and belief change in the context of inoculation and correspondence theory. In one experiment, subjects were exposed to either a one-sided, two-sided refutational, or two-sided nonrefutational appeal and the degree of cognitive activity incurred was measured. Results are partially supportive of both inoculation and correspondence theory, as two-sided appeals produced significantly less counterargumentation and source derogation than the one-sided appeal. In addition, the refutational appeal led to significantly more support argumentation than the one-sided appeal. However, exposure to either two-sided appeal did not differentially affect cognitions. In a second experiment, a disconfirming product trial experience was introduced as an "attack" condition to observe the effects on belief change given exposure to one of the advertising appeals used before. For all attributes, exposure to the one-sided appeal resulted in the greatest degree of belief change. Dominance for the predictions of inoculation over those of correspondence theory is not evident as belief change did not differ significantly between subjects exposed to either two-sided appeal. Finally, a measure of the change in purchase intent has only (nonsignificant) directional support.
Source characteristics of expertise (high, low, or no information) and physical attractiveness (high, low, or no photograph) were varied in a 3 x 3 factorial design to examine their effects on the opinion agreement of female adolescents. As expected, opinion agreement was greater for (1) the physically attractive source than for the non-differing unattractive or unpictured sources and (2) the high expert than for the nondiffering low expert or the source about whom no information was given. The nondiffering attractive and unpictured sources were liked more than the unattractive source. Implications for social influence theories are discussed.
A new theory of the way in which advertising can influence consumers' attitudes toward products is proposed. The theory is based on visual imagery and classical conditioning rather than on the typical verbal belief summation approach to attitude. A supportive experiment is presented and the persuasive function of visual imagery in advertising is discussed.
This study assesses whether sex and attractiveness of a sales representative used in a direct mail advertisement or the sex of the receiver of that advertisement influences the receiver's decision to purchase the advertised product. The results indicate that receivers of a control treatment (no photograph in the advertisement) and of the treatment featuring a highly attractive female purchased the advertised product more often than did receivers of any one of the other treatments. No significant differences were found in any of the other sex/attractiveness level combinations. The implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Attitude toward the ad (Aad) has been postulated to be a causal mediating variable in the process through which advertising influences brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Previous conceptual and empirical research on this topic has suggested four alternative models of the relationships between brand-related cognitive, affective, and conative responses and ad-related cognitive and affective responses. The authors describe a structural equations analysis of these four models, utilizing two data sets generated within a commercial pretest setting. The results suggest that a dual mediation hypothesis, which postulates that Aad influences brand attitude both directly and indirectly through its effect on brand cognitions, is superior to the other three models under the particular set of conditions in the pretest setting.
This chapter describes the naive explanation of human actions, theory of correspondent inferences, personal involvement and correspondence, and the recent research concerning phenomenal causality and the attribution of intentions. The cognitive task of establishing sufficient reason for an action involves processing the available information about, or making assumptions about, the links between stable individual dispositions and observed action. The dispositional attributes are inferred from the effects of action, but not every effect is equally salient in the inference process. The perceiver's fundamental task is to interpret or infer the causal antecedents of action. When a person's actions have certain consequences, it is important for the perceiver to determine whether the person was capable of producing these consequences in response to his intentions. Where an actor fails to produce certain effects that might have been anticipated by the perceiver, there may be ambiguity as to whether the actor did not want to produce the effects, or wanted but was not able to. The attribution of intentions is that actions are informative to the extent that they have emerged out of a context of choice and reflect a selection of one among plural alternatives. However, the distinctiveness of the effects achieved and the extent to which they do not represent stereotypic cultural values, determine the likelihood that information about the actor can be extracted from an action. To say that an inference is correspondent, then, is to say that a disposition is being rather directly reflected in behavior, and that this disposition is unusual in its strength or intensity. In-role behavior is supported by too many reasons to be informative about the actor. However, out-of-role behavior is more informative because the effects of such actions are distinctive and not to be dismissed as culturally desirable.
This article addresses the issue of how advertising influences consumers' brand choices. A concept termed the attitude toward the advertisement approach (ATT A) is introduced; a theoretical case is developed showing why ATT A is an important mediator of brand choice; empirical evidence in support of this case is presented; and suggestions for future research are offered.
This experiment was designed to test the idea that physically attractive (PA) persons are perceived as having two types of goodness-sex-relevant and sexirrelevant. Three hypotheses were tested to determine the validity of this notion. It was predicted that perceived masculinity increases with PA for males but not for females, that perceived femininity increases with PA for females but not for males, and that perceived social desirability increases with PA for both males and females. Subjects were asked to fill in the Bem Sex Role Inventory for males and females representing low, moderate, and high levels of PA. The obtained results supported all three experimental hypotheses.
Gave 360 male and 360 female undergraduate judges photographs, previously scaled as high, moderate, or low in physical attractiveness, and asked Ss to record their impressions of the stimulus persons on an adjective checklist. Results showed high attractiveness to be associated with positive traits, the reverse holding for low attractiveness. Data are consistent with the hypothesis that, in a 1st-impression situation, a person's level of attractiveness may evoke in a perceiver a consistent set of expectancies by a process of trait inference. This kind of process accords well with previous research relating physical attractiveness to interpersonal processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The present investigation examined the influence of litigant physical attractiveness on the decisions of 91 undergraduates playing the role of nondeliberating jurors in an automobile negligence trial. Seeking to achieve a more realistic simulation of actual courtroom practice than that produced in prior studies, which have relied exclusively on short written synopses as their method of trial presentation, this experiment tested the hypothesis that physical attractiveness would have a significant impact on juridic judgments even though an audiovisual presentation of the trial permitted the introduction of a variety of other important stimuli typically present at a jury trial. This prediction received empirical support: Subjects exposed to an attractive plaintiff and an unattractive defendant more often found in favor of the plaintiff and awarded more money in damages than students viewing an unattractive plaintiff and an attractive defendant. However, in contrast to findings from general studies of interpersonal evaluation, analyses of student perceptions of the two litigants provided only limited evidence for a global (positive) physical attractiveness stereotype within the context of a simulated trial. Instead, the observed effect of physical attractiveness on student decisions was apparently mediated by differential perceptions of the seriousness of the accident itself. Possible implications of the results for the judicial process were mentioned.
The present study investigated the effect of attitudes toward women, physical attractiveness, and competence on impression formation of women. Male and female undergraduates read a competent or incompetent essay allegedly written by a physically attractive or unattractive female and responded to questions about the essay and its writer. Subjects were classified as traditionals, moderates, or liberals on the basis of their scores on the Attitudes Toward Women Scale. Female subjects' impressions were affected by the competence of the stimulus person and by their sex-role attitudes, but were not influenced by the physical attractiveness of the writer. Males, however, were influenced by all three variables. Evidence was found for a reversal of the physical attractiveness stereotype for liberal males with reference to incompetent women. The implications of these findings for physical attractiveness research are discussed.
Ninety-eight female subjects were presented with a statement made by an attractive or an expert source suggesting that people should sleep less than the usual eight hours. For approximately half of the subjects the source gave a simple statement of opinion, for the other half six separate supporting arguments were also presented. As predicted the manipulation of number of arguments provided had more influence on the effectiveness of the expert than the attractive source. Results were interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that quite different dynamics underly the persuasive power of attractive and expert individuals.
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1977. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 233-239). Photocopy.
Recent consumer behavior research testing attribution theory principles is summarized and critiqued. Most studies on antecedents of causal inferences focus on how information about a product influences attributions, how the discounting effect influences liking for products, and how self-perception processes influence willingness to participate in marketing research. Research examining consequences of causal inferences focuses on product satisfaction. Major trends in attribution theory and future research directions are indicated.