Aashna Khurana

Draft-1 (Dissertation)

Celebrity Endorsement Affecting Consumers Attitude towards the Advertisement and Purchase Intention

INTRODUCTION
A challenge faced by companies is how to influence the purchasing behavior of consumers through celebrity endorsement. For more than fifty years the advertising industry has been using celebrity endorsement. Research has shown that the use of celebrities in advertisements can have a positive influence on the credibility, message recall, memory and likeability of the advertisements and finally on purchase intentions. Today, inspired by the declining effectiveness of the different marketing communications, the advertising industry is willing to pay the increasing rewards the celebrities are asking. The crescendo of celebrities endorsing brands has been steadily increasing over the past years. Marketers overtly acknowledge the power of celebrities in influencing consumer-purchasing decisions. It is a ubiquitously accepted fact that celebrity endorsement can bestow special attributes upon a product that it may have lacked otherwise. But everything is not hunky-dory; celebrities are after all mere mortals made of flesh and blood like us. If a celebrity can aggrandize the merits of a brand, he or she can also exacerbate the image of a brand. Any brand can get a celebrity. That is easy. But getting a celebrity matching with the right brand, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way is not easy. The health of a brand can definitely be improved up to some extent by celebrity endorsement. But one has to remember that endorsing a celebrity is a means to an end and not an end in itself.

NEED FOR STUDY

The organizations are using the celebrity endorsers for promoting their products. They choose a person, a face that may best- fit with the image of their product and brand as well. At the same time, there is need to know the perceptions of the viewers and consumers. This helps in estimating the impact of particular celebrity endorser on the consumer buying behavior and final purchase decision. The importance of appropriate celebrity endorser for the brand or product resulted in the need for the study. This study will have the following objectives1. To study the significance of celebrity endorsement. 2. To analyze the use and effectiveness of celebrity endorsers. 3. To measure the effectiveness, attractiveness and credibility of certain celebrities. 4. To study the various dimensions of celebrity endorsers. 5. To establish a relationship between consumer behaviour and celebrity endorsement. 6. To view the companies and endorsers perspectives towards celebrity. The study will have certain managerial implications such as: 1. The study will be useful to scholars, executives and managers interested in the area of celebrity endorsement and advertising. 2. It will highlight the perception of the targeted respondents towards the celebrities used for various products. 3. It may provide an insight to the studied brands regarding the perception of viewers. 4. The study may prove helpful to the organizations that are planning to choose a celebrity for their brands or products.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Data Collection Two kinds of data will be gathered and used for carrying out this research: 1. Secondary Data 2. Primary Data Secondary Data will be gathered to gain better understanding of the topic. It will be collected from journals, magazines, text books and online resources. Primary Data will be collected through a questionnaire. Research Design The research will be descriptive in nature.

Sampling Technique Respondents will be selected randomly. They will be categorized in three categories: 18- 24, 2534 and 35 or above. Data will be collected from various age groups so that view of general public could be obtained.

Sample Size The questionnaires will be distributed to 150 people.

Research Instrument A questionnaire will be used to see the effect of celebrity on consumer purchasing decisions. It will also help in generating the view of respondents regarding the few celebrities which are used

for certain products. To assess the ratings for particular celebrities, categorical scale will be used. The responses of the respondents will be recorded as per following scale- Excellent, Good, Average, Poor and Unsure.