Celebrity Endorsement
Connecting with Celebrities: Celebrity Endorsement, Brand Meaning, and Self-Brand Connections
Jennifer Edson Escalas James R. Bettman*
*Jennifer Edson Escalas is an Associate Professor of Management at the Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37203, (615) 322-3493, fax (615) 3437177, e-mail: jennifer.escalas@owen.vanderbilt.edu. James R. Bettman is the Burlington Industries Professor at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, Durham NC 27708-0120, (919) 660-7851, fax (919) 681-6245, e-mail: jrb12@mail.duke.edu.
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ABSTRACT
We propose that consumers appropriate brand symbolism that comes from celebrity endorsement to construct and communicate their self-concepts. Study 1 finds that celebrity endorsement enhances self-brand connections when consumers aspire to be like the celebrity, but harms them when consumers do not; this effect is more pronounced when the brand image is congruent with the celebrity’s image. This effect is further moderated by the degree to which a brand communicates something about the user, with more symbolic brands having stronger effects than less symbolic brands. Study 2 finds that the effect of celebrity endorsement on selfbrand connections is augmented when consumers’ self-esteem is threatened. Consumers selfenhance by building connections to favorable celebrity images or distancing themselves from unfavorable celebrity images.
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About 20% of U.S. ads feature celebrities (Solomon 2009), and the percent of ads using celebrities in other countries, such as Japan, is thought to be even higher. Traditional explanations of celebrity endorsement persuasion effects are based on the source effects literature and find that 1) celebrity endorsement increases the attention paid to an ad (Buttle, Raymond, and Danziger 2000); 2) celebrities are generally attractive, which helps persuasion when consumers are worried about social acceptance and others’ opinions (DeBono and Harnish 1988) or
Jennifer Edson Escalas James R. Bettman*
*Jennifer Edson Escalas is an Associate Professor of Management at the Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37203, (615) 322-3493, fax (615) 3437177, e-mail: jennifer.escalas@owen.vanderbilt.edu. James R. Bettman is the Burlington Industries Professor at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, Durham NC 27708-0120, (919) 660-7851, fax (919) 681-6245, e-mail: jrb12@mail.duke.edu.
1
ABSTRACT
We propose that consumers appropriate brand symbolism that comes from celebrity endorsement to construct and communicate their self-concepts. Study 1 finds that celebrity endorsement enhances self-brand connections when consumers aspire to be like the celebrity, but harms them when consumers do not; this effect is more pronounced when the brand image is congruent with the celebrity’s image. This effect is further moderated by the degree to which a brand communicates something about the user, with more symbolic brands having stronger effects than less symbolic brands. Study 2 finds that the effect of celebrity endorsement on selfbrand connections is augmented when consumers’ self-esteem is threatened. Consumers selfenhance by building connections to favorable celebrity images or distancing themselves from unfavorable celebrity images.
2
About 20% of U.S. ads feature celebrities (Solomon 2009), and the percent of ads using celebrities in other countries, such as Japan, is thought to be even higher. Traditional explanations of celebrity endorsement persuasion effects are based on the source effects literature and find that 1) celebrity endorsement increases the attention paid to an ad (Buttle, Raymond, and Danziger 2000); 2) celebrities are generally attractive, which helps persuasion when consumers are worried about social acceptance and others’ opinions (DeBono and Harnish 1988) or
References: 24 Escalas, Jennifer Edson (2004), “Narrative Processing: Building Consumer Connections to Brands,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 14 (1 & 2), 168-179 26 McFarland, Cathy and Michael Ross (1982), “Impact of Causal Attribution on Affective Reactions to Success and Failure,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43 (5), 937-946