Accelerat ing t he world's research.

A study on consumer perception for

celebrity & non celebrity
endorsement in television
commercials for fast movi...
mohan s

Related papers Download a PDF Pack of t he best relat ed papers 

PB (1)
Sajit h Sugat hadasa

Fact ors Det ermine t he Cust omer-Celebrit y Relat ionship t owards Perceived Celebrit y Endorsement s: …
DMR Dissanayake

Inst rument for brand posit ioning and sport s celebrit y endorsement in measuring purchase int ent ion …
abdullah malik
 Global Business and Economics Research Journal
ISSN: 2302-4593
Vol. 3 (2): 1 - 11

A study on consumer perception for celebrity & non

celebrity endorsement in television commercials for
fast moving consumer goods
Bhaveshkumar J. Parmar
Gujarat Technological University, India
bjpspce@gmail.com

Rajnikant P. Patel
Sardar Patel University, India

Abstract
In the present era of information explosion and media influence, advertisements play a major
role in changing perception or thinking of consumer. Across the world, celebrities have been
used for a wide variety of brands. Celebrity endorser is extensive; nevertheless there is
limited study on Consumer perception of celebrity versus non celebrity advertisement on
television commercials for the products come under FMCG. The aim of the study is to assess
consumer’s perception regarding to use celebrity and non celebrity endorsement in
advertisements. The findings show there is a significant difference for all FMCG categories
between advertisements for celebrity and non celebrity.
Keywords: Celebrity endorsement; non-celebrity endorsement; consumer perception;
television commercials; fast moving consumer goods
1
Page

Citation:
Parmar, B. J. and Patel, R. P. (2014). A study on consumer perception for celebrity & non celebrity endorsement in television commercials
for fast moving consumer goods. Global Business and Economics Research Journal, 3(2): 1-11.

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org

Parmar and Patel Global Business and Economics Research Journal
Vol 3 (2): 1-11 ISSN: 2302-4593

1. INTRODUCTION
Celebrity endorsement is the way to maximize advertising effectiveness. Popular
celebrities like cricketers and film stars are considered as god by their lovers, but it is
essential for marketers to establish the link between a product and celebrity by considering
the type of product. Significantly it is also important for advertiser to check suitability of
celebrity before selecting. Sometimes non celebrity endorsement if the best approach for
reducing cost of advertising.
1.1 Celebrity advertising
Although the audience is getting smarter and smarter and the modern day consumer is
getting resistant to the exaggerated claims made in a majority of advertisements, advertisers
are focused on celebrities and their popularity for advertising their products. Using celebrities
for advertising involves signing-up various celebrities for advertising of their respective
products, which consist of all sorts of advertising including, television advertisements, on net
or even print advertisements. How effective these advertisements are, that is something that
each consumer can determine on their own. So, those were the most effective and popular
kinds of advertising used today. Each of the advertisement types mentioned has its own
effectiveness. Therefore it is the job of people who associate with advertisement department
to figure out which type of and which medium is the best and the most feasible for their
brand. A company needs to reach potential benefits of endorsers either celebrity or common
man to ensure that they are not in conflict with an organisation’s value system or likely to
generate negative publicity. Celebrities should add worth to the brand’s taxonomy.
In Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), we have been witnessed of both endorsements
in the advertisements in any media. Not much work has been seen in the Indian perspective
for comparative study of both on the various product categories. Indian consumer attitudes
are changing at a rapid pace and they are becoming more aware of the products that they use.
The research is carried out to obtain a view amongst Indian Consumers about celebrity and
non celebrity endorsement. Most advertisements, be it of any form, majorly focuses on the
specific consumers therefore their perception about the celebrity endorsed form of
advertisement is of utmost importance, also getting to know the attitude, that provides the
knowledge of the most current incidents or attitudes of any country.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2

Celebrities are well-known individuals (Television stars, movie actors and actresses,
Page

famous athletes, pop stars, entertainers, etc.) who be obliged their fame to their achievements.

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org

Parmar and Patel Global Business and Economics Research Journal
Vol 3 (2): 1-11 ISSN: 2302-4593

McCracken (1989) defines a celebrity endorser as “any individual who enjoys public
recognition and who uses the recognition on behalf of a consumer good by appearing with it
in an advertisement”. Friedman and Friedman (1979) define a celebrity as “an individual who
is known to the public (actor, sports figure, entertainer, etc.) for his or her achievements in
areas other than that of the product class endorsed”
There are two forms of celebrities in advertising: celebrity license and celebrity
endorsement (Mistry, 2006). The former is not used often, as it tends to be a long-term, co
branding commitment by both the corporation and the celebrity as the celebrity adds his/her
likeness or name directly to a product. The crux of this relationship is that the celebrity and
the product are directly associated with each other. This can be either strength or a weakness
depending on the status of the celebrity and the quality of the product/Brand. Celebrity
endorsements are the more widely used strategy of using celebrities as a promotional tool for
products. These endorsements can have celebrities giving expert opinions, being a
spokesperson for a product, or just being associated with a product (McCracken 1989; Seno
and Lukas, 2007).
2.1 Review of celebrity endorsement contracts in product advertising
Although many studies analyze the use of celebrity endorsement contracts in product
advertising, the primary focus has been to examine how celebrity endorsements influence
consumer behavior. For example, theories of credibility or physical attractiveness examine
the impact of perceived trustworthiness, expertise, familiarity, and likability of the celebrity (
for ex. Sachin Tendulker, Amitabh bacchan, Shahrukh Khan, MS Dhoni etc.) (Kamins,
1990). Theories of identification address the extent to which an individual perceives they
share values with the celebrity (Basil, 1996; Greene and Adams-Price, 1990; Williams and
Qualls, 1989). In this context, other relevant research examines contingent conditions that
may influence the processes of identification, credibility or attractiveness. Examples include
the attractiveness of the celebrity (Kahle and Homer, 1985), the celebrity’s expertise of the
product (Buhr, Simpson, and Pryor, 1987; Ohanian, 1991), and the number of products
endorsed and/or number of exposures (Mowen, Brown, and Schulman, 1979; Mowen and
Brown, 1981; Tripp, Jensen, and Carlson, 1994). As argued by Chaney, Devinney and Winer
(1991), much of the previous marketing and strategic management research focuses on
evaluating consumers’ responses to advertisements that created images of celebrities. The
need remains to identify whether or not favourable changes in consumer attitude and
3

behavior justify the costs associated with such a strategy (Agrawal and Kamakura, 1995).
Page

Several studies have employed event study methodology to examine how changes in a firm’s

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org

Parmar and Patel Global Business and Economics Research Journal
Vol 3 (2): 1-11 ISSN: 2302-4593

advertising affect firm value. Mathur and Mathur (1996) also examine the market value
impact of a firm’s decision to initiate new advertising agency-client relations. They find a
negative impact (Tiger woods’ scandal) for firms announcing new accounts with an existing
agency. Till and Shimp (1998) examine the potential impact of negative information about a
celebrity endorser on consumer’s evaluations of the endorsed product. They find that, when a
consumer’s knowledge structure about the brand and/or about the celebrity is less than fully
developed, negative celebrity information can have a significantly negative impact on
consumer’s brand evaluation. They conclude that such endorsement relationships, which are
full of potential benefits, are not without risk. We focused much on the non celebrity
advertisement, to those of the products which have more brand name, low involvement on
product and not need to endorse with celebrity. There are several examples of using non
celebrity/ unknown person in the advertisement we have been. These are Close-Up tooth
paste advertisement, mobile handset to several FMCG products.
2.2 Information in advertisements and matched effect of celebrity
Consumer’s perceptions for price, quality and value of product are considered as vital
determinate of shopping behaviour and product choice; Lee and Lou (1995). To relate this
research with celebrity endorsement, consumer having positive effect in the celebrity
endorsement because of transfer of the meaning (McCracken, 1989); in the product through
advertisement. There are several characteristics affecting credibility of endorsers such as
trustworthy, knowledgeable, believable, objectivity and expertise that were tested in the
various studies (Aaronnson, et al., 1963; Bergin, 1962; Friedman and Friedman, 1979;
Kamins, 1990). The endorser’s credibility positively can be enhanced by properly matching
with the products being endorsed and those of celebrity. Further there have been a number of
studies that have examined whether and under what conditions celebrities make appropriate
endorsers for products. For example in India, film star Salmankhan endorsed “Revital” brand
energy supplements.
2.3 Celebrity and non celebrity endorsement in advertising
It has-been noticed that more than fifty years using of celebrity in advertisement, Research
has shown that the use of celebrities endorsement can have a positive influence on the
trustworthiness, remembrance of message, memory and likeability of the advertisements,
hence finally on purchase intentions of consumer (Menon and Rogers, 2001; Pornpitakpan,
2003; Pringle and Binet, 2005; Roy, 2006). Presently, there is no doubt inspired by the
4

declining effectiveness of the different marketing communications (Roozen and Claeys,

Page

2010). The advertising industry is ready to pay more and more to the celebrities. On the other

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org

Parmar and Patel Global Business and Economics Research Journal
Vol 3 (2): 1-11 ISSN: 2302-4593

hand, companies have limited control over the celebrity’s persona which can also result in
high risk and ‘no gain’ situations (e.g. the ‘scandals’ sur-rounding celebrities like Michael
Jackson, Kate Moss, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton). Useless to argue that it is well worth to
investigate the relative effectiveness of using celebrity endorsers compared to using non-
celebrity spokespersons.
Some of the research focused on celebrity advertisement is as follows:
 Till and Busler (1998) found that there should be a congruence between the celebrity and
the product in terms of characteristics such as image, expertise or attractiveness Which
was supported by Baker and Churchill (1977) and Kahle and Homer (1985).
 Kamins (1990): The celebrity-product match model states that attractive endorsers are
more effective when promoting products that was used to enhance one’s attractiveness
and this impact will be not significant in the case of a product that is unrelated to
‘attractiveness’.
 Kahle and Homer (1985) found that in the case of attractiveness related products the use of
physically attractive celebrities increased message recall; product attributes, and purchase
intention.
 Till and Busler (1998): An attractiveness of celebrity will be also more effective for low
involvement products such as low price, than for high involvement products. For products
having in technical nature, the expertise factor of the celebrity is a significantly more
important factor. That was focused by (Till and Busler, 1998). However, congruency
among product and those who is endorsed by celebrity, that is in terms of characteristics
such as image, expertise (Till and Busler, 1998) or attractiveness (Baker and Churchill,
1977) plays an important role for the effectiveness of the advertisement (Kahle and
Homer, 1985) and an most favourable match between the celebrity endorser and the
product.
Non celebrity-Branded Products in India, In the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods)
category, some products are neither branded with the celebrity’s name. For example, Close-
Up, tooth paste. The popular TVC slogan is “Pass aavo na”, prevalent in the food related
category like Bingo. Another example is Cadbury’s five-star chocolate & endorsed by two
male character “Ramesh & Suresh”. The use of non celebrity branding seems to be most
prevalent in the food related category like Bingo. As the number of products endorsed
increases, consumers’ perceptions of celebrity credibility, celebrity likeability and attitude
5
Page

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org

Parmar and Patel Global Business and Economics Research Journal
Vol 3 (2): 1-11 ISSN: 2302-4593

toward the ad become less favourable” (Tripp, Jensen, & Carlson, 1994). This is all happened
with film star Amitabh bacchan.
The questions that naturally arise from these examples are as follows:
1. To what extent does the celebrity endorsement affect the performance of product?
(Because of multiple brands endorsing as well endorsement of those products, which are
not matched with celebrity’s expertise. For example: Amitabh Bacchan and Dhanuka’s
Pesticides, Shakti water pumps)
2. In what circumstances, non celebrity endorsement preferable?
2.4 FMCG product categories
There are mainly 4 product categories in FMCG:
1. Home and Personal
2. Foods and Beverages
3. Cigarettes
4. Alcohol
We have selected only first two categories for this research.
1a. Household Care: It can be divided into the following categories
Fabric wash - Laundry soaps and Synthetic detergents
1b. Personal Care: It can be divided into the following categories
Oral Care - Toothpaste
Skin Care - Creams, Lotions, Gellies
Hair Care - Hair Oil, Shampoos
2a. Foods:
Bakery products - Biscuits, bread, cakes ,Snack food, Chocolates
2b. Beverages: Tea & Soft drinks
2.5 Objectives of the study
 To study perceptions of consumers for celebrity & non celebrity advertisements.
 To study the influence of demographic factors on customers’ perception for celebrity &
non celebrity endorsers in advertisements.
 To study the influence of psychological factors on customers’ perception for celebrity &
non celebrity endorsers in advertisements.
6
Page

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org

Parmar and Patel Global Business and Economics Research Journal
Vol 3 (2): 1-11 ISSN: 2302-4593

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DATA

The study area was confined to North Gujarat region of Gujarat state (India). A non-
probability sample in the form of convenience sampling was used. The focus was on the
customers’ perception for celebrity & non celebrity endorsers in Television commercial
(TVC) for FMCG products. The questionnaires were distributed to a sample population of
300 respondents. The questions are on the base of advertisement, selected those products
where celebrity and non celebrity advertisement observed. (Example: In toothpaste Shahrukh
khan endorsed Pepsodent while Close-up brand endorsed by non celebrity) Data collection
comprises of primary data and secondary data. The primary data has been collected through
questionnaires and secondary data from related journals and publications. The questionnaire
was based on the initial research model and propositions. Primary data were collected
through questionnaire survey. SPSS V.16 was used for data analysis.

4. DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

4.1 Respondent demographic profile
Male 171
Gender
Female 129
Student 64
Professional 30
Occupation Service/Job 80
Business 38
Housewife 80
Married 185
Marital status
Unmarried 115
Below 10000 22
10000 to 20000 102
Monthly family Income 20000 to 40000 77
40000 to 60000 35
More than 60000 64
Below hour 19
Daily time duration of
1 hour to 2 hour 144
watching television
More than 3 hour 137
Table 1. Demographic profile of respondents. (Source: Primary data collection)
4.2 Study hypotheses
This research was conducted to determine the celebrity and non celebrity endorsement in
Television commercial and influence on consumer for FMCG product categories. These
measures will form the basis against which the following hypotheses are tested
7
Page

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org

Parmar and Patel Global Business and Economics Research Journal
Vol 3 (2): 1-11 ISSN: 2302-4593

H1: There is a significant difference between celebrity endorsement with relate to non
celebrity endorsement for Household care products in television commercial.
H2: There is a significant difference between celebrity endorsement with relate to non
celebrity endorsement for Personal care products in television commercial.
H3: There is a significant difference between celebrity endorsement with relate to non
celebrity endorsement for Food products in television commercial.
H4: There is a significant difference between celebrity endorsement with relate to non
celebrity endorsement for Beverages in television commercial.
4.3 Analysis
FMCG Mean T df p
Product
category
Household Celebrity Endorsement 6.27 3.93 115 0.00
Care Non Celebrity Endorsement 5.18 -- -- --
Celebrity Endorsement 4.58 3.98 115 0.00
Personal Care
Non Celebrity Endorsement 3.08 -- -- --
Celebrity Endorsement 4.33 1.15 115 0.28
Foods
Non Celebrity Endorsement 3.23 -- -- --
Celebrity Endorsement 5.06 0.95 115 0.30
Beverages
Non Celebrity Endorsement 3.69 -- -- --
Table 2. Endorser type on FMCG advertisement and other dependable measures.
(Significance level: 0.05)

Time duration of watching television among 300 respondents are, 137 (45.7%) watching
more than two hour in a day while 144 (48%) watching two to three hour.
For testing first hypothesis, compare to effectiveness of celebrity & Non celebrity
advertisements on Household care products the result showing that respondents were able to
differentiate between celebrity (M=6.27) and Non celebrity (M=5.18) where t=3.93 at
p<0.00. The second hypothesis related to Personal care category, the result showing that
respondents were able to differentiate between celebrity (M=4.58) to those of non celebrity
(M=3.08) where t=3.98 at p<0.00. The third hypothesis related to foods, showing less
difference as indicate results in table-2. However in the hypothesis four - significantly,
individual who shows more favourable preferences in beverages category towards ad
(M=5.06) than those who viewed the advertisements with non celebrity endorsement (In
result: M=3.69; t=0.95, p<0.30). This results supports with research of & Claeys (2010), they
pointed out that the use of attractive non-celebrity endorsers could be as effective in
8

influencing attitudes and purchase intentions as the use of celebrity endorsers across very
Page

different products.(Roozen & Claeys, 2010). However for technical products the expertise

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org

Parmar and Patel Global Business and Economics Research Journal
Vol 3 (2): 1-11 ISSN: 2302-4593

factor of the celebrity is a significantly more important factor than the attractiveness factor
(Till and Busler, 1998, 2000; Kamins, 1990; Bower and Landreth, 2001).
Non Celebrity endorsements in this study did not result in more favorable advertisement
ratings and product evaluations as suggested by other earlier studies (Cooper, 1984; Dean and
Biswas, 2001). Nevertheless, what was surprising was that there was a significant difference
in the response of the Celebrity endorsement & non celebrity advertisement in TVC for
FMCG products. The significant difference occurred for the Beverages, where the
advertisement with a celebrity scored significantly higher. This suggests that even though the
celebrity did not add weight on other behavioral or attitudinal variables, it created a strong
positive attitude towards the brand. For any income group, perception of celebrity and non
celebrity endorsement for FMCG products has a positive image. The income is a good source
of checking out the behavior of a customer. Celebrity endorsed advertisement captures the
consumer’s attention easily, Words of endorsement about a product from a favorite celebrity
is accepted as a testimonial by the consumers, celebrity endorsed advertisement creates a long
lasting impact in the consumer’s mind, using celebrity helps me make the buying decision
rather than non celebrity endorsement, using celebrity increases acceptance of endorsed
brands rather than non celebrity endorsement. Celebrity endorsement advertisement
positively influences consumers to purchase that brand. The reason can be that the more TVC
build positive image of the FMCG products in the mind of viewers, because viewers can
think that the company which brand is commercialize on TV. The results indicated that each
of the independent variables (celebrity and non celebrity’s credibility, attractiveness,
expertise) was correlated with each of the dependent variables (attitudes toward the TVC and
for interest in a FMCG categories).

5. CONCLUSION AND LIMITATIONS

5.1 Conclusion
This paper explores the reactions of respondents to advertising utilizing a celebrity
endorser against non celebrity. The findings show that there is a significant difference for all
FMCG categories advertisements that have a celebrity endorser and those that don’t.
5.2 Limitations
The sampling that was carried out was based on convenience sampling and limited to
North Gujarat region of Gujarat State (India). This may limit the findings. Study was the
9

restriction to include national celebrities. Such study should be conducted at regional levels to
Page

understand the nature of celebrity.

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org

Parmar and Patel Global Business and Economics Research Journal
Vol 3 (2): 1-11 ISSN: 2302-4593

REFERENCES
Agrawal, J. and Kamakura, W. A. (1995). The Economic Worth of Celebrity Endorsers: An
Event Study Analysis. Journal of Marketing, 59(3): 56-62.
Aronson, E., Turner, J. A. and Carlsmith, J. M. (1963). Communicator credibility and
communication discrepancy as determinants of opinion change. The Journal of Abnormal and
Social Psychology, 67(1): 31-36.
Baker, M. J. and Churchill, G. A. (1977). The Impact of Physically Attractive Models on
Advertising Evaluations. Journal of Marketing Research, 14(4): 538-555.
Basil, M. D. (1996). Identification as a Mediator of Celebrity Effects. Journal of
Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 40: 478-495.
Bergin, A. E. (1962). The Effect of Dissonant Persuasive Communications Discrepancy as
Determinants of Attitude Change. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67: 31-36.
Buhr, T., Simpson, T. and Pryor, B. (1987). Celebrity Endorsers' Expertise and Perceptions of
Attractiveness, Likability, and Familiarity. Psychological Reports, 60: 1307-1309.
Chaney, P. K., Devinney, T. M. and Winer, R. S. (1991). The Impact of New Product
Introductions on the Market Value of Firms. The Journal of Business, 64(4): 573-610.
Friedman, H. H. and Friedman, L. (1979). Endorser Effectiveness by Product Type. Journal
of Advertising Research, 19(5): 67-71.
Greene, A. L. and Adams-Price, C. (1990). Adolescents' secondary attachments to celebrity
figures. Sex Roles, 23 (7-8): 335-347.
Kahle, L. R. and Homer, P. M. (1985). Physical attractiveness of the Celebrity Endorser: A
Social Adaptation Perspective. Journal of Consumer Research, 11(4): 954-961.
Kamins, M. A. (1990). An Investigation into the ‘Match Up' Hypothesis in Celebrity
Advertising: When Beauty May be Only Skin Deep. Journal of Advertising, 19(1): 4-13.
Lee, M. and Lou, Y.-C. 1995. Consumer reliance on intrinsic and extrinsic cues in product
evaluations: A conjoint approach. Journal of Applied Business Research, 12(1): 21-29.
McCracken, G. (1989). Who is the Celebrity Endorser? Cultural Foundations of the
Endorsement Process. Journal of Consumer Research, 16(3): 310-321.
Mathur, L. K. and Mathur, I. (1996). Is There Value Associated with Initiat ing New
Advertising Agency-Client Relations?. Journal of Advertising, 25(3): 1–12.
Menon, M. L. B. and Rogers, H. (2001). Celebrity Advertising: An assessment or relative
effectiveness. Mimeo.
10

Mistry, B. (2006). Star Spotting. Marketing, June 7: 33-34.

Page

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org

Parmar and Patel Global Business and Economics Research Journal
Vol 3 (2): 1-11 ISSN: 2302-4593

Mowen, J. C., Brown, S. W. and Schulman, M. (1979). Theoretical and Empirical Extensions
of Endorser Effectiveness. American Marketing Association Conference Proceedings,
American Marketing Association: 258-262.
Mowen, J. C. and Brown, S. W. (1981). On Explaining and Predicting the Effectiveness of
Celebrity Endorsers. Advances in Consumer Research, 8: 437-441.
Ohanian, R. (1991). The Impact of Celebrity Spokesperson’s Perceived Image on
Consumers’ Intention to Purchase. Journal of Advertising Research, 31(1): 46-52.
Pornpitakpan, C. (2003). The Effect of Celebrity Endorsers' Perceived Credibility on Product
Purchase Intention: The Case of Singaporeans. Journal of International Consumer
Marketing, 16(2): 55-74.
Pringle, H. and Binet, L. (2005). How marketers can use celebrities to sell more effectively.
Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 4(3): 201-214.
Roozen, I. & Claeys, C. (2010). The Relative Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorsement for
Print Advertisement. Review of Business & Economics, LV(1): 76-89.
Roy, S. (2006). An Exploratory Study in Celebrity Endorsements. Journal of Creative
Communications, 1(2): 139-153.
Seno, D. and Lukas, B. A. (2007). The Equity Effect of Product Endorsement by Celebrities:
A Conceptual Framework from a Co-Branding Perspective. European Journal of Marketing,
41 (1/2): 121-134.
Till, B. D. and Busler, M. (1998). The Match-Up Hypothesis: Physical Attractiveness,
Expertise, and the Role of Fit on Brand Attitude, Purchase Intent and Brand Beliefs. Journal
of Advertising, 29(3): 1-13.
Till, B. D. and Shimp, T. A. (1998). Endorsers in Advertising: The Case of Negative
Celebrity Information. Journal of Advertising, 27(1): 67-82.
Tripp, C., Jensen, T. D. and Carlson, L. (1994). The Effect of Multiple Product Endorsements
by Celebrities on Consumer Attitudes and Intentions. Journal of Consumer Research, 20(4):
535-547.
Williams J. D. and Qualls, W. J. (1989). Middle-class black consumers and intensity of ethnic
identification. Psychology & Marketing, 6(4): 263–286.
11
Page

© Global Business and Economics Research Journal. Available online at http://www.journal.globejournal.org