Selecting a female athlete endorser in China

Abstract

PurposeThis study seeks to investigate the relationship among attractiveness of female athlete endorsers, product/service match‐up, and consumers' purchase intention within the context of China.Design/methodology/approachA 3×2×2 between‐subject experimental design enabled a 12‐scenario study depicting a purchase experience manipulated by endorser attractiveness levels (high/middle/low), endorser‐product match‐up (high/low), and two different product types (to prevent single‐product bias). Differences between female and male samples are also compared.FindingsIn terms of the generation of purchase intent, there is no difference between a middle attractive female athlete endorser and a low‐attractive one when both are in a low match‐up condition. While the use of middle attractive female athlete endorsers works only in a high match‐up condition with female consumers, it is certain that high attractiveness always works better than low attractiveness. In total, the results suggest that female athlete endorsers' attractiveness affects Chinese consumers' purchase intention more than match‐up.Originality/valueThe results not only compare the relationships between attractiveness and match‐up, but also push traditional endorser theories one step farther by examining the concept of middle level attractiveness and by probing the effect of a middle‐attractive female endorser. The cultural influence of Chinese traditional philosophy, The Doctrine of the Mean, on Chinese consumers is discussed and considered. The influence of middle attractiveness endorsers on study subjects of different genders is also discussed.

Fifty years of celebrity endorser research: Support for a comprehensive celebrity endorsement strategy framework

“…Several recent studies support the positive persuasive effects of physical attractiveness. For example, Felix and Borges () demonstrated that consumers perceive an advertisement more positively when they evaluate the celebrity featured in the ad as more attractive, and Tingchi Liu and Brock () found that on a general level, high attractiveness is more effective. Wang and Scheinbaum () found that consumers’ positive perception of a celebrity endorser's physical attractiveness enhances brand attitude and purchase intentions.…”

Based on the Fan Economy, Explore the Impact of Private Brand Avatar and Advertising Attitudes on Consumer Repurchase Intentions

“…Thus, private-brand avatar consistency is a crucial antecedent of consumers' attitudes and behavioural intention toward advertising. Accordingly, the following hypothesis is posited here: H1: Private-brand avatar consistency has a positive influence on advertising attitude The attractiveness comes from credibility, which illustrates how much the avatar's physical attraction, familiarity, and political status is perceived by the consumers [14] Recently, the avatar has become more popular and an effective way to increase advertising effect [15]. Therefore, avatar attractiveness and expertise are the key factors to measure advertising effectiveness.…”

“…Several researchers have proven that an attractive avatar can improve advertising effectiveness and lead the consumer to have a positive advertising attitude [16]. A private-brand avatar contains the attractiveness of an endorser, and also contains certain cultural elements of the endorsed brand.…”

“…Intention is a signal of an individual willingness to continue performing a particular behavior and is background that affects behavior directly [28]. Based on certain subjective criteria, scholars define repurchase intention as consumers' continuing to buy a product or service when they find it useful [16]. Few studies have examined the significant effect of brand loyalty on repurchase intention.…”

An examination of the effects of rescue workers meaning transfer, attitudes and subjective norms towards being voluntarily involved in civic activities on civic engagement intention

“…Stage 3 then involves the process by which consumers judge celebrities on these dimensions and the possibility of complete or partial transfer of meaning from the celebrity to the commercial product or social cause (Batra & Homer, 2004). Last, stage 4 explains the postendorsement process that could lead to positive outcomes in terms of behavioural intentions (Tingchi Liu & Brock, 2011), recommendation and consumption (McCracken, 1989;Jain & Roy, 2016). Given that our investigation focuses on rescue workers, we decided to leave out the physical appearance dimension and assess the remaining six dimensions.…”