Celebrity Endorsement in Advertisement on Destination Choice Among Generation Y in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study investigated celebrity endorsement for travel destination choice. The study also adopted Hong Kong's Generation Y as an example and explored the affective image and visitation intention. By using quantitative approach, the study analyzed Hong Kong's Generation Y that relates to celebrity endorsement for travel destination choice. The results affirm that the hypothesis was corroborated. Celebrity endorsement delivers favorable affective image towards Generation Y. In addition, the study confirms that favorable affective image positively affects the visit intention of Generation Y to travel destinations. However, marketers must understand how to make use of celebrity endorsement to influence Generation Y on their destination choice and finally turn their intention to purchase action.

Delving into the Role of Celebrity Chefs and Gourmets in Culinary Destination Marketing

“…These can be summarized as (1) Vampire effect (i.e., the endorsed product/brand is overshadowed by a celebrity) (Erdogan, 1999;Erdogan & Baker, 2000;Yang, 2018;White, et al, 2009), (2) over-endorsement, (3) change in consumer choice or resistance to endorsements (Doss, 2011), and (4) an undesirable celebrity image change or public scandal (Till & Shimp, 1998;Knittel & Stango, 2014). In tourism destinations, a right match-up in selecting the optimum celebrity characters can provide an enduring engagement in leading and enhancing the knowledge and activity for that destination (Chan, Lee, & Wong, 2018). Therefore, only the right celebrity can induce individuals to create emotional bonds and hence engage with endorsed destinations in terms of enhancing awareness (Croy, 2010).…”

“…Numerous studies highlight the role of celebrity endorsement in enhancing favourable destination image and attracting larger numbers of tourists to destinations (e.g., Veen, 2008;Lee, et al, 2008;Glover, 2009;Veen & Song, 2010;McCartney & Pinto, 2014;Weir & Weir, 2015;Fath, et al, 2017;Chan, Lee, & Wong, 2018). Therefore, benefitting from celebrity gourmets and chefs can fit well in today's gastronomy trends.…”

Examining the mediating role of celebrity endorsement in green advertisements to improve the intention of Egyptian Millennials towards environmental behaviours in tourist destinations

“…'Endorsement' is defined as the channel of communication wherein the spokesperson of a particular brand is represented by celebrities who extend their popularity as well as personality and therefore certify the claims and position of the aforementioned brand (Yang, 2018). With the above, the implementation of celebrity endorsement prevails in promoting brands, products or even services to attract different audiences (Chan, Lee & Wong, 2018).…”

“…Lee et al (2008) described it as an unnoticeable state of motivation, encouragement, or interest in an associated activity. It has also been designated by Chan et al (2018) as an induced way used to stimulate tourists to visit a particular destination. Nearly most studies have agreed to the concept of using celebrities in advertisements to target potential customers for specific purposes (Carroll, 2009;Yang, 2018;Kim et al, 2019).…”

“…Applied to green ads, celebrities could likewise support the preservation of natural and cultural resources in tourist resorts and destinations by appearing in green ads thus attracting their fans and guiding them to the supposed manners towards the environment. Using celebrities and their endorsements of ads has demonstrated itself to be beneficial and cost-effective in the long run despite the strategies required to do so are initially costly (Chan et al, 2018). People look to celebrity-based meanings by using brands and products, practising activities and following recommendations linked with their favourite celebrity to build their own self-concepts (Carroll, 2009).…”