Celebrity testimonials are advertising messages delivered by famous people who s

Question

Celebrity testimonials are advertising messages delivered by famous people who say or imply that they use the product/service. Advertising testimonials are discussed in chapter 13 of your textbook, (pp 389-391). The book says the the use of a celebrity endorser is a common but expensive strategy and that celebrities are often used to make the ad more appealing and interesting. However, research has shown that most testimonials are a waste of advertising dollars (e.g. Frank Sinatra for Holiday Inn hotel chain) while some celebritytestimonials really do work (e.g. Michael Jordan for Nike, Kirstie Alley for Jenny Craig weight-loss system).Click this link to view a successful celebrity testimonial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDO9hP-xKL8

Why do you think some celebrities are effective at pitching products while others are not?

Experts cite three factors underlying source credibility: expertise, trustworthiness and likability. However, new research now shows that only one of the three factors is actually effective in increasing sales and is far more important than the other two in creating a successful celebrity testimonial. Which one do you think it is and why?

Explanation / Answer

It is found that some celebrities are effective at pitching products while others are not.In my opinion,this is because some celebrities are more appleaing to the audience in relation to other celebrities,which depends on the popularity and image of the celebrity.Another reason for this may be brand-celebrity disconnect.Sometimes audience find it difficult to associate the celebrity with the brands which lead to the faliure of the ad.For example if a gay actor endorse for a seductive perfume brand ,the audiance may not connect to it.

In my opinion,out of the three factors,the factor which is actually effective in increasing sales and is far more important than the other two in creating successful celebrity testimonial is trustworthiness.It is the listener's trust in a speaker.When the audience trust the celebrity endorser,he is confident that the endorser will provide him with the true and accurate information.Therefore,this trust motivates the audience to actually purchase the product thereby increasing the sales of the company.

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