Market Research Celebrity Endorsement

Question: Discuss about theMarket Researchfor Celebrity Endorsement. Answer: Introduction Celebrity endorsement is not a new idea in marketing strategies. These endorsements have been used to sell products for a long time. The idea is to use the idolization of celebrities to promote products, encourage consumers to buy that product either directly or sublimely. Endorsements directly affect product sales and brand loyalty. Endorsements by celebrities boost consumer confidence regarding the product and add to brand value. It attracts new consumers and eventually increases the companys productivity. Marketing strategies have undergone a huge change in the last century. From utilizing traditional methods, companies have taken risks and innovated new methods to sell their products and modified their advertising processes. Marketers nowadays have understood that the celebrity endorsements are the best way to display the products, create a unique identity of the brand and influence customer behaviors. It might result in huge expenditure for the company, but in the end, brings in maximum profit. There is a risk in the strategy, but it does create a buzz required to popularize the company and its brand name. On the other hand, it creates and obligation for the company to deliver what it promises. Various mediums are utilized as pathway to advertise the product using celebrity endorsements (Rafique 2012). Advertisement, as a strategy, persuades consumers to buy products and utilize services. Mediums like TV, radio, print, billboards and so on are used to spread the message. The deciding factor of the form of advertisement best for a product or service depends on the nature of the industry or firm and its objectives. Exclusive Clothing Inc. is a local clothing retail store in Melbourne. They are looking to expand their promotional strategies and are aiming to use celebrity endorsement as a tool to do that. They aim to find out what kind of celebrity endorsement would be effective and how to implement that endorsement to make it more effective. Literature Review Several researches have assessed the behavior of consumers as a result of celebrity endorsements. Findings show that most of the times celebrity endorsements make the brand image more reliable and help in brand recall. Chan (2013) states that celebrities used for endorsements influences a consumers brand loyalty and their willingness to recommend that brand to others and help in word-of-mouth marketing. Upadhyay and Singh (2010) who believe that a celebrities name and general perception, their market status and current performance in their respective fields have a huge impact on the consumers consumption intent have counteracted this. They have taken an example of an athlete and his endorsed brand. They have performed researches to judge the connection between and athletes performance and the consumers views of him as a role model. They conducted a causal conclusive research and suggested that poor performance results in negative influence on the brands credibility and the athletes name too. Moreover, what affects the most is the image of the celebrity outside of the field and how he carries himself there. On the other hand, Choi and Rifon (2012) suggests that if the celebrity endorsing a product seem as a person consumers can relate to, it can build a positive relationship between the brand and the consumer. Moreover, as Australia is sports-loving country, athletes make for good endorsers here. They conducted a quantitative research to evaluate this hypothesis and suggest further research on the same in relation to clothing brands. Purchasers, paying little mind to aim or mindfulness, form multidimensional points of view speaking to their mental self portrait in various settings or attitudes (Sirgy 1985). This incorporates a genuine self, alongside a perfect, social, and other different selves that all rouse and drive a customer to make buys in light of enthusiastic variables (Boyatzis and Akrivou 2006). Moreover, the utilization of big name embraced things helps purchasers conquer any hindrance between the VIP, or brand's, picture and the buyer's optimal self idea (Choi and Rifon 2012). This is vital as discoveries demonstrate that shoppers will indicate more positive mentalities toward the promotions, mark, and will have raised buy expectations with the brand if the endorser matches with their optimal self, falls in accordance with their optimal picture, or regards the individual for their validity, allure, or status (Choi and Rifon 2012). It can be understood that further study is required to determine the relationship between a celebritys image and a consumers brand outlook. In addition, the celebritys market status and its impact on local shoppers buying behavior have to be covered. For now it can be understood that there is a relation between both and Exclusive Clothing should focus on that. Moreover, social media plays a huge role in putting forward the brand image, as well as the celebritys image and assists in building brand loyalty among customers. References Boyatzis, R.E. and Akrivou, K., 2006. The ideal self as the driver of intentional change. Journal of Management Development, 25(7), pp.624-642. Chan, K., Leung Ng, Y. and Luk, E.K., 2013. Impact of celebrity endorsement in advertising on brand image among Chinese adolescents.Young Consumers,14(2), pp.167-179. Choi, S.M. and Rifon, N.J., 2012. It is a match: The impact of congruence between celebrity image and consumer ideal self on endorsement effectiveness. Psychology Marketing, 29(9), pp.639-650. Rafique, M., 2012. Impact of celebrity advertisement on customers brand perception and purchase intention.Asian Journal of Business and Management Sciences,1(11), pp.53-67. Sirgy, M.J., 1985. Using self-congruity and ideal congruity to predict purchase motivation. Journal of business Research, 13(3), pp.195-206. Upadhyay, Y, Singh, S 2010, When Sports Celebrity Doesnt Perform: How Consumers React To Celebrity Endorsement?, Vision: The Journal of Business Perspective, January, vol. 14, no.1-2, pp.67-78.