AAA Annual Conference 2019

Joongsuk Lee, Sungkyunkwan University

To explore the role of celebrity-consumer emotional relations in celebrity endorsement effects, this study examined the impact of celebrity-consumer emotional attachment on attitude (i.e., toward the endorser, ad, and brand) and conation (i.e., purchase intent and brand loyalty) in the context of celebrity-product fit. Relationship-based affect transfer framework provides the theoretical basis for suggesting that celebrity-consumer relationship-based affect would be transferred to the endorsed brands regardless of endorser-brand congruence or incongruence. An exploratory experiment with a 2 (strong vs. weak endorser-consumer emotional attachment) by 2 (high vs. low endorser-product fit) between-subjects design demonstrated that strong endorser-consumer emotional attachment (i.e., favorable celebrity-consumer emotional relationships) led to favorable attitude and conation regardless of high or low endorser-product fit, whereas weak endorser-consumer emotional attachment (i.e., negative affective bonds with a celebrity) led to unfavorable attitude and conation irrespective of high or low endorser-product fit. Moreover, no significant differences were found in attitude and conation between a congruent and incongruent ad when consumers have either strong or weak emotional attachment. One crucial implication is that celebrity endorsement effects can be determined by a celebrity-consumer relationship rather than a celebrity-product relationship.