Celebrity Endorsements and Beyond: New Avenues for Celebrity Branding

Keel and Nataraajan (2012) describe how knowledge of a celebrity endorsement's effectiveness is still relatively minimal. Specifically, research should be done on the novel idea of celebrity brand effectiveness, which appears to be quite successful. On one hand, celebrities bring prestige to a brand. On the other hand, noncelebrity endorsers can be carefully crafted by the company to fit the brand's image. Keel and Nataraajan (2012) suggest studying celebrity endorsements, such as Oprah Winfrey, under existing psychological theories, like well-known classical conditioning, Heiderian balance theory, and the use of regulatory control. 

On Product Endorser Effectiveness: A Balance Model Approach

Mowen (1980) created a cognitive consistency model that examines the use of product endorsers in advertisements. The model is based on the interaction between balance theory, source effects, and attribution theory, and is one of the first models to efficiently rate product endorsers' effectiveness. The article details this model, including the cycles and semicycles of ratings. Mowen admits more empirical research needs to be completed, but it is a groundbreaking article on the subject, nevertheless.

Consumer's Attitude to Brand Spokesperson: A Perspective of Balance Theory

Balance theory attests that a consumer's opinion of a celebrity such as Tory Burch will affect their opinion of the brand the celebrity is endorsing. This can be at odds with a brand, which often hires a celebrity because of their societal clout. Zou, Yu, and Li (2010) study this conflict from the consumer's perspective, creating invaluable research for a brand that is debating about using celebrity endorsers. The study specifically focuses on attractiveness, reliability, and professionalism as three areas in which consumers rate celebrity endorsers.

References

Keel, A. & Nataraajan, R. 2012, ‘Celebrity Endorsements and Beyond: New Avenues for Celebrity Branding’, Psychology & Marketing, vol. 29, no. 9, pp. 690-703.

Mowen, J. 1980, ‘On Product Endorser Effectiveness: A Balance Model Approach’, Current Issues and Research in Advertising, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 41-57.

Zou, P., Yu, B. & Li, H. 2010, ‘Consumer's attitude to brand spokesperson: A perspective of balance theory’, Management Science and Engineering, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 576-581.