Background The concept of celebrity endorsement is a constantly growing marketing communication tool. A recent example of when the usage of celebrities within advertising has been successful is the case of Zlatan Ibrahimovic endorsing Volvo. Because of the expansive usage of celebrities in advertising as well as the ongoing increase of competition, the development for further efficiency in celebrity endorsement is essential for creating efficient advertisements. The foundation of this thesis relies upon the meaning transfer model (McCracken, 1989) as well as the source effects model (Ohanian, 1990). Purpose This thesis intends to investigate how the different source effects within celebrity endorsement are appealing to the various consumers based on their age and gender. To be able to further investigate into the nature of the differences between genders, we will observe how gender stereotypical- and gender neutral products are perceived by the consumers and the role that the gender of the endorser plays in celebrity endorsement. Method In order to fulfill the purpose of this thesis, an abductive study was conducted by the usage of both quantitative and qualitative data. The data was collected through a questionnaire, both among the members of Bryngfjorden GK and students at Jönköping International Business School, and focus groups with participants representing the overall population of Sweden. Conclusion We have identified numerous of different characteristics of the consumers that will influence their perception of celebrity endorsers in advertisements, thus depending on age and gender. Mainly we have found is that younger consumers put a large emphasis on the attractiveness effect of the celebrity endorser compared to older people who rather emphasize on the credibility effects of the endorser. Further we have found explanations for how different product types are dependent on the gender of the consumer, as well as the gender of the endorser, for creating an effective advertising message.

To use sexual messages in advertisements are becoming more common by each day, it is known as a method that can be highly effective to influence consumers’ attitudes. However, it is important to carefully consider how the appeal is used as high levels of sexual appeal can be perceived as unethical or offensive to consumers. Several factors are influential on consumers’ attitudes to sexual appeal in advertising. The focus of this study is laid upon the following five factors when it comes to sexual appeal in advertising: level of nudity, gender of the consumer, gender of the model, culture and personality of the consumer.  This thesis examines how young consumers from Canada, Hong Kong and Sweden in the age span between 18–24 years differ in their attitude toward sexual advertisement, connected to the previous mentioned factors. This was done by concluding semi-structured interviews with male and female students from each nation, where they expressed their opinions about sexual commercials. It was found that female participants had a moral dilemma when it came to high levels of sexual appeal. Some of the male respondents were found to be uncomfortable when being exposed to high levels of male nudity, which could be neutralized by including a female model. Furthermore it was found that the personality of the respondent affected how he or she reacted to the shown advertisement.  The findings of this study could be of good use to marketers and advertisers as they do not need to adapt their advertisements to each geographical market to the same extent as it possibly was believed before, as long the targeted group consists of younger consumers. / Användandet av sexuella meddelanden i reklam blir mer och mer populärt varje dag, denna marknadsföringsmetod är väldigt effektiv när det kommer till att påverka konsumenters attityder. Det är dock väldigt viktigt att ta hänsyn till hur det används då höga nivåer av sexuellt innehåll kan uppfattas som oetiskt eller kränkande bland konsumenter. Ett flertal faktorer påverkar konsumenters attityder till sexuell reklam. Denna studie fokuserar på följande fem faktorer när det kommer till sexuell reklam: nakenhetsnivå konsumentens kön, modellens kön, kultur och konsumentens personlighet. Denna uppsats utvärderar hur unga konsumenter från Kanada, Hong Kong och Sverige i åldersspannet 18–24 år varierar i sina attityder till sexuell reklam, kopplat till tidigare nämnda faktorer. Detta möjliggjordes genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med manliga och kvinnliga studenter från varje land, där de uttryckte sina åsikter om sexuella reklambilder. Studien resulterade i att de kvinnliga respondenterna hade ett moraliskt dilemma när det kom till höga nivåer av sexuell reklam. En del av de manliga respondenterna blev obekväma när de exponerades för höga nivåer av manlig nakenhet, vilket kunde neutraliseras av att inkludera en kvinnlig modell. Studien fann även att respondentens personlighet påverkade hur han eller hon reagerade mot den visade reklamen. Resultaten av denna studie kan komma till god användning för marknadsförare och annonsörer då de som tidigare trott, inte behöver anpassa sina reklamer till varje geografisk marknad, så länge som den tilltänkta kundgruppen består av unga konsumenter.