Purchasing is an important concept in the life of students. The decision whether to purchase branded apparel is hence a very important one. The 21st century student is less loyal and more demanding when choosing branded apparel. Marketers should understand how students evaluate celebrity endorsers when they appear in printed advertising and respond accordingly. The objective of the research is to find out how celebrity endorsed print advertisements affect Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) students’ purchase behaviour. The results of this study could assist marketers in improving the quality of their advertising and to more accurately meet the needs of this dynamic student market. A literature review was conducted to provide an understanding of the consumer purchasing behaviour and the role celebrity endorser played in printed advertisements. The empirical study was designed to assess the impact of the use of celebrity endorsements of printed advertisements targeted at NMMU students. The empirical findings showed that both male and female students indicated that the use of celebrity endorsers get their attention and created interest, and make advertisements more memorable. Males were more influenced than ii females. Moreover, both groups indicated that for a desired or familiar product, celebrity endorsers did not easily change their purchase decisions. It was also found that the use of pictures, colours and wording featured in the advertisements are important to students. The study proposes that marketers should continue to focus on effective marketing communications and establish whether a celebrity should be used. The correct selection of a celebrity endorser can help to create greater consumer persuasion.

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In the final days leading up to elections, many major newspapers in Canada and around the world depart from the principle of media neutrality and openly support a particular political party. Do these overt attempts at persuasion by trusted institutions actually affect the vote choice of their readership, and are these effects felt evenly across the population? In this thesis, I examine the 2011 and 2015 Canadian federal elections using data from the 2011 Canadian Election Study and the 2015 Making Electoral Democracy Work project. I find voters to be significantly influenced by their newspaper’s endorsement in the 2015 sample, and find that this influence primarily influences those who identify with no party. Although the influence is modest in size, with the geographic concentration of newspaper readership it is potentially large enough to influence outcomes in individual ridings. Combined with my finding that newspaper endorsements are far from evenly distributed across parties, this has troubling implications for Canadian democracy.

The purpose of this study is to establish the means to understand how female sport endorsers are chosen in advertising - whether the choice is based upon physical appeal or professional career.

The use of celebrity endorsers is a popular marketing strategy in many countries. Typically, many marketers believe that using celebrities is a viable marketing strategy for attracting customers, increasing market share and improving sales for their market offerings. The celebrity endorsement strategy using local celebrities is increasing in South Africa. Many South African marketers are now using popular local black celebrities in an attempt to attract the prosperous black emerging middle class, known as Black Diamonds. Black Generation Y students offer great promise to marketers in the South African market as their tertiary education is likely to lead to higher future earning potential and subsequent entry into the already prosperous black emerging middle class segment. Given the increased use of local black celebrities and the market potential of the black Generation Y cohort in South Africa, it is important to investigate whether this marketing strategy may be effective when used in this segment. Celebrity endorsement may work effectively if the correct celebrity is chosen to promote a product but may have costly results if an inappropriate celebrity is chosen. Ohanian (1990) developed a scale to facilitate the selection of celebrity endorsers. The scale is based on the source credibility model that includes the source attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise model. This study set out to determine whether the black Generation Y students have positive perceptions of local black celebrity endorsers using the celebrity endorsers‟ credibility scale developed by Ohanian (1990). Furthermore, the scale was validated using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling in order to ascertain whether the scale remains applicable when used in the South African context. A non-probability convenience sample of 880 (440 per institution) black students aged between 18 and 24 years was taken in 2012 from the two registered public higher education institutions in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Following a top-of-the-mind-awareness test, four local black celebrities were identified, namely Connie Ferguson, Black Coffee, DJ Sbu and Zahara. In a second top-of-the-mind-awareness test to determine which product types each celebrity is considered to most suitable to endorse, Connie Ferguson was linked to cosmetics, Black Coffee to hot beverages, DJ Sbu to men’s clothing and Zahara to traditional African clothes and jewellery. The relevant primary data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire that had four versions – one per identified celebrity. Lecturers at the two public HEIs were contacted and asked if they would distribute the questionnaires (four versions) to their students to complete during lecture periods. The questionnaires were hand delivered to the relevant lecturers and those completed were immediately collected. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their perceptions of the four selected celebrities‟ attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise in endorsing their selected product types. In addition, respondents were asked to provide certain demographic data. Findings from the study indicated that black Generation Y students have positive perceptions of the selected local black celebrity endorsers‟ attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise in endorsing their selected product types. In addition, the results of both the confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modelling suggest that the scale developed by Ohanian (1990) to be a valid measure for selecting celebrity endorsers when applied in South Africa. Insights gained from this study will assist both marketing academics and practitioners understand the perceptions of the black Generation Y students towards the use of local black celebrities in product promotions in the South African market. / MCom, Marketing Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The use of celebrity endorsers is a popular marketing strategy in many countries. Typically, many marketers believe that using celebrities is a viable marketing strategy for attracting customers, increasing market share and improving sales for their market offerings. The celebrity endorsement strategy using local celebrities is increasing in South Africa. Many South African marketers are now using popular local black celebrities in an attempt to attract the prosperous black emerging middle class, known as Black Diamonds. Black Generation Y students offer great promise to marketers in the South African market as their tertiary education is likely to lead to higher future earning potential and subsequent entry into the already prosperous black emerging middle class segment. Given the increased use of local black celebrities and the market potential of the black Generation Y cohort in South Africa, it is important to investigate whether this marketing strategy may be effective when used in this segment. Celebrity endorsement may work effectively if the correct celebrity is chosen to promote a product but may have costly results if an inappropriate celebrity is chosen. Ohanian (1990) developed a scale to facilitate the selection of celebrity endorsers. The scale is based on the source credibility model that includes the source attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise model. This study set out to determine whether the black Generation Y students have positive perceptions of local black celebrity endorsers using the celebrity endorsers‟ credibility scale developed by Ohanian (1990). Furthermore, the scale was validated using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling in order to ascertain whether the scale remains applicable when used in the South African context. A non-probability convenience sample of 880 (440 per institution) black students aged between 18 and 24 years was taken in 2012 from the two registered public higher education institutions in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Following a top-of-the-mind-awareness test, four local black celebrities were identified, namely Connie Ferguson, Black Coffee, DJ Sbu and Zahara. In a second top-of-the-mind-awareness test to determine which product types each celebrity is considered to most suitable to endorse, Connie Ferguson was linked to cosmetics, Black Coffee to hot beverages, DJ Sbu to men’s clothing and Zahara to traditional African clothes and jewellery. The relevant primary data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire that had four versions – one per identified celebrity. Lecturers at the two public HEIs were contacted and asked if they would distribute the questionnaires (four versions) to their students to complete during lecture periods. The questionnaires were hand delivered to the relevant lecturers and those completed were immediately collected. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their perceptions of the four selected celebrities‟ attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise in endorsing their selected product types. In addition, respondents were asked to provide certain demographic data. Findings from the study indicated that black Generation Y students have positive perceptions of the selected local black celebrity endorsers‟ attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise in endorsing their selected product types. In addition, the results of both the confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modelling suggest that the scale developed by Ohanian (1990) to be a valid measure for selecting celebrity endorsers when applied in South Africa. Insights gained from this study will assist both marketing academics and practitioners understand the perceptions of the black Generation Y students towards the use of local black celebrities in product promotions in the South African market. / MCom, Marketing Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

What role do celebrity endorsements play in determining the success of a sports apparel company brand, such as Nike, Inc. (Nike) and Under Armour? Each year, Nike and Under Armour spend hundreds of millions of dollars marketing their athletic apparel, footwear, accessories and gear using paid celebrities and professional athletes. Can marketing videos prominently featuring inspirational athletes increase a company’s profitability and stock price value, and lead to stronger brand recognition that could not only convince its current customers to buy products, but also reach new consumers and expand its revenue? By collecting data on Nike and Under Armour’s YouTube videos from July 2010 to November 2017, this study uses characteristics of the companies’ videos, such as professional athletic presence, gender, purpose, intended audience and number of views, to determine whether a celebrity is consistently positively correlated with stock price changes. Two tests produced conflicting results: Celebrity presence was only statistically significant in positively affecting Under Armour’s daily stock price immediately, but not in either company’s weekly or monthly stock prices. Additionally, lack of celebrity presence was statistically significant in negatively impacting Under Armour’s change in monthly stock price. These mixed results demonstrate the debatable impact a celebrity endorsement has on a company’s stock market valuation. The conclusion discusses potential factors that may have contributed to Under Armour’s stock price fall.

It has become conventional to use product placement in music videos. Big brands have started marketing themselves through product placement, for example, brands such as BMW, VitaminWater and Virgin Mobile. Placing products in music videos could be perceived as the brands linking themselves with celebrities. This product placement could either have a positive or negative effect on the celebrity and/or the brand. This research study aimed to provide the world of brands with insights into 18-28-year-olds’ perception of product placement in music videos, and whether placing their product in a music video where the audience is not partial to the celebrity, could be detrimental or not. This research study aimed to determine the selected sample’s (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University students) perceptions of the product placement of three specific brands (VitaminWater, BMW and Virgin) in three specific music videos, namely: Jessie J and David Guetta “Laserlight” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syxd2n8S4AE JLo’s “Get on the Floor” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4H_Zoh7G5A Lady Gaga and Beyoncé “Telephone” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ95z6ywcBY An electronic survey questionnaire was concluded with both closed and open-ended questions relating to the use of product placement in these three music videos. The survey questionnaire helped to determine what the selected sample’s perceptions were of each brand and celebrity, what they were after the respondents and seen the relationship between the brand and celebrity and finally, of product placement in general. A semiotic analysis of screen shots from each music video was conducted to determine what kind of nature the product placement occurred in in each music video.

The practice of celebrity endorsement has been widely adopted in advertising industries around the world. In the Chinese advertising world, celebrity endorsement has been a commonly used strategy since 2010. Celebrities from the entertainment and sports industries have been frequently employed to promote messages about advertised brands or products. This is a traditional way of celebrity endorsement. Recently, however, the development of new media has led to the emergence of self-made micro-celebrities, termed 'online influencers' in this dissertation. Facing the popularity of online influencers in the digital world, marketing communication practitioners have started using them to advertise brands and products, and to engage target audiences in advertisements. A new way of celebrity endorsement has developed. As a result, advertisers need to make decisions on whether to adopt traditional celebrity endorsement or online influencer endorsement. In this regard, it is necessary to figure out which celebrity endorsement method, traditional celebrity or online influencer endorsement, is more persuasive. Our study aims to explore how celebrity-audience relational motives (information, entertainment, and involvement motives) interact with celebrity endorser's typology (traditional celebrities or online influencers) to determine the persuasiveness of celebrity endorsement appeals in advertising. The study's conceptual framework hypothesized that celebrity-audience relational motives play a determining role in the audiences' attitudes toward celebrities, whereas celebrity typology adjusts the impact of celebrity-audience relational motives on the audience's attitude toward celebrities. Also, it was theorized that audiences' attitudes toward celebrities would influence the persuasiveness of advertisements containing celebrity endorsements. In this causal relationship, the celebrity-product fit moderates its impact. A mixed methodology was applied in this dissertation. The first method used was qualitative personal interviews, conducted with 15 Chinese respondents between August 2018 and February 2019. This exploratory study's purpose was to get audience's insights on their perceptions of traditional celebrity and online influencer endorsement, and to develop a conceptual framework based on the empirical data. Results in the first exploratory study revealed that compared with online influencers, a much closer relationship was found between interviewees and traditional celebrities. Also, the overall affective evaluation of traditional celebrities and their endorsement appeal was found to be more positive than that of online influencers. The second study confirms that celebrity-audience relational motives significantly determine the audience's attitude toward celebrity endorsers. The stronger the relational motives are, the more positive audience's attitude could be. Besides, celebrity typology effectively moderates the impact of entertainment motive on attitude toward celebrity endorsers. Moreover, if audiences evaluated celebrity endorsers positively, the persuasiveness of advertising with celebrity endorsement would be significantly improved on both affective and behavioral levels. Furthermore, the celebrity-product fit further enhances the advertising persuasiveness. Based on the findings, theoretical and marketing communication implications are suggested to enlighten communication practitioners on how to select celebrity endorsers and what factors to consider to guarantee the persuasiveness of advertising through celebrity endorsement appeals.

Background: With increased scrutiny of celebrities by the Chinese government, more and more celebrities are being exposed to being caught in various scandals. This leads to the challenge of how companies respond to such celebrity endorsements followed by scandals to incorporate the intentions of independent, socially conscious China’s Generation-Y. Therefore, companies need to understand the factors that influence abandonment intentions and thus take more action on preventive celebrity endorsement management. Purpose: This dissertation aims to examine China’s Generation-Y's intention to abandon brands following a celebrity endorsement followed by a scandal. A theory of planned behavior incorporating tax evasion scandals forms the theoretical basis for examining which factors most impact abandonment intention. Method: To achieve the purpose of this thesis, the researcher conducted a quantitative study through an interpretive research method with a sample of 246 Chinese respondents. In addition to demographic questions and two modules on celebrity endorsement and scandal context, the questionnaire consisted of eight modules derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The researcher used descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regressions to analyze the data to investigate the relationship between the variables better and determine if the hypotheses set by the study were supported. Finally, demographic factors were combined to explore the intrinsic link with the variables further. Conclusion: This research provides evidence that the factors influencing the intention of China’s Generation-Y to use a brand change after a scandal concerning a celebrity who had endorsed the brand in question. The main finding concerns the increased importance of subjective norms and the decreased comparative importance of attitude towards intention to use/abandon said brand after the scandal. However, in contrast with previous studies, the results of this study showed no significant influence of perceived behavioral control before or after the scandal. Furthermore, the researchers found that while before a scandal there was a significant difference in the influence of subjective norms between men and women, that difference disappeared after a scandal. Those results allowed the researchers to draw conclusions, make managerial implications, and suggest further possible research opportunities.