This paper attempts to show a correlation between a celebrity endorser (Jessica Simpson) for a health-related product (ProActiv) and the expressed likeability of the product. The study was conducted to demonstrate that the way we feel about an endorser directly influences the way we feel about the product they endorse. A survey was conducted in which the results showed a partial support of the original hypothesis. The way the respondent rated feeling about Jessica Simpson was, in 60% of respondents (15 out of 25), the exact same way, or within one number, they reported feeling about ProActiv. While the results of this study are not statistically significant enough to be certain of a causal relationship, the work done by previous researchers in addition to this new information shows that celebrity endorsers do have an affect on the public. Suggestions for further research include studies that determine the ways in which celebrity attractiveness and likability are related, as well as further investigation into the role celebrities have played in advertising for health and medical products.
Introduction
Studying the way in which celebrity endorsers affect consumers, companies, and products is a topic that has been somewhat explored in the recent past. However, data is lacking for the relationship between medical or health-related products and celebrity endorsers. Those with medical needs may be swayed by celebrity endorsements over better health choices. This, obviously, has serious health implications. Pharmaceuticals and health-related products are a very large, profitable business and celebrities have an enormous potential to influence people. When today’s most popular celebrities are promoting today’s most well-known brands, a relationship must be investigated.
This paper and the research study accompanying it, attempts to show a correlation between a celebrity endorser (Jessica Simpson) for a health-related product (ProActiv) and the expressed likability of the product. The study was conducted to demonstrate that the way we feel about an endorser directly influences the way we feel about the product they endorse. In addition, the study was constructed in a way to show that consumers are often just buying products that are endorsed by celebrities they like. This paper begins with a summary of pertinent literature of the topic and how it contributed to the construction of the hypothesis for this study. Methods, results, and limitations of the study are then stated. A clear discussion of the results and their implications follow. The paper closes with suggestions for future research on the topic.
Literature Review
There are several studies and articles that give insight into the research that has already been done on celebrity credibility, celebrity endorsements, and celebrity endorsements of health and medical-related products. The following is an analysis of just a few. In “The Economic Worth of Celebrity Endorsers: An Event Study Analysis,” research is focused on the impact of celebrity endorsement contracts on the expected profitability of a firm by using event study methodology. Announcements of 110 celebrity endorsement contracts were analyzed. Results indicated that, on average, the impact of these announcements on stock returns is positive[1]. These research findings support my hypothesis, that celebrity endorsers do have an impact on companies. The study conducted in this paper was strongly influenced by the results of this study.
Paid Celebrity Endorsement in Health Promotion: a Case Study from Australia” gave valuable research that further supports the hypothesis of this paper. Here, a celebrity was paid to publicize his attempt to stop smoking. Once the celebrity failed and continued smoking in public, the public’s reaction was incredibly sour toward the celebrity, yet the sales of the product continued to increase dramatically despite the controversy[2]. Would the public have had this reaction if they were truly connected to the product (that was somewhat proven not to work) and not the celebrity face of the product? This is the question at work in this study. This study furthers the idea that especially in medical and health-related campaigns, the public clings to the celebrity front for some credibility.
In the article “Matching Products with Endorsers: Attractiveness versus Expertise,” the study found that there are two things a celebrity endorser needs in order to be successful at selling the product. First and foremost, the endorser must be attractive. In addition, the endorser must portray knowledge or experience using the product[3]. The emphasis on these aspects adds to this paper’s hypothesis in that celebrity endorsers can portray credibility and therefore entice sales. ProActiv has become a more notable product throughout the years, mainly associated with attractive celebrity endorsements. An eye-catching celebrity, such as Jessica Simpson, is an endorser that tells the consumers their personal story on how ProActiv changed their lives for the better. If the celebrity portrays knowledge or experience using the product, as most do in ProActiv, then the consumer will have a better reaction towards the product.
Lastly, in a study done by Goldsmith, Lafferty, and Newell, researchers tested several different hypotheses having to do with whether credibility is associated with how you feel about the brand, or if it’s associated with a spokesperson of the brand. The researchers found that often times how you feel about a brand is derived from the celebrity that endorses the brand[4].
With the articles above, in addition to other resources, stating a significant possibility that celebrity endorsers influence product credibility, product likability, and product sales, the following hypothesis for this study is: Given that participants are aware of the product ProActiv, the likability customers express for ProActiv is directly related to the celebrity endorsing it, Jessica Simpson; the more a customer likes ProActiv, the more they like Jessica Simpson, and vice versa.
Methods
The population of interest in this study is college-aged adults at Pennsylvania State University, ranging in age from 18 to 25. A total of 25 people answered an online survey. Participants were both male (44%) and female (56%). In addition, 76% of participants were Caucasian, 12% were African American, and 12% were other.
When asked if they were familiar with ProActiv prior to the survey, 72% of participants said they were. Also, when asked if they had ever used ProActiv, only 28% said they had. 60% of participants knew that Jessica Simpson was an endorser of ProActiv. This shows that the population was, mainly, just using what they knew about the product from the media, word-of-mouth, etc. to evaluate the product and the endorser, versus using personal experience.
The goal of this study was to show a relationship between product likability and the celebrity endorser. To achieve this goal, an online survey was made. The survey consisted of the following questions:
· What is your gender? (Male, Female, Prefer not to answer)
· What is your ethnicity? (White/Caucasian, African American, Other, Prefer not to answer)
· Are you familiar with the product ProActiv? (Yes, No, Don’t know)
· Have you ever used ProActiv? (Yes, No, Don’t know)
· Are you familiar with Jessica Simpson as an endorser of ProActiv products? (Yes, No, Don’t know)
· On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being very much dislike and 10 being very much like, how do you feel about Jessica Simpson? (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10)
· On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being very much dislike and 10 being very much like, how do you feel about ProActiv? (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10)
In addition to the questions, a fictional advertisement was made and displayed on the website (see Figure 1). The purpose of this advertisement was to remind the participants of who Jessica Simpson is, and what the product in discussion is as well.
A message was placed on Myspace and Facebook inviting Penn State students to complete the survey. Once the student clicked the link to the survey, they were shown a standard consent form. They had to click ‘I agree’ in order to continue with the study. Once they finished the survey, the answers were sent directly to the primary investigator.
Results and Limitations
The survey results supported the hypothesis to a certain extent. The way the respondent rated feeling about Jessica Simpson was, in 60% of respondents (15 out of 25), the exact same way, or within one number, they reported feeling about ProActiv.
Table 1 shows the numerical answers for all participants (red answers being those who answered similarly for both questions of likability). In addition, Table 2 shows the average likability for both Jessica Simpson and ProActiv. These averages are very similar. This suggests that some of the participants felt the same way toward both Jessica Simpson and ProActiv.
There are several limitations that should be mentioned when discussing the results of this study. First, the variable in this study, likability, is lacking a set definition. By asking the respondents if they ‘like’ Jessica Simpson and ProActiv, there is an opportunity for the question to be misinterpreted. There are also threats to internal validity. One such threat is that of selection; respondents were all users of Facebook or Myspace, thus leaving out non-users as potential participants. To increase external validity, more participants could have been surveyed.
Discussion
While the results of this study are not statistically significant enough to be certain of a correlational relationship, the work done by previous researchers in addition to this new information shows that celebrity endorsers do have an affect on the public.
As is discussed in an April 2007 article in the Journal of Popular Culture by Choi and Rifon, academic literature about celebrity endorsement shows ample evidence of the positive effects of using celebrities in advertising[5]. Their notoriety allows them to cut through the clutter of other advertisements to gain more attention by viewers. This, in turn, means more exposure for products and companies. “Although celebrities share some common characteristics, including recognition, status, and popularity, each celebrity embodies his or her own unique image in the media. While one celebrity may be considered an appropriate endorser for one brand, he or she may be completely wrong for another based on the public’s perception of his or her distinctive image,” according to the article[6].
This is why the findings of this study are important; in order to successfully use celebrities in advertising, companies must choose the proper endorsers. And in order to choose the proper endorsers, companies must first gauge the public’s reaction to a celebrity. In the case of ProActiv, and based on the sample taken and the findings reported, the company could be seen as failing to pick a proper endorser. Although the data shows that the respondents felt nearly equal about both Jessica Simpson and ProActiv, those numbers are low. Respondents didn’t care much for Jessica Simpson or ProActiv. Perhaps the negative spotlight Jessica Simpson has been a part of has been part of the reason for ProActiv to branch out and use more endorsers within the last few years.
While attractiveness wasn’t implicitly declared as a variable of this study, it is important to note the part it could possibly play in the likability of an endorser. In a study done by Kahle and Homer, likability and attractiveness were shown to go hand in hand in how participants felt about different advertisements for razors. The attractive celebrity was found to be more likable, and therefore the advertisement was remembered more often[7]. The pairing of this information with the results found in this study helps to explain why ProActiv chose a considerably attractive celebrity. This is a classic example of ‘the halo effect’, in that people attach positive and good qualities with people they consider to be attractive.
While the results of this study can be beneficial to those involved in the advertising for ProActiv, a primary goal of this study was to open the eyes of consumers to the ways in which health and medical products are being advertised to them. Annual spending on direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs tripled between 1996 and 2000, when it reachednearly $2.5 billion[8]. Health and medical products are businesses too, and they need to create a brand identity as well. When this is done, people just request a drug or another medical product by brand name, perhaps instead of taking other medical advice. Adding a celebrity to the already persuasive advertisements could be a harmful way in which to create a brand image.
Suggestions for Future Research
The study described in this paper is a small start to what could be a new, large branch of research about endorsements. Further investigation into the role celebrities have played in advertising for health and medical products is needed. Also, a comprehensive study of attractiveness and how that contributes to the likability of a celebrity may be a valuable contribution to the field.
Conclusion
The results of this study, that a relationship could exist between celebrity likability and product likability, is an important piece missing in the research on celebrity endorsements. If advertisers choose the right celebrities, with an overall accepted reputation in the public, their products will gain more media attention. Whether or not people are just buying products that are endorsed by celebrities they like is still unproven, but this research suggests so. This mentality must be understood. The ability for endorsers to directly influence consumers, especially in health and medical fields, cannot be taken lightly. Consumers should think more critically about their purchases and why they choose one celebrity endorsed product over another, and how these choices could be affecting their health.
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[3] Till, B. D., & Busler, M. (1998). Matching products with endorsers: Attractiveness versus expertise. The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 15(6), 576.
[4] Goldsmith, R. E., Lafferty, B. A., & Newell, S. J. (2000). The impact of corporate credibility and celebrity credibility on consumer reaction to advertisements and brands. Journal of Advertising, 29(3), 43-54.
[5] Choi, S. M. & Rifon, N. J. (2007). Who is the celebrity in advertising? Understanding dimensions of celebrity images. Journal of Popular Culture, 40(2), 304-325.
[6] Choi, S. M. & Rifon, N. J. (2007). Who is the celebrity in advertising? Understanding dimensions of celebrity images. Journal of Popular Culture, 40(2), 304-325.
[7] Homer, P. M. & Kahle, L. R. (1985). Physical attractiveness of the celebrity endorser: A social adaptation perspective. TheJournal of Consumer Research, 11(4), 954-961.
[8] Berndt, E. R., Donohue, J. M., Epstein, A. M., Frank, R. G., & Rosenthal, M. B. (2002). Promotion of prescription drugs to consumers. TheNew England Journal of Medicine, 346(7), 498-505.
