In the age of social media, many brands are endorsed by a celebrity. Kanye West represents Adidas, Beyonce represents Topshop and many others.
Whether they are famous by Youtube, Instagram or any other social media outlet, many take advantage of their social status to promote products while receiving benefits.
Stephanie Cabrera, sophomore early childhood education major, said she makes conscience purchase decisions based off what celebrity is endorsing the product.
“I make my purchase decisions based on who the celebrity is. I would not buy Kylie Cosmetics over Rihanna’s new Fenty Beauty line because I trust Rihanna’s view better,” Cabrera said.
“I like to watch YouTubers and what they buy. They impact my purchases because as a society, we hold celebrities styles up to a standard and so we feel we can trust their opinion,” said Louisa Contrelle, junior biology major.
If the celebrity makes a wrong move that does not sit well with the public, shoppers say it reflects poorly on the brand.
“Brands hire celebrity endorsers because they hope that their target market’s view of the celebrity will transfer to their market’s view of the brand. Sometimes this works well; other times it does not,” said Dr. Natalie Winter, professor of marketing and management and associate dean for the Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business.
If a celebrity makes a move that does not sit well with the public, it reflects poorly on the brand he or she endorses. As long as the celebrity’s image is consistent with brand expectations, positive attributions will result from endorsement.
