How a celebrity endorser in advertisements can influence the credibility and reliability of information received by consumers?

MICHAEL BUSLER, THE RICHARD STOCKTON COLLEGE, USA
Abstract: In any market driven economy, the consumer accounts for the vast majority of the output. Economists and Marketing scholars have long studied what motivates the consumer to demand, and eventually purchase, specific products. Depending on the type of product, consumers will seek information about the product prior to making the purchase. Much of this information comes from advertising. Information can be direct or indirect in nature. The consumer obtains indirect information after making inferences based on perceptions. The perception is strongly influenced by the credibility and reliability of the information found in advertisements. It is the intent of this paper to show an endorser in an ad can positively influence both the credibility and the reliability of indirect information. This positive influence on creditability and reliability of information results in the consumer perceiving higher product quality and in the consumer willing to pay significantly more for the product.
Keywords: Celebrity endorsement, Consumer perceptions, Consumer Perception Model, Credibility and reliability of information