The Impact of Social Media Influencers on Purchase Intention and the Mediation Effect of Customer Attitude

Abstract Conventional wisdom regarding the matching of spokesperson and brand in advertising is empirically tested. Within the theoretical framework of social cognition, celebrity-brand congruence is found to enhance effectiveness of advertising. a) Recall is found to be enhanced when the celebrity and brand are matched, as predicted by the filtering model. b) Transfer of affect from spokesperson to brand is found to be facilitated when the two are matched. c) Affect toward the brand is also found to be higher when brand and spokesperson are matched. The usefulness and importance of schemas in information processing of advertising are discussed.

The growing interest in Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques and recognition of their importance in IS research suggests the need to compare and contrast different types of SEM techniques so that research designs can be selected appropriately. After assessing the extent to which these techniques are currently being used in IS research, the article presents a running example which analyzes the same dataset via three very different statistical techniques. It then compares two classes of SEM: covariance-based SEM and partial-least-squaresbased SEM. Finally, the article discusses linear regression models and offers guidelines as to when SEM techniques and when regression techniques should be used. The article concludes with heuristics and rule of thumb thresholds to guide practice, and a discussion of the extent to which practice is in accord with these guidelines.

Using celebrities for promoting products is a popular advertising strategy. The selection of celebrity endorsers is of great concern to advertisers given the large sums of money to secure their participation. To date, most academic research on celebrity endorser effectiveness has focused on endorser characteristics (e.g., source credibility) or a match between a product and the endorser (e.g., match-up hypothesis). The study presented here introduces a new dimension for understanding celebrity endorser effects, the congruence between a consumer’s perception of a celebrity’s personality characteristics with the consumer’s self-concept. Consumers’ self-concept is an important influence on purchase decisions (Ericksen, 1997; Graeff, 1996; Sirgy, 1982, 1985), and advertising has been viewed as the most effective tool for creating product images in relation to such self-concept (Sirgy, 1982). Drawn from the two streams of literature, this study proposes and tests an integrative model of celebrity endorsement by examining congruence effects of consumer self-concept and celebrity as well as product and celebrity. Results suggest that ideal congruity (congruence between consumers’ ideal self-image and celebrity image) adds explanatory power to a congruence model of celebrity endorser effects. Implications for advertisers and suggestions for future research are discussed. C ! 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This article offers a new approach to celebrity endorsement. Previous explanations, especially the source credibility and source attractiveness models are criticized, and an alternative meaning transfer model is proposed. According to this model, celebrities' effectiveness as endorsers stems from the cultural meanings with which they are endowed. The model shows how meanings pass from celebrity to product and from product to consumer. The implications of this model for our understanding of the consumer society are considered. Research avenues suggested by the model are also discussed.

Cultural meaning in a consumer society moves ceaselessly from one location to another. In the usual trajectory, cultural meaning moves first from the culturally constituted world to consumer goods and then from these goods to the individual consumer. Several instruments are responsible for this movement: advertising, the fashion system, and four consumption rituals. This article analyzes the movement of cultural meaning theoretically, showing both where cultural meaning is resident in the contemporary North American consumer system and the means by which this meaning is transferred from one location in this system to another.

Three factors were manipulated in an advertisement for disposable razors: celebrity-source physical attractiveness, celebrity-source likability, and participant product involvement. Attitudes and purchase intentions changed due to celebrity-source attractiveness, and the results were interpreted as supporting social adaptation theory.

This experimental study examined what is the optimal decision for a company whose brand is endorsed by a celebrity immersed in a scandal (revoking versus continuing the endorsement) as a function of brand/endorser fit (congruence versus incongruence) and of the veracity of the negative event created by the celebrity's reaction (denying versus admitting the facts). In the case of congruence, revoking the endorsement is suboptimal with respect to brand attitude and purchase intention. Furthermore, denying lowered the endorser's trustworthiness which, in turn, hampered attitude and intention. Managerial and theoretical implications, as well as directions for further research, were also considered.

Abstract Corporate reputation has become one of the most important intangible assets for maintaining and enhancing firms’ competitiveness in the global marketplace. Researchers have shown considerable interest in measuring the corporate reputation construct, resulting in a lack of consensus on valid measurement approaches. Against this background, we discuss commonly used reputation measures from a conceptual as well as theoretical perspective, and empirically compare them in terms of convergent validity and criterion validity. By examining the measures’ psychometric properties, both theoretically and empirically, this study provides guidance for their reasonable application in business research and practice.

The persuasive impact of source credibility is examined in two situations. A highly credible source was more effective than a moderately credible source when the communication recommended buying a ...

Abstract Building on previous research, this article examines the relationships among brand familiarity, confidence in brand evaluations, brand attitudes, and purchase intention. The empirical results from structural equation modeling show that familiarity with a brand influences a consumer's confidence toward the brand, which in turn affects his/her intention to buy the same brand. In addition, a consumer's attitude toward a specific brand is affected by his/her familiarity with the brand. These causal relationships are tested in a multiple brand context.

Introduction. Importance of understanding purchase intentions for marketing managers. Do marketing actions that change purchase intentions in a market research study ultimately change behavior in the marketplace? Why are purchase intentions an imperfect measure of what consumers do? Factors that impact the strength of the relationship between intentions and behavior. Forecasting from purchase intentions - best practices for marketers. General Discussion. Conclusions. References

The importance of fit between the endorser and the endorsed product has been described as the “match‐up hypothesis”. Much “match‐up hypothesis” research has focused on physical attraction. We present two studies which collectively suggest that, while attractive endorsers do positively affect attitude toward the endorsed brand, expertise is a more important dimension for driving the fit between an endorser and a brand. Study One examines physical attractiveness as a match‐up factor. Results indicate a general “attractiveness effect”, but not a match‐up effect based on attractiveness. Study Two considers expertise as the match‐up dimension. A match‐up effect was found based on expertise.

We propose that consumers purchase brands in part to construct their self-concepts and, in so doing, form self-brand connections. We focus on reference groups as a source of brand meaning. Results from two studies show that brands with images consistent with an ingroup enhance self-brand connections for all consumers, whereas brands with images that are consistent with an outgroup have a stronger negative effect on independent versus interdependent consumers. We propose that this differential effect is due to stronger self-differentiation goals for consumers with more independent self-concepts. We also find greater effects for more symbolic than for less symbolic brands.

There is an increasing emphasis on understanding the consumer's motives for the choice of food types. Meanwhile, an individual's food-related personal traits are suspected of playing a moderating role in influencing personal food choice. This study aims to understand what motives determine the consumer's attitude to organic foods in Taiwan, which in turn influence the subsequent purchase intentions. Moderated regression analysis (MRA) is used to ascertain the personality traits of food neophobia and food involvement separately in the behavioral intentions model. The results vindicate the use of Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in explaining the consumer's organic foods choice behavior. Moreover, the findings suggest that the food-related personality traits of food neophobia and food involvement exert moderating effects on the relationships between some of the food choice motives and the consumer's attitude to organic foods. However, only food involvement exerts moderating effects on the relationships between the consumer's intentions to purchase organic foods and the antecedents of the TPB except for the subjective norm in this case. Based on the empirical results and findings, some suggestions are provided to the institutions concerned so as to facilitate this organic sector's on-going expansion in Taiwan's food industry.

ABSTRACT The present study examines how different degrees of celebrity–product incongruence influence the persuasiveness of celebrity endorsement. Schema-congruity framework provides the theoretical basis for suggesting that a moderate mismatch between a celebrity9s image and a product9s image would produce more favorable responses to advertisements than either a complete match or an extreme mismatch. This study also looks at how consumer characteristics, namely an individual9s own levels of enduring involvement with a product category, moderate schema congruity effects. Two experiments were conducted to test these issues using two types of match-up factors: physical attractiveness and expertise of a celebrity endorser. The results show that celebrity endorsements are evaluated more favorably in terms of purchase intention when there is a moderate mismatch than when there is either a complete match or an extreme mismatch. Such effects are found to be more pronounced among participants with higher product involvement than those with lower product involvement.

Abstract Two studies are presented that examine the role of attractiveness and expertise in the “match-up hypothesis.” Much “match-up hypothesis” research has focused on physical attractiveness. Study One examined physical attractiveness as a match-up factor and its impact on brand attitude, purchase intent and key brand beliefs. In a 2 × 2 experiment, endorser attractiveness and product type are manipulated. Results indicated a general “attractiveness effect” on brand attitude and purchase intent but not the match-up predicted in previous literature. Study Two considered expertise as the match-up dimension. The second experiment manipulated product and endorser type. A match-up effect was found as the athlete was most effective as an endorser for the energy bar in increasing brand attitude, but not purchase intent. The variable “fit,” or “belongingness,” was shown to play an important role in match-up effects.

Hypotheses involving mediation are common in the behavioral sciences. Mediation exists when a predictor affects a dependent variable indirectly through at least one intervening variable, or mediator. Methods to assess mediation involving multiple simultaneous mediators have received little attention in the methodological literature despite a clear need. We provide an overview of simple and multiple mediation and explore three approaches that can be used to investigate indirect processes, as well as methods for contrasting two or more mediators within a single model. We present an illustrative example, assessing and contrasting potential mediators of the relationship between the helpfulness of socialization agents and job satisfaction. We also provide SAS and SPSS macros, as well as Mplus and LISREL syntax, to facilitate the use of these methods in applications.

Abstract Advertisers frequently use endorsers or spokespersons as credible sources to influence consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions. Corporate credibility-the reputation of a company for honesty and expertise-is another type of source credibility that can influence consumer reactions to ads and shape brand attitudes. The present study assessed the impact of endorser and corporate credibility on attitude-toward-the-ad, attitudetoward-the-brand, and purchase intentions. We surveyed 152 adult consumers who viewed a fictitious ad for Mobil Oil company. They rated the credibility of the ad's endorser, the credibility of the company, and attitude-toward-the-ad, attitude-toward-the-brand, and purchase intentions. Path analysis confirmed that endorser credibility had its strongest impact on Aad while corporate credibility had its strongest impact on AB. The findings suggest that corporate credibility plays an important role in consumers' reactions to advertisements and brands, independent of the equally ...

Abstract Social power can be construed as opportunity (focusing on the possibility of one's own goal achievement resulting from the control over others' outcomes) or as responsibility (focusing on the implications of one's own actions resulting from the control over others' outcomes). Four experiments tested the impact of different construals of social power on the attraction of power. Due to the salience of the possibility for goal achievement, power construed as opportunity was expected to be more attractive than power construed as responsibility. This effect was predicted to be particularly pronounced among individuals with a strong promotion orientation, because of their focus on gains and achievements. Results supported these predictions and indicate that future research should take different construals of power into account.

Abstract Using the theory of consumer socialization, the authors explore factors that might shape attitudes toward advertising for African-American and Caucasian young adults. Though the African-American market is growing in importance to advertisers, little if any research has explored African-American perceptions of advertising. The theory of consumer socialization provides a conceptual framework for investigating variables that might influence attitudes toward advertising. African-American and Caucasian young adults were surveyed on various consumer socialization variables. Parental communication, peer communication, mass media, gender, and race were found to be related significantly to attitudes toward advertising. African-Americans watched more TV and had more positive attitudes toward advertising than their Caucasian counterparts.

Through interviews with 40 American Red Cross communication professionals, this study examines how an organization that frequently responds to crises proactively manages on- and offline communication before, during, and after crises. The results provide the first empirical evaluation of an emerging model: the blog-mediated crisis communication model (BMCC). The lessons shared by the American Red Cross are insightful for researchers to understand the process of blog-mediated crisis communication in the nonprofit sector, which are also relevant for other public relations professionals. The findings support components of the original BMCC model, but also clearly indicate important revisions, including renaming the model the social-mediated crisis communication model (SMCC).

Use of celebrities as part of marketing communications strategy is a fairly common practice for major firms in supporting corporate or brand imagery. Firms invest significant monies in juxtaposing brands and organisations with endorser qualities such as attractiveness, likeability, and trustworthiness. They trust that these qualities operate in a transferable way, and, will generate desirable campaign outcomes. But, at times, celebrity qualities may be inappropriate, irrelevant, and undesirable. Thus, a major question is: how can companies select and retain the 'right' celebrity among many competing alternatives, and, simultaneously manage this resource, while avoiding potential pitfalls? This paper seeks to explore variables, which may be considered in any celebrity selection process by drawing together strands from various literature.

This paper relates the concept of moral obligation and the components of the Theory of Planned Behavior to determine their influence on the willingness to pay of visitors for park conservation. The sample consists of 190 visitors to an urban Spanish park. The mean willingness to pay estimated was 12.67€ per year. The results also indicated that moral norm was the major factor in predicting behavioral intention, followed by attitudes. The new relations established between the components of the Theory of Planned Behavior show that social norms significantly determine the attitudes, moral norms and perceived behavioral control of individuals. The proportion of explained variance shows that the inclusion of moral norms improves the explanatory power of the original model of the Theory of Planned Behavior (32-40%). Community-based social marketing and local campaigns are the main strategies that should be followed by land managers with the objective of promoting responsible, pro-environmental attitudes as well as a greater willingness to pay for this type of goods.

SUMMARY Two simple estimators are derived here for the means of the random effect model by means of predictive sample reuse. They are applied to two sets of data in the literature and compared with several other procedures. The mixed model is also discussed.

G*Power (Erdfelder, Faul, & Buchner, 1996) was designed as a general stand-alone power analysis program for statistical tests commonly used in social and behavioral research. G*Power 3 is a major extension of, and improvement over, the previous versions. It runs on widely used computer platforms (i.e., Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X 10.4) and covers many different statistical tests of the t, F, and chi2 test families. In addition, it includes power analyses for z tests and some exact tests. G*Power 3 provides improved effect size calculators and graphic options, supports both distribution-based and design-based input modes, and offers all types of power analyses in which users might be interested. Like its predecessors, G*Power 3 is free.

Purpose This research aims to examine behavioral intentions toward purchase of energy‐efficient products utilizing the theory of reasoned action framework. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from a sample of 202 shoppers of electrical appliances and small electronic products was utilized to estimate the proposed model. Findings The main finding is that attitude toward energy‐efficient product has a stronger effect on intentions compared to the subjective norm component. Research limitations/implications In order to maximize use of their financial resources, companies marketing energy‐efficient products need to focus more on enhancing consumer attitudes toward their brands and spend relatively less on efforts to educate consumers about using energy – efficient appliances in general. Practical implications Since attitudes are formed from beliefs and knowledge, use of informational ads that clearly illustrate energy‐saving consequences of their specific brands of products will be an effective marketing approach. Originality/value This study is timely considering the recent steady increase in energy prices accompanied by growing environmental concerns among businesses, governments, and consumers.

A hallmark of the new economy is the ability of organizations to realize economic value from their collection of knowledge assets as well as their assets of information, production distribution, and affiliation. Despite the competitive necessity of becoming a knowledge-based organization, senior managers have found it difficult to transform their firms through programs of knowledge management. This is particularly true if their organizations have long histories of process and a tradition of business success. This research examines the issue of effective knowledge management from the perspective of organizational capabilities. This perspective suggests that a knowledge infrastructure consisting of technology, structure, and culture along with a knowledge process architecture of acquisition, conversion, application, and protection are essential organizational capabilities or “preconditions” for effective knowledge management. Through analysis of surveys collected from over 300 senior executives, this research empirically models and uncovers key aspects of these dimensions. The results provide a basis for understanding the competitive predisposition of a firm as it enters a program of knowledge management.

Discriminant validity assessment has become a generally accepted prerequisite for analyzing relationships between latent variables. For variance-based structural equation modeling, such as partial least squares, the Fornell-Larcker criterion and the examination of cross-loadings are the dominant approaches for evaluating discriminant validity. By means of a simulation study, we show that these approaches do not reliably detect the lack of discriminant validity in common research situations. We therefore propose an alternative approach, based on the multitrait-multimethod matrix, to assess discriminant validity: the heterotrait-monotrait ratio of correlations. We demonstrate its superior performance by means of a Monte Carlo simulation study, in which we compare the new approach to the Fornell-Larcker criterion and the assessment of (partial) cross-loadings. Finally, we provide guidelines on how to handle discriminant validity issues in variance-based structural equation modeling.

Interest in the problem of method biases has a long history in the behavioral sciences. Despite this, a comprehensive summary of the potential sources of method biases and how to control for them does not exist. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to examine the extent to which method biases influence behavioral research results, identify potential sources of method biases, discuss the cognitive processes through which method biases influence responses to measures, evaluate the many different procedural and statistical techniques that can be used to control method biases, and provide recommendations for how to select appropriate procedural and statistical remedies for different types of research settings.

SUMMARY A generalized form of the cross-validation criterion is applied to the choice and assessment of prediction using the data-analytic concept of a prescription. The examples used to illustrate the application are drawn from the problem areas of univariate estimation, linear regression and analysis of variance.

Weinig navorsing oor die rol en invloed van sosialiseringsagente op die verbruikersgedrag van kinders is tot op hede in Suid Afrika onderneem. Alhoewel bemarkers bewus is van die potensiele koopkrag van kinders en veral wat hul invloed op verbruikersbesluitneming in die gesin is, blyk dit dat hulle nog nie die jeugmark as 'n volwaardige mark beskou wat navorsing regverdig nie. Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die bevindinge van 'n empiriese ondersoek oor die rol wat ouers en televisie-advertensies in die verbruikersosialisering van kinders speel, weer te gee. Die gebrek aan plaaslike navorsing op hierdie terrein het 'n uitgebreide literatuurstudie vereis wat as teoretiese fundering kon dien om die aard en prosesse van die verbruikersosialisering van kinders te beskryf. Die primere data vir die navorsing is verkry deur 'n vraelysopname wat deur 226 hoerskoolleerlinge voltooi is. Die bevindinge van die studie toon dat die ouers 'n baie belangrike sosialiseringsagent in die verbruikersopleiding van kinders is. Jong adolessente besef dat hul ouers se opinies en leiding rondom die moontlike invloede van televisie-advertensies op hul aankoopbesluite nie onderskat kan word nie. Die studie onderstreep die behoefte daaraan om meer navorsing ter plaatse in die veld te doen. Benewens die ouers en die media, behoort navorsing ook oor die rol wat ander sosialiseringsagente soos die skool en verkoopspersoneel in die verbruikersopvoeding van kinders speel, onderneem te word.

The choice of a celebrity endorser for a brand is an important topic in advertising and marketing, as considerable time and effort resources are dedicated to finding the right celebrity to represent a given organization. Celebrities used as endorsers in advertisements are often very popular ones. However, from a cognitive point of view (and a more academic one), congruence between brand and celebrity seems to be very important too. Based on affective and cognitive theories to explain endorsement effectiveness, congruence between brand and celebrity is shown to be as effective as celebrity likability. Moreover, congruence between brand and celebrity as well as celebrity likability have an impact on the predisposition toward the ad, which in turn influences brand beliefs and purchase intention. C � 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abstract This study represents a supportive test of the attractiveness aspect of the “match-up” hypothesis of celebrity/product congruence discussed in depth by Kahle and Homer (1985). The hypothesis implies that the physical attractiveness of a celebrity endorser may only enhance both product- and ad-based evaluations if the product's characteristics “match-up” with the image conveyed by the celebrity. Empirically, it was found that for an attractiveness-related product, use of a physically attractive celebrity (Tom Selleck) was observed to significantly enhance measures of spokesperson credibility and attitude toward an ad, relative to use of a physically unattractive celebrity (Telly Savalas). Alternatively, the physically attractive celebrity was found to have no effect on various spokesperson-, product-and ad-based dependent measures relative to the physically unattractive celebrity for an attractiveness-unrelated product. Implications of these findings for advertising strategy are discussed, and dir...

Purpose The emerging new influencer community is wielding significant power over the perceptions of brands and companies, largely driven by the rapid expansion of social media channels through which influencers communicate. The “nobodies” of the past are now the new “somebodies” demanding the attention of communication professionals who seek continuous engagement with targeted consumers throughout the various channels of the social web. The purpose of this paper is to present a means of identifying these new “somebodies”. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews a customizable valuation algorithm created to identify the “new somebodies” who are the influencers creating a revitalized level of brand awareness for companies. The index valuation algorithm measures a cross‐section of variables that numerically rate influencers in the social media conversation about a particular company, product or service. Findings This information helps us understand how these “somebodies” influence traditional target audiences, and help communications professionals establish effective outreach strategies. Integrating the influencer index data into a holistic social media strategy provides a comprehensive social media approach for optimizing brand equity. Originality/value The index identifies the “conversation points” that should guide engagement with each individual influencer, determining aspects such as subject and tone, and identifies these influencers.

The practice of celebrity endorsements has proliferated over time. Now days it has become a pervasive element of advertising industry especially in India. Celebrity endorsement business has become a multi-million industry in India. Marketers use celebrity endorsers to influence the purchase decision of consumers in order to increase their sales and extend their market shares. This made the author curious to explore the impact of celebrity endorsements on consumer buying behaviour.This paper focuses on examining the perception of Indian consumers about celebrity endorsements, examining the celebrity attributes likely to influence consumer purchase intentions and finally the impact of celebrity endorsements on their purchase intention.This project begins with the review of existing literature available on celebrity endorsements, which provides an insight into the research topic and clarifies many important aspects related to the subject. A quantitative method is used for this research project to investigate the perceptions of the consumer, attributes and its subsequent impact on purchase intention. The data is collected through a questionnaire and later analysed using the data analysis software program SPSS.It was proven in this research that consumers find celebrity endorsements more attractive and influential as compared to non-celebrity endorsements. Moreover, the tested attributes show positive relationship with purchase intention. In other terms, celebrity attributes do impact the purchase intention of consumers. Finally, the results of the study prove that celebrity endorsements positively impact the purchase intention of the consumers.

Two studies tested the notion that the confidence consumers have in their cognitive responses to an ad can increase or decrease the favorability of product attitudes. Increasing confidence in positive thoughts enhanced advertisement effectiveness. Increasing confidence in negative thoughts reduced advertisement effectiveness. These self-validation effects occurred regardless of the type of product and regardless of whether thought confidence was measured or induced through an experimental manipulation. The present research also demonstrated that source credibility can influence consumer attitudes by affecting thought confidence. Finally, thought confidence was distinguished from other potentially related thought dimensions. Antecedents, moderators, and consequences of self-validation effects are described.

Self-reports figure prominently in organizational and management research, but there are several problems associated with their use. This article identifies six categories of self-reports and discusses such problems as common method variance, the consistency motif, and social desirability. Statistical and post hoc remedies and some procedural methods for dealing with artifactual bias are presented and evaluated. Recommendations for future research are also offered.

The article reports on an experiment to test the impact of negative publicity on celebrity ad endorsements. The extent to which negativity influences attitudes toward a celebrity, and to what degree this influences consumers of high–low involvement and image-related products is examined. Three hypothetical incidents relating to an extramarital affair, a drink-driving incident, and criticism of the professional integrity for three different celebrities (a television sitcom and film star, a television and radio presenter, and a current affairs television presenter) were developed and investigated using a sample of “Generation Y” consumers. Three different sources of negative information were used, based on rumor, media footage, and celebrity publicly tells all. The findings suggest that the statements had a negative effect on the overall attitudes toward the celebrities but showed variations for different product categories. Interestingly, there were no significant differences based on the source of negative information. Several implications are discussed and directions for future research suggested.

Undergraduates expressed their attitudes about a product after being exposed to a magazine ad under conditions of either high or low product involvement. The ad contained either strong or weak arguments for the product and featured either prominent sports celebrities or average citizens as endorsers. The manipulation of argument quality had a greater impact on attitudes under high than low involvement, but the manipulation of product endorser had a greater impact under low than high involvement. These results are consistent with the view that there are two relatively distinct routes to persuasion.

Given the explosion of research in the past decade that has examined the Aad-Ab-PI relationship using adult subjects, one would expect to see an almost parallel stream of research involving children. However, as is evident in Brown and Stayman's (1992) meta-analysis of the literature, no studies investigating this area have used children as the sample. This study provides an initial exploration into the Aad-Ab-PI relationship in children with specific focus given to the impact of brand familiarity and measurement timing while controlling for prior brand attitudes. Forty-three third graders and sixty-eight sixth graders participated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment that manipulated brand familiarity (familiar vs. unfamiliar) and measurement timing (immediate vs. delayed). Similar to the results using adult subjects, the children's Aad measures significantly affected Ab for both familiar and unfamiliar brands, even after controlling for prior brand attitude. However, contrary to adult responses, the children's Aad had a significant, albeit modest, impact on their PI responses. Based on these results, the paper offers implications for marketers and public policy makers and questions for future research. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The present study provides and tests a conceptual framework aimed at comparing the relative effectiveness of celebrity–user, brand–celebrity, and user–brand personality congruence on brand attitude and brand purchase intention (BPI) thereafter. The data collection was done via an online survey of a representative group of consumers (n = 431) located across India. Hypotheses were tested using regression analysis with mediation approach. The results indicate that while user–brand and brand–celebrity personality congruence have a significant impact on brand attitude and purchase intention, celebrity–user congruence does not. Further, brand attitude is found to be a partial mediator on the relationship between the pair-wise personality congruence on BPI. The findings have major implications for marketers in understanding the significance of personality congruence among celebrity–brand–user in the formation of brand attitude and purchase intention that can be used in positioning and in increasing the advertisi...