Analysis of Impact of Celebrity Endorsement on the Overall Brands

INTRODUCTION

The crescendo of celebrities endorsing brands has been steadily increasing over the past years. Marketers overtly acknowledge the power of celebrities in influencing consumer-purchasing decisions. It is a ubiquitously accepted fact that celebrity endorsement can bestow special attributes upon a product that it may have lacked otherwise. But everything is not hunky-dory; celebrities are after all mere mortals made of flesh and blood like us. If a celebrity can aggrandize the merits of a brand, he or she can also exacerbate the image of a brand. If I may take the liberty of rephrasing Aristotle‘s quote on anger, ―Any brand can get a celebrity. That is easy. But getting a celebrity consistent with the right brand, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way... that is not easy.‖ Celebrity Endorsement for Products Marketing –Significance and Impact on Consumer Behavior Though much research has not been conducted in India on the concept of Celebrity endorsements but still here is an inclusive details of research carried out on the concept of celebrity endorsements and its effect on consumer buying behavior. Christina Schlecht writes that celebrities are those people who possess public recognition. Their general attributes such as attractiveness and extraordinary lifestyle are just a few examples. It is observed that within corresponding social group celebrities usually differ from the social norm and possess a high degree of public awareness.

(Schlecht Christina, n.p, 2003) Daniella et al (2002) further explain that the celebrities have great influence on the decision making of the consumers and it is believe that when a celebrity engage him/herself in the promotion of certain brand of the sportswear, the reputation, name and fame of the celebrity is linked with that particular brand and people are convince to look at that particular product brand based on the appealing and admirable qualities of the celebrities the product is supported and promoted among the general public (Daniella et al, p19, 2002) Daneshvary et. al., (2000) explains that many of the celebrities are playing the roles of the brand ambassadors of different brands and it shows the increase in the trend of celebrity endorsement for the marketing purpose. The celebrities now days not only just act as a model to promote a certain product but they adopt well planned strategy so that they can work to maximize the popularity of the product and in this way they also rise their own popularity as well as brand equity because the successful endorsement of a celebrity in the marketing of a product pave new ways for the celebrity in terms of new agreements and deals (Daneshvary et. al., p203, 2000) Trippet al (1994) pointed out that the companies and the marketers now see the celebrities as a vehicle that allows them to easily reach and influence their target consumers. People use to

• To identify the influence of celebrity endorsers on consumer buying behavior. • To study the conceptual framework on celebrity endorsements and various theories given by experts on the concept.

The research was exploratory and descriptive in nature. The research design was characterized by flexibility in order to be sensitive to the unexpected and to discover insight not previously recognized. Secondary and Primary data was collected and then analyzed. Secondary data was collected from Newspapers, magazines, internet, academic books etc., to understand consumer behavior and role of celebrity endorsee, primary data was collected from interviews of the customers.

The research instrument used for primary data collection was questionnaire. The questionnaire was structured and most of the questions were closed ended.

The entire study covered Customer (mainly comprising students) - 100.

Interpretation- 65% of the sample size agreed that they have purchased the product only because it was being endorsed by their favorite celebrity. This simply shows the admiration held by stars in our country and how companies are exploiting this tool effectively to capture markets and sell their products.

Interpretation- 55 consumers out of the total sample size agreed that that the products sold by celebrities may not always be reliable. This is just a big source of revenue for the. They are doing their job. And the other segment held it true that the product endorsed by them is reliable as if they will endorse a bad product it may even spoil their image. One of the customers quoted the e.g. of a brand called Apple which is not endorsed by the celebrity but is most trusted brand for gadgets and is also the first choice for celebrities.

Interpretation- 85% of the sample size agreed that there is for sure an increase in cost of the product due to celebrity endorsements. The corporate are not here for social service .It is one of the most expensive tools used by a corporate to capture markets and hence cost is passed on to the consumers.

Interpretation- 45% of the sample size agreed that quality is more important for them and they will go for value for money, 55% of the sample size still preferred the product endorsed by their favorite celebrity rather than the Quality. This again highlights the craziness for stars ans celebrities in a country like India and that‘s why most of the organizations are going for such endorsements. This has even led to star war for brands and brand wars for celebrities as well.

Interpretation- 40% of the sample size agreed that the same products are used by stars which they endorse and another 40% rejected this view with the thought that this is nothing but a way of earning money for them and nothing else. So they may not be using the brands endorse by them. One of the customers even quoted that how can you expect Sonakshi Sinha for using Dyna Soap which is mainly many for a lower segment of customers. Remaining 20% had no idea about the same.

Interpretation- 45% of the sample size selected Product X as it is being endorsed by their favorite celebrity. They justified that the product will surely be of a reasonable quality as no celebrity would compromise with his or her image. 55% of the sample size will go for a qualitative product. This

a. Sh. Amitabh Bachhan b. Sharukh Khan c. M.S Dhoni d. Sachin Tendulkar e. Kareena. f. Katrina

Interpretation — A major chunk of the sample size voted for Sh .Amitabh Bachhan, This is simply because of his clear image and the status enjoyed by him. Though the youth is mainly inclined towards stars like Sharukh, Sachin, Dhoni and even actresses like Kareena and Katrina. The selection of the endorser depends upon a wide range of factors like the product in consideration, class of customers and attractiveness of celebrity etc.

Interpretation - 60% of the sample size said a big ―NO‖ to shifting over to the other brand if their favorite celebrity will also shift to product of same class. They considered it purely a money game if their celebrity does so as it will only lower the reliability for both the corporate and the brand.

Interpretation—70% of the sample size agreed to the statement that celebrity endorsements are imperative for creation of brands. This is simple because, today there are a lot of brands that exist in the market so for easy recognition and to avoid clutter flutter, celebrities are used by corporate. 30% of sample size said that this may help at the initial stage but ultimately what matters is the quality.

Interpretation- 80% of the sample size agreed that celebrity endorsements is an effective tool for marketing of products in a country like India. This is mainly because of the craze among the youth for the stars. The sales of various brands have shown a steep increase due to celebrities backing them. ―Kelvinator‖ as made a household name in a just a few days as it got the stand of a celebrity like Sharukh.

There is an increasing challenge to the marketing manager to develop and implement an integrated marketing communication (IMC) plan to realize the true value of the celebrity endorsements. There is a gradual shift from the traditional approach of showing celebrities in advertisement to making them the ―spokes-person‖ of the brand. Companies have taken celebrity endorsement to next level by projecting brands as a way of life. Smart companies are using their brand ambassadors in other mediums such as movies to promote their brands. E.g., Amitabh Bachchan, who endorses the financial instruments of ICICI Bank, is shown as a branch-manager of ICICI Bank in the movie Baghban. Wooing the key existing and potential target customers is the trait of a successful promotion strategy. However, the marketing manager should be able to offer significant value propositions in the services / products offered to the customers. Thus, one needs to integrate celebrity endorsement with other marketing programs and ensure that the celebrity attributes align with the overall brand or company. Companies that succeed in developing such an integrated IMC plans is the one to succeed in the long-term.

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Research Scholar, H.S.B, G.J.U.S &T, Hisar