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When is celebrity endorsement effective? Exploring the role of celebrity endorsers in enhancing key brand associations

Author

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  • Jun, Mina
  • Han, Jeongsoo
  • Zhou, Zhimin
  • Eisingerich, Andreas B.

Abstract

This study examines how a celebrity endorser’s key associations can complement and help improve a brand’s low corresponding associations. By conducting three studies, we find that when consumers have no prior knowledge about the benefits of a brand, a celebrity’s enabling, enticing, and enriching (3E) associations get transferred to the brand. However, when consumers know that a brand has low 3E benefits, only the celebrity endorsers’ enriching associations are transferred to the brand. Thus, from the current study the importance of a celebrity’s enriching benefits is emphasized for both unknown and well-known brands. Furthermore, we theorize and demonstrate consumer elevation as the underlying mechanism whereby the enriching benefits of a celebrity endorser are transferred to a brand. The current findings extend the extant literature on celebrity endorsement management and provide valuable managerial insights for developing effective celebrity endorsement strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Jun, Mina & Han, Jeongsoo & Zhou, Zhimin & Eisingerich, Andreas B., 2023. "When is celebrity endorsement effective? Exploring the role of celebrity endorsers in enhancing key brand associations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:164:y:2023:i:c:s0148296323003090
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113951
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Godswill Agu Agu & Nnamdi O. Madichie & Sunday Chizobam Onyeokoro & Gazie S. Okpara & Onwubiko Ngozi Dike & Tade Daniel Omotosho & Clara Margaça, 2026. "Influence of multiple celebrity endorsement on perceived brand credibility and patronage intention: the mediating role of brand attractiveness," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2026(1), pages 1-25, December.
    2. Sun Dapeng & Ma Jun & Zhu Di & Zhu Jia, 2025. "From Social Media Influence to Economic Performance: The Capital Conversion Mechanism of Rural Internet Celebrities in China," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 19(1), pages 1-17.
    3. Xue, Jin & Liu, Matthew Tingchi & Song, Xi, 2025. "Endorsement effectiveness of celebrities’ avatars: Evidence from multiple experiments," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    4. Byrne, Janice & Giuliani, Antonio Paco, 2025. "The rise and fall of the girlboss: Gender, social expectations and entrepreneurial hype," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 40(4).
    5. Endang Hariningsih & Budhi Haryanto & Lilik Wahyudi & Catur Sugiarto, 2025. "Ten years of evolving traditional versus non-traditional celebrity endorser study: review and synthesis," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 75(3), pages 1937-1997, September.
    6. Shugang Li & Boyi Zhu & He Zhu & Zhaoxu Yu, 2026. "Co-creation of metaverse brands equity with the impact of celebrity virtual images and real-life influence: from the perspective of experience-dominant logic," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 213-242, February.
    7. Jeon, Jiyeon & Shin, HeeJin & Jeong, EunHa (Lena) & Zhang, Xingyi, 2024. "The power of endorsement in upcycled food promotion: Investigating the moderating effect of perceived food familiarity," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).

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