Honors Projects

Abstract

This study examines the effects of celebrity and influencer endorsements on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions. A digital survey was distributed through Prolific to 210 U.S. participants ages 18–24. Participants viewed fictional advertisements featuring either a celebrity or an influencer endorsing a product and then rated each endorsement on familiarity, relatability, authenticity, believability, and likelihood of purchase. Results showed that endorsement type alone did not significantly affect believability, indicating that celebrities and influencers can be similarly effective in marketing. However, gender, media usage, and relatability significantly influenced consumer responses. Female participants responded more positively to influencer endorsements, while higher relatability strongly increased purchase intention across all groups. Participants with greater media usage also reported stronger endorsement effects. These findings suggest that endorsement effectiveness depends less on whether the source is a celebrity or influencer and more on how well the endorser connects with the target audience.

Department

Marketing

Major

Marketing

First Advisor

Dr. Steve Koppitsch

First Advisor Department

Marketing

Second Advisor

Dr. Edward Chavez

Second Advisor Department

Management

Publication Date

4-24-2026

Download

Share

COinS