Sport celebrities endorsement in advertising : The impact on French consumers

Abstract:

Background:               People need to associate themselves to a reference group or tosomeone  they  admire.  Consumers  are  influenced  by  thesegroups  or  person.  Companies  have  therefore  to  adapt  their promotion strategy to reach consumers by this side.

Research questions:   RQ1 - How consumers perceive sport personalities endorsers featured in advertisement?RQ2 - What is the relation between consumers’ perceptions andtheir attitudes towards a brand, product or service?

RQ3 - What is the relation between consumers’ attitudes and their purchase intentions towards a product or service?Purpose:The  purpose  of  this  study  is  to  explore  the  consumers’perceptions and attitudes towards the use of personalities to endorse companies’ brand, products or services and see if it influence their purchase attitude.Methodology:             The  research  is  based  on  a  cross-sectional  design  with  aqualitative  strategy.  The  data  collection  is  gathered  throughthree focus groups and with secondary data.Conclusion:                 The results are that, for French consumers, a product will stay inmind when it is linked to a celebrity. The credibility of theathlete is important to keep a good perception of the brand. The perception  of  the  brand  will  influence  the  consumer  buyingattitude.