Celebrity Brand Endorsements and Consumer Choice of Shopping Goods in Anambra State, Nigeria

The study investigated the relationship between celebrity brand endorsement and consumer choice of shopping goods in Anambra State. As more brands penetrate the market, competition to attract consumer attention and interest in a product intensifies. It becomes critical that marketers develop a better persuasive appeal to gain competitive advantage and induce consumer choice action of the company brand(s). The specific objectives of the study were to determine the relationship between celebrity credibility and consumer choice of shopping goods; to ascertain the relationship between celebrity attractiveness and consumer choice of shopping goods; to examine the relationship between celebrity expertise and consumer choice of shopping goods; to investigate the relationship between celebrity trustworthiness and consumer choice of shopping goods; and to evaluate the relationship between celebrity respectability and consumer choice of shopping goods in Anambra State. Related conceptual, theoretical and empirical literatures were reviewed. The study was anchored on source credibility theory and social influence theory. The study adopted survey research design. The population of the study constitutes all the consumers of shopping goods in Anambra State. A sample of three hundred and eighty four (384) consumers was selected using Cochran method of determining sample size. Simple percentage and frequency tables were employed in analyzing the research questions while the hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The study found that celebrity credibility, celebrity attractiveness, celebrity trustworthiness, celebrity expertise and celebrity respectability have significant positive relationship with consumer choice of shopping goods in Anambra State. The study concluded that celebrity endorsement influences consumer choice for shopping goods in Anambra State. The study recommended amongst others that manufacturer of shopping goods should always endeavour to contract celebrity endorsers who are honest, dependable and have integrity in order to foster trust and believability to both the fans of the celebrity and their customers.