The Nationality and the Type of Celebrities Endorsing Products Versus Ethnocentric Attitudes of Polish Consumers

Abstract

One of the methods of winning consumers' favor towards a brand is endorsement, which takes place when a brand or a product is advertised with the support of a widely known and admired person, who can be defined as a star. The effectiveness of endorsement depends on a number of factors, among others: The star's compatibility with the brand or the product, the creativity of the advertising message, or the choice of promotion forms and media. Another interesting issue is the influence of the nationality or the type of a star (an expert, an actor, a sports person) on the effectiveness of this form of marketing communication. This article aims to analyze the way in which endorsement of food products is perceived by consumers with ethnocentric attitudes. It is assumed that the attitudes of consumer ethnocentrism, which are characterized by the preference for the domestic or foreign brands and products, affect the reception of advertising messages endorsed by a domestic or a foreign star. On the basis of a survey conducted among Polish consumers, the authors will define the relationship between the nationality of the endorser of a food brand and the level of ethnocentrism diagnosed by means of CETSCALE (Shimp's and Sharma' s Consumer Ethnocentrism Tendencies Scale). Moreover, they will specify the types of stars involved in the endorsement of food products, which are most favored by consumers with different levels of ethnocentrism. The obtained results indicate that the higher the level of consumer ethnocentrism towards food products, the stronger the preference for domestic stars endorsing brands and products.