As Indian youths have more choices than ever before and purchase products that define them, it becomes necessary for marketers and companies to explore youth behavioural responses. Film celebrities, sports icons, and fictional celebrities influence youths through their status and achievements. Celebrity influence on youth is four times more than their influence on the baby boomer generation, and youthful shoppers evaluate ads more than grown-ups do. Given the battle between celebrity and Mascot for brand endorsement, marketers have an increased interest in examining the differential effect of endorsers and product involvement’s potent effects on youth attitude and purchase intentions.
This study has used an experimental design to assess the advertisement effectiveness. The endorser has three levels (i.e. Bollywood celebrity, sports celebrity and mascot) and product involvement had two levels (low vs high involvement, non-food products). Product involvement was used as a moderating variable and was found to enhance the impact of endorsements. The current research also assessed the interaction effect of endorsement and product involvement. This study was conducted on undergraduate and postgraduate students and has used six print ads. The study’s findings revealed that all the paths from endorsement type and product involvement to AaD, AB and PI are found significant. The interaction effects of endorsement type and product involvement significantly predict attitude towards the brand and purchase intentions. The outcomes of this study add value to the body of knowledge and discuss managerial implications.
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