Influence of celebrity endorsements on young consumers' behaviour in Kenya
Date
2014-05
Authors
Njuguna, Simon P.M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of celebrity endorsement on young consumers’ behavior in Kenya. The following two specific objectives were addressed: examine the celebrity attributes that influence young consumers’ brand choice in Nairobi and examine the celebrity attributes that influence young consumers’ brand recall in Nairobi. The target population was consumers aged between the age of 18 and 34 who were drawn from Nairobi County. The data was collected using researcher-administered questionnaires adapted from previous studies and modified by the researcher. Twenty one elements of celebrity attributes were used to gather the respondents’ responses under each of the two dimensions of consumer behaviour. Descriptive analysis, reliability and factor analysis were used to analyze data which was presented in tables and figures. This study found that celebrity endorsement do positively influence on young consumers’ behaviour. When used as endorsers, celebrities were found to add an appeal to the endorsed brand and this makes it easier for consumers to correctly remember (recall) the brand as having been previously seen or heard in the crowded market and subsequently this gives them a compelling reason for choosing that particular brand among the competing alternatives. All the four models demonstrated fit with the practice of celebrity endorsement targeting young consumers.
The findings generated from the study should provide the marketing managers with an understanding of celebrity attributes that influence consumers’ behavior among the youths in the Kenyan context. This should help them to understand consumers’ perception of celebrities and enable them to align their brand with a celebrity that resonates with the target audience. Based on these conclusions, this study recommends that future research may be undertaken exploring alternative research design such as triangulation (utilization of more than one designs) to collect data from the respondents and targeting different age groups and in different geographic settings using more dimensions of consumer behaviour to provide a richer research base for researchers to compare the outcome with the results of this study. The study was conducted within a period of six months running from November 2013 to April 2014.
Description
A research thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Commerce
Keywords
Consumer behaviour, Marketing, Celebrity endorsements, Nairobi County