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Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.

Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.

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Celebrities vs. Non-Celebrity Influencers: Who Influences Consumers More Effectively?

Description
Companies and brands have long used well-known “celebrities” to promote their products or services - the first instance of a celebrity endorsement dates back to the 1700s. However, there is currently a rise of non-celebrity “influencers” (well-known on social media but not typical celebrities) emerging in marketing: some companies are…

Companies and brands have long used well-known “celebrities” to promote their products or services - the first instance of a celebrity endorsement dates back to the 1700s. However, there is currently a rise of non-celebrity “influencers” (well-known on social media but not typical celebrities) emerging in marketing: some companies are starting to allocate more marketing funds to these influencers over celebrities. Why are companies beginning to hire non-celebrity influencers more? When are consumers more likely to be influenced by a celebrity versus a non-celebrity influencer? Does the extent of influence (i.e. credibility) of the two depend on the status/quality of the product that is being promoted? Through a research study conducted at Arizona State University, I explore the forces of taste and product status, how much power celebrities and non-celebrity influencers have over these forces, and when consumers may be more influenced by celebrities versus non-celebrity influencers.

When browsing on social media – particularly Instagram – users will see a slew of well-known celebrities featuring different brands, products, or services in their posts. Celebrity endorsements for advertising “dates back to the 1760s” (Vemuri & Madhav, 2004), so the concept has existed for a few centuries. Today, some examples of celebrity endorsements include LeBron James and Nike; Justin Bieber and Calvin Klein; Sofia Vergara and Head & Shoulders, etc. It has become almost an expectation to see celebrities in most advertisements - it seems as if utilizing exclusively commonplace models in advertising isn’t the standard norm for companies anymore. Commonplace models still have the ability to sell, but celebrities can take that selling ability to another level. As stated in an article published by Forbes, many celebrities have cult followings, so “when famous people are seen in advertisements promoting a new product, audiences are prompted to buy that product, either subliminally or directly” (Olenski 2016). Due to their widespread clout, using celebrities to market products can be quite effective in reaching consumers. For instance, if a consumer is scrolling on social media like Instagram and sees his or her favorite celebrity using a certain brand or product, this may influence that user to begin using that same brand or product as well. A person who likes a celebrity presumably holds a certain level of trust in that celebrity, and trusts his or her judgement when it comes to using a specific product or service. Companies can benefit from investing in celebrities to “[juxtapose] brands and organisations with endorser qualities such as attractiveness, likeability, and trustworthiness... they trust that these qualities will generate desirable campaign outcomes” (Vemuri & Madhav, 2004). Essentially, consumers will associate products with likable celebrities, and therein purchase them.
ContributorsOng, Madison Courtney (Author) / Lisjak, Monika (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05