Celebrity endorsement has been regarded as one of the most successful marketing/advertising strategies since time immemorial.

However, in Nigeria, with companies spending billions of Naira on endorsement deals involving celebrities, the phenomenon is not yielding the desired result, a new study has found.

By hiring endorsers, advertisers are of the opinion that a celebrity’s meaning, successes and qualities could automatically transfer to their brands and products, thus translating into positive campaign results.

Conversely, the findings from a recent study co-authored by researchers from Limkowking University and the University of Ghana found otherwise.

Celebrity endorsement or branding is a marketing or advertising strategy used by companies, brands that involve superstars, renowned public figures or personalities using their fame and social status to help create awareness or even promote a service or product.

The study “Celebrity-Brand Endorsement: A Study of its Impacts on Generation Y-ers in Nigeria “was published by ANSInet, a Scopus and ISI indexed Journal.

Two of the international researchers who conducted the study, Dr. Daha Tijjani Abdurrahman and Dr. Bakare Akeem Soladoye, PRNigeria gathered are from Nigeria.

In the study, which engaged and examined responses from two of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria — Northwest and Southwest, the researchers found that student Gen Y-ers sampled are unfazed by the strategy. A total of 273 Gen Y Students, were randomly sampled. The result obtained was staggering negativity toward the phenomenon.

The study authors evaluated the attitude of the respondents using three dimensions/attribute (trustworthiness, expertise and attractiveness of the celebrity) to assess their attitude towards the endorser, and their intention to purchase the endorsed product.

The findings showed that the Gen Y-ers are inclined to purchase an endorsed product that offers them value for money rather than being recommended by a celebrity.

Popular Nigerian celebrities — Footballers, Artistes from Nollywood and Kannywood — were used during the survey to analyse the impact of their several endorsement deals with the major mobile services providers (9Mobile, Airtel, MTN and GLO).

Based on the strange findings, the researchers recommended to the practitioners' alternatives to the practice of CB-endorsement.

The researchers suggested that advertising managers in Nigeria should “channel the resources being expended on this method of advertising to projects that have a direct and positive impact on the lives of the Generation Y-ers, for instance, scholarships, skill acquisition projects and other corporate social responsibility interventions.” (PRNigeria)

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