Research The Impact Of Celebrity Endorsement On Consumer Buying Behavior Among Female University Students In Ghana

Celebrity endorsement has become globally accepted and utilized marketing strategy that is used to promote an organization's offerings and products.With the extreme exposure of consumers to adverts and promotions that feature celebrities,it is believed that celebrity endorsement affects the consumer behavior of individuals.Therefore,the purpose of this study aimed to ascertain the impact of celebrity endorsement on the consumer buying behavior of female university students in Ghana.The research employed the quantitative and descriptive approach to establish the relationships being studied.The study population consisted of female students at the University of Ghana(Legon),Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST),and the University of Cape Coast(UCC).Relying on the simple random sampling techniques,a sample size of 450 was selected.The source of data was mainly primary data obtained through questionnaire administration.482 questionnaires were administered,450 were fully completed,19 were partially completed,13 did not respond to the questionnaire thereby revealing a response rate of 93.4%.The Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS version 26)was used to process and present data into tables and figures for analysis.The preliminary analysis,reliability analysis,correlation analysis,and multiple regression analysis were undertaken.The results show that celebrity credibility,celebrity attractiveness,celebrity familiarity,celebrity matchup,celebrity trustworthiness,and celebrity expertise have a significant positive effect on the consumer buying behavior of participants.Therefore,celebrity endorsement has an important impact on consumer buying behavior.The study concludes that the buying behavior of female university students in Ghana is influenced by the credibility,attractiveness,trustworthiness,familiarity,match-up,and expertise of the celebrity used by an organization in promoting its offerings.Theoretically,the results add significant value to the existing literature on the relationship between celebrity endorsement and consumer buying behavior.More so,this has contributed significantly to knowledge by establishing the impact of the characteristics of a celebrity endorser on the buying behavior of consumers.The outcome of the study supports the Source Credibility Theory,the Source Attractiveness Theory,and the Match-up Hypothesis.This conclusion was based on the outcome that participants are much concerned about attributes such as familiarity,credibility,attractiveness,trustworthiness,match-up,and expertise which are the main contents of these theories.As a managerial implication,the study,therefore,suggests that,marketers and advertisers should engage celebrities who are physically attractive,credible,can be trusted,and familiar to the target consumers to endorse their brands and products because it influences consumers purchasing behavior.