Spreading Good Words: The Mediating Effect of Brand Loyalty between Role Model Influence and Word of Mouth

Abstract

Many businesses around the world spend millions of dollars every year on celebrity endorsement deals in order to associate their products or brands with some of the biggest names in sport. Indeed, in a crowded media environment, marketers face the challenge of attracting consumers’ attention, and one way of doing this is to use celebrities because they have the ability to break through this media clutter, contribute to brand name recognition, and create meaning for their products. The aim of this study is to examine how sport celebrities acting as role models influence young customers’ behavioral intentions; namely, word-of-mouth behavior and brand loyalty. A convenience sampling was drawn from young adults, with 468 valid responses. Results indicate that endorsements of athlete role models have a positive influence on young adults’ positive word-of-mouth behavior and brand loyalty. Moreover, the study found that brand loyalty partially mediated the relationship between role model influence and positive word of mouth. This study provides useful insights on how young consumers in Hong Kong respond to the use of sport celebrities in marketing programs. Keywords: Sport Celebrities, Word of Mouth, Role Model, Brand Loyalty To cite this document: Mei-Chi Macy Wong, Man-Lung Jonathan Kwok, and Mei Mei Lau, "Spreading Good Words: The Mediating Effect of Brand Loyalty between Role Model Influence and Word of Mouth", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.11, No.4, pp. 313-326, 2015. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.13838