Construction and validation of a scale to measure celebrity endorsers' perceived expertise,...

Construction and Validation of a Scale to Measure Celebrity Endorsers' Perceived Expertise, Trustworthiness, and Attractiveness

The purpose of this study was to develop a scale for measuring celebrity endorsers' perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. Accepted psychometric scale-development procedures were followed which rigorously tested a large pool of items for their reliability and validity. Using two exploratory and two confirmatory samples, the current research developed a 15-item semantic differential scale to measure perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. The scale was validated using respondents' self-reported measures of intention to purchase and perception of quality for the products being tested. The resulting scale demonstrated high reliability and validity. Marketing and advertising practitioners share the belief that a communicator's character has a significant effect on the persuasiveness of the message. In testimonial advertising, consumers traditionally have been chosen as product endorsers because of their similarity to target audiences. Although this practice continues, a more noticeable trend appears to be endorsements by actors/actresses, athletes, and other celebrities and well-known athletes, who are closely associated with both the product and the target audience (Business Week 1987; Miller 1989; Morrison 1980; Slinker 1984).

The selection of an appropriate spokesperson for a product or a service is an important, yet difficult, decision. Is an effective and credible spokesperson someone who is attractive, trustworthy, or an expert, or even a combination of all three traits? Is a credible spokesperson an individual who is dynamic, qualified, authoritative, sociable, or safe? Since Aristotle's time (or before), politicians, orators, and public speakers have attempted to identify the determinant qualities of effective speakers (Giffin 1967).

A number of empirical investigations have examined the effectiveness of using credible spokespersons to enhance the persuasiveness of messages. Studies have measured the process by which a communicator's perceived attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise mediate immediate and delayed attitude change and persuasion (Anderson and Clevenger 1963; Baker and Churchill, Jr. 1977; Hovland and Weiss 1951; Johnson, Torcivia, and Poprick 1968; Kelman and Hovland 1953; Patzer 1983; Simon, Berkowitz, and Moyer 1970; Whittaker and Meade 1968).