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Sports celebrity personality and purchase intention: the role of endorser-brand congruence, brand credibility and brand image transfer

Jaskirat Singh Rai (Chandigarh Business School of Administration, Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran, India)
Anish Yousaf (Department of Marketing and Strategy, IBS Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India)
Maher N. Itani (College of Business Administration, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates)
Amanpreet Singh (School of Management Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala, India)

Sport, Business and Management

ISSN: 2042-678X

Article publication date: 25 March 2021

Issue publication date: 21 May 2021

3070

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the influence of five sports celebrity personality (SCP) attributes – attractiveness, expertise level, credibility, trustworthiness and character – on consumers' purchase intentions (CPI). It identifies celebrity brand congruence (CBC), endorsed brand celebrity (EBC) and transfer of brand image (TBI) as antecedents of CPI.

Design/methodology/approach

The purposive sampling technique was used to collect the data from 838 respondents. This study developed a multidimensional construct for SCP. The covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to examine the relationship between SCP and the endorsed brand. The study used CBC as a mediator and EBC and TBI as partial mediators. The direct and indirect effect of SCP on CPI was investigated using CBC, EBC and TBI as mediators.

Findings

This study supports the importance of three antecedents (i.e. CBC, EBC and TBI) on CPI. It finds congruence across SCP and CBC variables, and a positive impact of SCP on EBC and TBI variables. Also, it exhibits a significant direct effect of CBC on EBC and TBI, whereas the direct effect of CBC on CPI is not substantial. The indirect effect of CBC through mediating variables EBC and TBI found to be significant.

Research limitations/implications

This study concludes that sports celebrity endorsement is essential to transfer the positive celebrity image to the endorsed brand image. However, it is not merely sufficient to influence the buyers' purchase conduct; the brand credibility additionally assumes to take a role in changing their behavioral intentions.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the sports marketing literature by its novelty in analyzing the sports celebrity personality at a multidimensional level. It uses SCP's different attributes as one construct and studies its impact on CPI by taking CBC, EBC and TBI as mediators. The results of this study equip sports management professionals with the knowledge to build better long-term relationships with consumers.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the reviewers for their useful comments, which helped the authors to improve the paper. This research is not funded externally by any agency.

Citation

Rai, J.S., Yousaf, A., Itani, M.N. and Singh, A. (2021), "Sports celebrity personality and purchase intention: the role of endorser-brand congruence, brand credibility and brand image transfer", Sport, Business and Management, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 340-361. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-06-2020-0062

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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