Research Proposal: Is brand loyalty of fans adhered to the idols? - University of Manchester

From the perspective of celebrity endorsement, is the brand loyalty of fans adhered to the idols?
A proposal for the research

Introduction
Celebrity endorsements help brands and products stand out in a crowded marketing
environment (Olmedo et al., 2020; Park, 2017). Well-known people are often
employed in promoting a product or services as an artistic factor to accentuate and
increase consumers’ favourable attitudes toward advertisements (Tanaka, Nguyen,
& Romaniuk, 2015). Endorsements have the potential to effectively transfer a
celebrity's fame to a brand’s image and persuade consumers to purchase the
product (Pairoa and Arunrangsiwed, 2016). In general, celebrity endorsement is a
costly but effective method of marketing.
Osei-Frimpong et al. (2019) stated that popular advertiser has a positive effect on
customers’ viewpoint of quality, intentions of buying, and brand loyalty. Economic
development and the prevalence of the entertainment industry have resulted in the
emergence of a new economic model: the fan economy. A fan can take on the role
of a fanatic or a supporter. In the media and entertainment industries, fans are highly
targeted consumers (Liang and Shen, 2016). When a celebrity endorses a brand,
fans develop a certain level of loyalty toward that brand.
Some brands are frequently changing their endorsers and attempting to sell products
through the influence of their idols. However, when a brand changes spokespersons,
it is unknown whether the previous spokesperson’s fan base will also desert the
brand as well. The purpose of this research is to determine, from the standpoint of
popular advertisement, whether fans’ brand loyalty is tied to their icon. This is a
research proposition. The proposal includes a review of the literature, a methodology
section, an ethical statement, a conclusion, and an introduction to the research
timeline.
Literature Review
Celebrity endorsement is an expensive form of marketing, and success is critical for
businesses to get the results they want from this type of marketing. Studies have
found that celebrity endorsements have a positive impact on the financial returns of
businesses (Chung et al., 2013; Elberse and Verleun, 2012). Several scholars
regarded popular endorsements to be persuader because they employ their unique
and trustworthy reputation to convince customers to purchase the product that has
been endorsed by the celebrity (Gouranga and Brajesh, 2011, cited in Khan et al.,
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2019, p101). In addition, some researchers have found that consumers pay more
attention to such advertisements because of the attractiveness and credibility of
celebrities, which results in positive attitudes and purchase intentions towards the
brand (Hung, 2014; Farrell et. al., 2000). On the other hand, fans' admiration for
celebrities and their following leads them to pay attention to everything that is
associated with the celebrity, thus they pay attention to the brand. However, if the
spokesperson changes, will the fans continue to support the brand, and will the level
of loyalty to the brand change.
Celebrity Endorsement
In the words of Speck et. al. (1988), a celebrity is defined as a person who has
gained widespread social recognition as a result of their achievements in specific
fields. A celebrity endorsement is when a person is popular in the society and then
uses that popularity to benefit a brand by appearing in advertising programmes with
the brand (Parwati et al., 2021).
Attractiveness, credibility, and expertise are the three components of a successful
celebrity endorsement campaign (Baniya, 2017; Parwati et al., 2021). When it comes
to advertising, credibility refers to the extent to which customers believe celebrities
are communicating messages of integrity, honesty, and trustworthiness through
advertising (Ketchen et al., 2008). It has been discovered that trustworthy
spokespeople can help to increase the credibility of brands, alleviate doubts, and
promote financial gain (Gilchrist, 2004). An individual's skills, experience, and
knowledge in decision-making are defined as the sum of their perceived expertise
(Kim et al., 2018). Expertise is associated with other terms such as competence,
qualification, expert capability, proficiency, and authority as well (Han and Ki, 2010,
Kitchen et. al., 2008, Magnini et al., 2010, cited in Kim et al., 2018, p321). As
consumers frequently miss a particular merchandise awareness, they may be
enthusiastic to depend on the advice of trusted authorities, such as celebrities. The
higher the celebrity endorser's perceived degree of expertise is, the more compelling
or effective the advertisement will be (Kim et al., 2018). The attractiveness of a
celebrity spokesperson's physical appearance is associated with greater cultural and
societal reliability (DeShields Jr, Kara, & Kaynak, 1996, cited in Khan et. al., 2019,
p101). As a result, when selecting a spokesperson, many brands look for the
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appearance of the spokesperson's attractiveness in order to change consumers'
attitudes towards the brand.
Brand loyalty
Brand loyalty means not only consumers follow the brand, but they are also more
likely to purchase and spend more on the brand. Businesses frequently anticipate
high levels of brand loyalty from consumers. Brand loyalty is a multidimensional
structure that is best quantified by combining two dimensions: attitudinal loyalty and
behavioural loyalty (Baniya, 2017).
Attitudinal Loyalty
Attitudinal loyalty is primarily determined by consumer brand preferences, but it is
also determined by consumer liking for a specific product or service (Baniya, 2017).
Attitudinal loyal consumers may continue to recommend the brand to others through
word of mouth, which is beneficial for the brand’s success.
Behavioural Loyalty
The term “behavioural loyalty” refers to the behaviour and connotation of consumers
who repeatedly purchase a particular brand from available options (Baniya, 2017).
Behavioural loyalty also refers to a pattern of repeat purchases by consumers, and it
also ensures that consumers convert their loyalty into actual purchase actions
(Baniya, 2017), which directly benefits the brand.
Additionally, these two variables may aid in determining how brand loyalty among
fans changes prior to and following the identification of a brand spokesman switch.
Previous research has established that celebrity endorsements have a beneficial
effect on brand loyalty (Khan et al., 2019; Subbiah et al., 2019). On the other hand,
past research has concentrated on the effects of popular endorsements on label
trustworthiness and on a broad customer group. Ogunsiji (2012) stated that a brand
may employ numerous or one popular figure, depending on the time horizon
associated with the impact of an event. Glo gained comprehensive and overall
marketing leverage as a result of numerous advertisements from Ini Edo, Nonso
Diobi, Peter and Paul, and Mona Lisa Chinda, as an example from Ogunsiji (2012).
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