Celebrity co-creator or celebrity endorser? Exploring mediating and moderating factors in Marcom decision

Abstract

The present research delves into the concept of celebrity co‐creation from theconsumer behavior perspective. It explores the impact of the degree of a celebrity'sinvolvement with a brand (celebrity as an endorser vs. celebrity as a co‐creator) onconsumers' advertisement and brand‐based evaluations (Study 1) and purchasebehavior (Study 2). The research subsequently incorporates the mediating effects ofconsumers' perceived risk (Study 3) and the moderating effect of celebrity expertise(Study 4) in the relationships. Three of the four studies were controlled experimentsamong nonstudent samples (combinedn= 486), while one was a field study. Majorfindings indicate that a celebrity co‐creator is more effective than a celebrityendorser, but both cases of celebrity presence are more effective than the control(Studies 1 and 2). This effect is observed to be mediated by the consumers'perceived risk (Study 3) and moderated by the celebrity's expertise (Study 4).The present research provides a new direction to value co‐creation research from thecommunications perspective and adds to the literature on celebrity endorsements