Bendegúz Richárd NYIKOS and Fruzsina Magda PANKOTAY
University of Sopron, Alexandre Lamfalussy Faculty of Economics, Sopron, Hungary
Celebrity endorsement has a long history in the world of advertising. Today the celebrity endorsement strategies are frequently used by marketers in order to increase their sales and thereby extend the market share of the company. They also believe that using well-known characters in their campaigns can have a huge effect on the purchasing habits of their customers.
They can have a huge effect on the purchasing decision making, on the buying behaviour and on the cognitive functions. The signification of cognition and attitudes is crucial in the world of advertising: people realize that they want to look like, be like or act like a celebrity they see in the commercial. They want to pursue their dreams and become famous, good looking and successful: purchasing such products increases their self-confidence and makes them believe that they can achieve their goals.
Celebrities are extremely important and valuable to brands: there is no argument about it as they have considerable influence and can contribute to the making and breaking of brands. By discovering the true power of celebrity endorsement marketers can achieve incredible results. The question is whether there must be some kind of a relationship between the product and the endorser or it is enough to create cognitive dissonance by showing a favourable image to increase the sales.