INFLUENCE OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT OF ADVERTISEMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON SALES

Celebrity endorsement is one of the advertising techniques companies use to create awareness and gain favourable responses about their products and services. This expectation is often not realised as negative image about a celebrity endorser, incongruity of a celebrity endorser with the product being endorsed are all capable of inducing bad responses towards the product rather than the other way round. The practice of celebrities being used for rendering services other than performing their actual job as either an actor or an athlete, such as endorsements has proliferated over time. Despite the cost and the risks involved with this technique of advertising, it is been used quite extensively in the present era. The instrument of celebrity endorsement has nowadays become a pervasive element in advertising and communication management. India as a country is known for loving its stars. The Indians idolize their bollywood actors and cricketers. The advertisers see this as an opportunity to grab and work on so as to expand their operations and promote their product. This dissertation focuses on examining the perception of these Indian Consumers about the celebrity endorsement process and the subsequent impact on their purchase decisions. JEL Classification: M3