Morality matters? Consumer identification with celebrity endorsers in China

Identification as a source of ethical attitudes is traditionally associated with Western rather than Confucian cultures. Here, two empirical studies examine the impact of celebrity endorsement on purchase intention among consumers of Chinese origin, through processes of consumer identification with celebrity moral traits. In this way, this paper develops the literature on ethics amongst consumers of Chinese origin and, more generally, the literature on source credibility through moral traits. It is also one of the first papers to consider the moral consumption habits of online gamers