Celebrity advertising and source credibility in Hong Kong

The study aimed to ascertain the essential characteristics of an effective celebrity endorser and their impact on consumers' purchase intention. Based on the tri-component credibility scale developed by Ohanian (1990) in the U.S., an expanded five-factor celebrity credibility scale was tested in Hong Kong through a questionnaire survey of 300 consumers intercepted on the street. The results confirmed attractiveness, trustworthiness, expertise, familiarity and likability to be the underlying dimensions of celebrity credibility. Unlike previous research which had reported no noticeable differences in a female vs. male celebrity, the findings indicated that the dimensions influencing Hong Kong Chinese consumers' purchase intention were the female celebrity's attractiveness and trustworthiness and the male celebrity's familiarity and likability.