The research titled “Celebrity Endorsement, Brand Equity, and Green Cosmetics Purchase Intention Among Chinese Youth” was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
“Brand personality has become a significant characteristic of products, in which charging the consumer memory and developing purchase intention are the vital aspects of today’s marketing management. Celebrity endorsement and brand value are significant for developing brand equity among consumers,” said the researchers.
The team utilised a quantitative, cross-sectional research design involving an online questionnaire to study the relationship between celebrity endorsement, brand equity and the Chinese consumers’ intention to buy green cosmetics.
The 301 respondents (248 females, 53 male) were aged 18 to 39, with a preference for keeping up with trends and new products.
Findings
Based on the sample, most respondents, or 32.9%, earned monthly incomes of 1,000 to 3,000 RMB (USD$148 to USD$446), whereas another 26.6% of respondents earned 3,000 to 5,000 RMB (USD$446 to USD$744).
The majority, or 41.5%, held a bachelor’s degree and spent less than 500 RMB (USD$74) monthly on green cosmetics.
Data showed that a celebrity’s attractiveness, trustworthiness, and cause-fit had a significantly positive, albeit indirect, effect on the intention to purchase green cosmetics among young Chinese consumers.
Furthermore, brand loyalty and brand credibility had a significant positive indirect effect on young consumers’ intention to purchase green cosmetics, confirming the role of brand equity.
Upon further analysis, it is believed that consumers’ attitude toward green products has a significant positive impact on purchasing intention.
It also demonstrated that celebrity attractiveness and celebrity cause fit had a significant positive impact on the purchase intention of young consumers.
The results also offered practical implications for brand owners, who could improve green cosmetics sales by engaging attractive celebrities and ensuring their suitability with the product image.
Green cosmetic enterprises should also pay attention to improving brand loyalty and credibility, said the researchers. Therefore, the brand should improve customer satisfaction and form customer loyalty while continuously building an honest and trustworthy corporate image. False propaganda to deceive consumers is not a proper method to promote sales and improve brand value, they added.
The research concluded: “The research scope and replication studies should be performed in different cities to obtain more accurate results. Researching different countries or regions may lead to different results of this study”.
Source: Frontiers in Psychology
“Celebrity Endorsement, Brand Equity, and Green Cosmetics Purchase Intention Among Chinese Youth”
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.860177
Authors: Zhai Lili et al.