Resumen de Influence of celebrity endorsements: on mature female cosmetic consumers
The aim of this study is to critically investigate how celebrity endorsement influences mature (aged between 40 and 55) female consumers’ cosmetic purchasing decisions. It is crucial for cosmetic brands to market their products strategically to reach their intended market and subsequently influence their targets’ purchase intent. However, with limited research on mature female consumers, the impact of celebrity endorsement remains unknown: what are the characteristics they deem important in a celebrity cosmetics endorser or what type of celebrity they are more likely to trust and deem credible.
This contribution critically examines the definition of celebrity endorsement and its main features and the theory of consumer behaviour in relation to the influence of celebrity endorsement. The current use of celebrity endorsement in the cosmetics industry will then be discussed.
Finally, the results of an online questionnaires (around 100) delivered through Facebook and structured interviews with female consumers aged 40-55 (n=10) will show that celebrity endorsement it not a major influence for mature female consumers when buying cosmetics. This research reveals that mature female consumers would prefer to see celebrities of similar age who convey that they actually use the endorsed product rather than just appearing with it in an advertisement. Research on a larger sample is required in order to make generalisations on the mature female consumer market.
