A Critical Assessment of the Perception of Consumers on Political Celebrity Endorsers- Survey of Ghana Institute of Journalism

Abstract

This study was undertaken to assess the claim that celebrities who endorse political parties and candidates lose their career or fan base. The belief is an age old one yet very little is known about the veracity of it and prior researchers have focused mainly on the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement as a marketing tool. To this end, a quantitative research method was adopted with seven hundred respondents drawn to answer structured questionnaire to ascertain the truthfulness or otherwise of this belief. From the analyzed data, although respondents appreciate celebrity endorsement and see celebrity endorsers as attractive, they however consider celebrities as the least people to disseminate political information or messages. This proves that attractiveness of the celebrity cannot be translated into credibility for them to be used by politicians as mouthpiece or information carriers. The study made the revelation that the widely held perception that celebrities lose their career after endorsing a political party or candidate cannot be trusted rather the effectiveness of a celebrity is dependent on how he or she manages the social capital gained across fields. On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that celebrities even though can migrate their social capital must be proactive in building and enhancing their brands or status.