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Date: 2019-06-04

Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr 

Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University 

Authors: Ellinor Andersson & Agnes Bergström                               

Title: Celebrity endorsement – A qualitative study about risks with the use of celebrity brand ambassadors

Tutor: Kerstin Nilsson 

Keywords: Celebrity endorsement, celebrity marketing, brand ambassador, meaning-transfer model

Research questions: What factors influence how companies choose celebrity brand ambassadors? How do companies work against risks with using celebrity brand ambassadors?

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how companies choose celebrity ambassadors in marketing purpose and how they work against risks that may arise with using celebrity endorsement. This will be achieved through a multiple case study in which six different companies are investigated.

Method: Through qualitative interviews, primary data has been collected on how companies use celebrity brands ambassadors for marketing purposes and how they work against the risks. Literature is mainly derived from scientific articles and relevant student literature for this paper. Comparisons were made between the empirical data and the theoretical frame of reference created.

Conclusion: Two factors were important to all companies, familiarity and trustworthiness. The ambassador must be well-known and consumers should believe there is a willingness of the ambassador to represent the brand. The companies chose an ambassador with good basic values to counteract the risk that negative associations are transferred to the brand. Some companies did thorough investigations before the collaboration and some relied on serious agencies the ambassadors worked for.