Addictive Product Endorsement by Celebrity Sports Players: Effect on Celebrity Personality and Consumers’ Purchasing Intention

This study examines the impact of addictive products endorsement by celebrity sports players on their credibility, image, and trustworthiness, as well as on consumers' behavioural intentions to purchase these products. A purposive sampling technique was used to collect data from 362 university students. Confirmatory factor analysis and covariance-based structural equation modelling techniques were applied to the data. The findings revealed that celebrities' credibility, image, and trustworthiness were tarnished after they endorsed addictive products, which ultimately led to negative purchase behaviours among consumers. This implies that sports celebrities should consider whether a product is suitable before endorsing it and that corporate managers should select appropriate celebrity personalities for endorsement.