Involvement of Personnel Endorsements for Building Brand Preference: A Study in FMCG Sector

Abstract

The Fast moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector in Sri Lanka is rapidly growing and seems to be aggressively competitive among the both local and international brands. High frequency of purchasing, less involvement and number of varieties have made this sector a competitive one. Branding is the key determinant factor in the context of acquiring brand loyalty and the high involvement for the brand which are the results of brand preference at large. Marketing communication is the strategically important tool for celebrities developing the brand preference and both of above the line (ATL) and below the line (BTL) promotional tools use as an endorsement or testimonial to promote their brands.Therefor, the research focused to study the degree of involvement of those celebrity endorsements in the context of advertising. The study was confined to three variables namely expertness, populatity, matuarity and the trustworthiness of the celebrities used in the advertising. Researches used a 75 of randomly sample from the areas of Kelaniya, Gampaha, Jaela and Kadawatha. They were administered with a pre-prepared questionnaire. In addition, the secondary data were also collected to study the industry background. The research was confined to three categories of product namely foods, beverages and soaps. The statistical analysis revealed that there is a significant influence of celebrity endorsements for the food brands than the others.Futher, customers are highly attractive for the popularity of those celebrities to trust what they endorse. It was revealed that the celebrities of sport sector are more significant than the cinema and other fields in the context of celebrity endorsements. Trustworthiness was significantly considered in soap categories and cinema sector celebrities were prioritized in that segment only.