Philippine E-Journals

PERSONALLY YOURS: THE IMPACT OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS IN NATIVE ADVERTISING

Cyrus Ivan Blanco | Silvestre Frando Jr. | Eleanor Agulto

 

Abstract:

Native advertising is paid content that matches the look and feel of the digital site where it is placed. This paper sought to determine the influence of celebrity endorsements in native advertising. To attain this objective, qualitative research was employed where selected Twitter followers of Anne Curtis and other celebrity endorsers were interviewed. The opinions, experiences and motivations of individual participants on native advertising in general, and Twitter celebrity endorsements in particular, were probed. The findings revealed that the informants were not receptive to Twitter posts that seemed like obvious advertisements but preferred tweets that sounded natural and personal. They also showed a more positive attitude towards the endorsed brands when the characteristics of the celebrities were in congruence with the products they promoted. They likewise said that the gratifying personal experience of the celebrity endorser with the product imbued the Twitter message with credibility and trustworthiness, and was therefore persuasive.