A CRITICAL INVESTIGATION OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT OF CHARITABLE CAMPAIGNS AND ITS IMPACT ON AWARENESS CREATION IN GHANA
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A CRITICAL INVESTIGATION OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT OF CHARITABLE CAMPAIGNS AND ITS IMPACT ON AWARENESS CREATION IN GHANA
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
According to Franklin, Hogan, Langley, Mosdell, and Elliot (2009, p. 37), the term “celebrity” comes from the Latin adjective “celeber,” which meaning “renowned” or “celebrated.” They define a celebrity as “a person who is widely recognised in a given society and commands a significant amount of public and media attention.”
People who enjoy public recognition by a large proportion of a given group of people,” according to Schlecht (2003, p.3). From these definitions, it is clear that public recognition or fame plays a vital role in deciding who a celebrity is. While fame is a well-known prerequisite for acquiring celebrity status, there must also be some level of public interest in the individual.
The celebrity’s renown may or may not be tied to the reason for the publicity. A well-known public figure, such as a gender campaigner, may not be considered a celebrity unless something else (such as who she is dating) piques the public’s or mass media’s attention.
Other types of famous persons, such as musicians, actresses, and athletes, almost always achieve celebrity status, even if they purposefully avoid media attention (Franklin et al., 2009).
Celebrities are noted for a range of characteristics, including their physical appearance, specific skills in sports, entertainment, public speaking, and living extraordinary lives (Schlecht, 2003). Celebrities include actors, sports figures, models, musicians, and, more recently, preachers.
Individuals may achieve celebrity status in other ways, such as through their wealth, ties to a famous family, background, lifestyle, or controversial actions, especially in the new media era, where an individual can become a national sensation overnight simply by posting a large number of nude photos or videos on social media (Franklin et al. 2009).
A celebrity’s identity is a subjective idea significantly impacted by a country’s or cultural community’s celebrity system. For example, in Ghana, some people may be well-known and popular with the audience, but they may not be well-known abroad.
As a result, while a celebrity in Ghana, they may not be recognised as one in other parts of the world. Politicians may be considered celebrities in some countries, but not in others (Franklin et al., 2009; Schlecht, 2003).
It is difficult to categorise any one celebrity because celebrity levels vary by country and place (Franklin et al., 2009). Some celebrities are known as A-listers, which refers to the most well-known and powerful people, with nearly all of them holding high-ranking positions in politics, religion, entertainment, or sports.
In a hierarchical hierarchy, entertainers are classed as B-list, C-list, or Z-list based on their global renown (Franklin et al., 2009). Athletes in ancient Greece who were brought home as heroes with songs and poems written in their honour before the advent of new media were significant individuals who were famous and would be considered celebrities today (Miller, 2004).
Additionally, they received free food and gifts (Miller, 2004). Oprah Winfrey, television host; Jennifer Lopez, musician and actress; Beyoncé, musician; Taylor Swift, musician;
and Floyd Mayweather, boxer, have been among the most popular A-list celebrities according to Forbes 100 in recent years, notably between 2010 and 2018.
Spry, Pappu, and Cornwell (2011) believe that celebrities have considerable persuasive power and can improve advertising effectiveness, brand identification, brand recall, buy intentions, and purchase behaviour.
According to Spry et al. (2011), most well-known celebrities exercise their authority in a variety of ways due to their position of power. Examples include serving as brand ambassadors, spokespersons for various organisations or causes, and product and service advocates (Kambitsis, Harahousou, Theodorakis, and Chatzibeis, 2002).
Many businesses are entering into multimillion-dollar partnerships with celebrities in the hopes of attracting customers, achieving a “unique and relevant position in the eyes of consumers” (Temperley & Tangen, 2006, p. 97),
and “offering brands a touch of glamour” (Reynolds, 2000 as cited in Nwokah & Nwulu, 2015, p. 26). Celebrities’ employment as a signalling technique is known as “playing the role of a signalling strategy.” (Nwokah & Nwulu, 2015; Mustafa 2005, p. 26).
Celebrity endorsement is now being used by a wider range of organisations to attract audiences, independent of product kind (Thorson, 2008; del Mar Garcia de los Salmones, Dominguez, Herrero, 2013). According to Jain (2011, p. 69), celebrity endorsement is “the practice of celebrities being exploited for giving services other than executing their actual employment.”
This implies that celebrity endorsements are simply a byproduct of celebrities’ primary employment. According to a Taiwanese study, consumers are more likely to remember a product [or cause] advocated by a celebrity, regardless of whether they are actual fans of the celebrity (Chi, Yeh, and Tsai, 2011).
According to Market Watch, a financial information website that covers business news, research, and stock market statistics, a simple statement from a corporation announcing the hiring of a celebrity or athlete can cause stock prices to rise moderately and sales to increase by 4%.
Furthermore, “celebrity endorsement is typically considered as a realistic alternative for firms to boost awareness, build credibility, and promote products,” according to White, Goddard, and Wilbur (2009). (p.6).
They went on to state that ‘approximately 14-19 percent of advertising shown in the United States featured celebrities supporting products and businesses,
a proportion that is substantially greater in other markets’. Nike, a sportswear business, is said to spend $475 million each year enticing athletes to endorse their brand (Khan & Lodhi 2016).
Celebrities have not been left out of the non-profit sector. They contribute to the industry in a variety of ways, including establishing their own non-profit organisations; associating themselves (one-time) with specific agencies whose causes they may be interested in;
lending their names to be associated with advertising for products or services; permanently aligning themselves with an agency and participating in their activities; and donating money or rendering their services.
The most essential reason why most organisations use celebrities is to garner revenue and visibility for their brands. Celebrity involvement in charitable and humanitarian projects has been increasingly common during the last two decades.
This has been partially attributed to the fact that “offering support for global charities has become part of the contemporary celebrity job description and a hallmark of the established star” (Littler, 2008; p. 237).
Furthermore, according to Harris (2003), such involvement allows celebrities to demonstrate to their viewers that they are trustworthy and compassionate. There may be celebrities who support charitable causes with the sincere goal of assisting the underprivileged in society.
1.2 Statement of Problem
With the recent increase in charitable organisations’ demand for celebrities to endorse their causes, as well as celebrities’ growing interest in charitable causes as a part of their jobs and a measure of accomplishment, the concept of celebrity endorsement of charitable causes is here to stay.
Celebrities have advocated, promoted, and raised awareness for a range of issues, either on their own, through their foundations, or by donating to charity organisations. However, celebrity endorsements of products, businesses, services, health programmes, and even political parties are not a recent phenomenon.
Since the beginning of time, corporations and organisations have utilised celebrities to promote and establish the legitimacy of their products, brands, and services. As a result, there has been a great deal of curiosity in such endorsements, which has led to extensive research.
Celebrity endorsements of humanitarian organisations, on the other hand, have received little scholarly attention, despite their growing popularity in recent years (Park & Cho, 2015). Furthermore, some of the limited but existing literature suggests that there is a link between charity and celebrities,
that celebrities raise awareness and aid in sales, lending credence to the notion that celebrity endorsements have an impact on product sales and charitable cause awareness (the “celebrity effect”). However, opinions disagree on the extent of effect [and impact] (Brockington & Henson, 2014).
Celebrities in Ghana support and/or champion a wide range of causes, charities, and charity-related activities, and despite the trend’s rapid development, it has received little scholarly attention.
Furthermore, whether or not celebrities have an impact on their campaigns in terms of raising awareness, whether the impact is positive or bad, and the scale of the impact (the extent) emphasises the need for more academic research in this area.
This study will investigate if celebrities in Ghana raise awareness when they advocate or campaign for charitable causes, despite the fact that they cannot address or aspire to resolve all of the issues highlighted above.
It will also look into the effectiveness of this new charitable advertising trend in Ghana. The study will be focused on celebrity endorsements and campaigns for the “UNICEF Influencers Campaign” (Wiyaala, M.Anifest Gary Al-Smith, Ameyaw Debrah, and MzVee), as well as the UNFPA Ambassador for Obstetric Fistula (Mr. John Dumelo).
1.3 Study Objectives
The primary goal of this research episode is to investigate celebrity endorsements of charity causes and their impact on awareness. The study will look into the relationship between celebrity endorsements of humanitarian campaigns and public awareness of those campaigns. And investigating the efficacy of celebrity endorsements in raising awareness for philanthropic efforts.
1.3 Research hypotheses
The study will determine the veracity of the following hypothetical assertion.
H01: There is no significant link between celebrity endorsements of humanitarian activities and public knowledge of those campaigns.
H02: Celebrity endorsements do not effectively raise awareness for philanthropic projects.
1.4 Significance of the Study
This study seeks to discover whether celebrity endorsements, in whatever form, boost awareness, and if so, by how much. This will provide charitable organisations and agencies with a rudimentary understanding of the relationship between celebrity endorsements and public awareness of humanitarian activities, allowing them to make informed marketing decisions.
It will also advise non-profit organisations on what factors to consider when establishing and implementing communication plans that incorporate celebrity endorsements in order to obtain the desired amount of exposure.
The study will once again allow celebrities to learn about their impact on the public while advocating for charitable causes, as well as, if possible, the most successful approach to use.
This study will add to the present literature in this field while also serving as a resource for academics, researchers, and students who may like to do future research on this or a related topic.
1.6 Scope of Study
This study looks into the impact of celebrity endorsements of philanthropic efforts on awareness creation, with a particular emphasis on the relationship between exposure to celebrity endorsements of humanitarian projects and public knowledge of those campaigns.
And the efficacy of celebrity endorsements in raising awareness of philanthropic projects. Due to the nature of the study, students from Ghana University Legon will be enlisted as participants.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
The researchers faced financial, material, and time constraints throughout the project.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Celebrity is a state of renown and widespread public recognition bestowed upon an individual or group, or, on rare occasions, a character or animal, as a result of mainstream media attention.
Endorsement is the act of endorsing someone or something.
Awareness refers to the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it refers to the ability to immediately know and sense, feel, or be aware of occurrences.
A campaign is an organised course of activity designed to attain a specific goal.
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