Which Noncelebrity Endorser Is Best: Staff or Customer?

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Summary

One way for smaller brands to save money on advertising is to use their customers and employees as endorsers, rather than spend big bucks (and risk fame fallout) on a superstar. So, which type of noncelebrity endorser is most effective, and under what circumstances? Findings from European researchers offer practical solutions to these questions.

Authors’ bios:

Jan-Frederik Gräve (jan-frederik.graeve@uni-hamburg.de) is a research associate at the Institute of Marketing, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. His research focuses on influencer marketing, brand communication in social media and advertising endorsements.

Oliver Schnittka (oliver@sam.sdu.dk) is a professor of marketing and brand management at the University of Southern Denmark. He specializes in research on the quantitative analysis of consumer behavior in diverse industries, primarily using experimental research designs.

Carolin Haiduk (carolin.haiduk@uni-hamburg.de) is a research associate and doctoral candidate at the Institute of Marketing, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. Her work focuses on consumer buzz in social media, endorsement strategies and the marketing of hedonic products.