In this decade, advertising market has become more competitive and everywhere. Thus, in this article, we look into essential characteristics of an effective endorser. This study adapted the Ohanian's tri-component and model of celebrity endorsement. Although the tri-component of celebrity credibility scale has been widely used in European countries, but the information on the essential characteristics of a credible celebrity in Malaysia are still in its infancy and inadequate. Source Credibility which consists of attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise while Source Attractiveness includes familiarity and likability are discussed and examined. An empirical study was carried out which hypothesized five-factor celebrity credibility scale and using a self-administration online questionnaire. Respondents were 200 undergraduate students from local universities in Malaysia. The sample were segmented into five zones, namely north, south, east, west (Peninsular Malaysia) and West Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak). The celebrity chosen is Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza. Data were analyzed by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The final model shows that four-factor model consists of trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness and likability. This study offers media practitioners a pave way for consumer responses to celebrity endorsement in Malaysian students market.
Celebrity endorsement, credibility, attractiveness, advertising, Malaysia
