Abstract
The use of celebrity endorsers is widespread in many countries. Today, many companies use famous athletes as endorsers for their products. These athletes are expected to accomplish a number of marketing objectives, such as capturing consumers' attention, building a positive image of a product, and increasing consumers' purchase intentions. However, despite the widespread use of athletes as endorsers, the influence of athlete endorsers on consumer behavior has not been well-understood. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of athlete endorsers on consumers' purchase behaviors through the elaboration of the construct “attractiveness of athletes.” This research consisted of two studies. The first study was conducted to identify the factors of athletes' attractiveness using an exploratory factor analysis. The second study examines what effects the attractiveness has on consumers' purchase behaviors. In Study 1, four factors underlying the attractiveness of athletes emerged. In Study 2, the influence of athlete endorsers on consumer behavior was discussed, followed by a reporting of the results.
