Antecedents and consequences of consumers' attribution style: Measuring the impact of negative celebrity information

Abstract

This study investigates the antecedents and consequences of consumers' attribution styles in the evaluation of negative celebrity information. In its evaluation of negative celebrity information, this study examines the effects of consumers' different attribution styles, level of identification with a celebrity endorser, and level of brand commitment. To test its hypotheses, the study employs a 2 ×  2 ×  2 between-subject factorial design. The three factors are attribution style, level of identification with a celebrity endorser, and level of brand commitment. Conducted through the Internet, the experiment recruited a total of 229 students from a southwestern university in the USA. The study found that people making dispositional attributions judged the endorsed brand more negatively than those making situational attributions. Confronted with negative celebrity information, consumers who identified highly with the celebrity were likely to maintain a positive attitude toward a brand and continue purchasing it. In the same conditions, people with high brand commitment showed more positive brand evaluation as well as higher purchase intention than people with low brand commitment. The research findings contribute to a better understanding of the effects of negative celebrity information on consumer attitudes and beliefs.

Keywords::

• advertising
• celebrity endorsement
• attribution
• attributional style

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nam-Hyun Um

Nam-Hyun Um (PhD, The University of Texas at Austin) is an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His research interests are in the areas of advertising industry issues, celebrity endorsement, gay-themed advertising, and political advertising. His work has appeared in publications including the Journal of Advertising, Psychology & Marketing, and Journal of Marketing Communications.