The proliferating innovative ways of promoting brands have necessitated the assessment of the effectiveness of the tool being used. As celebrity endorsement is believed to have the stopping power in the cluttered media environment, the effectiveness of which should be assessed. While there are many ways to assess the celebrity endorsement, this research paper examines the effectiveness of celebrity used in endorsements with a different approach. This paper introduces a new recall concept termed as celebrity-aided brand recall and brand-aided celebrity recall. It also identifies the selected celebrity-aided recall of brands and selected brand-aided recall of celebrity. Further, it examines the extent to which the celebrity influenced the respondents using the Hierarchy-of-Effects Model of Lavidge and Steiner.

Marketers use innovative methods to hold attention in communicating and promoting the brands. Celebrity endorsement has long been recognized and widely accepted as an attention getting tool in advertising. While there are many innovative ways of advertising, celebrity endorsement in advertising is an easy means to achieve the ‘stopping power’. Celebrity advertising is actually a substitute for ‘absence of ideas’ (Sabnavis, 2003). However, the persuasion ability of celebrity endorsement to move the consumer to the purchase action is questioned by researchers. Although there are theoretical models supporting the use of celebrity endorsement, the critics have arguable cases and are skeptical about the use of celebrity endorsement because of the vampire effect of celebrity on brands. However, there are supporting views that the aid of celebrity could facilitate the creation of brand personality.

Brand Management Journal, Celebrity-Aided, Brand Recall, Brand-Aided, Celebrity Recall, Assessment, Celebrity Influence, Hierarchy of Effects Model, Attention-Interest-Desire-Action (AIDA), TOMACAB (Top Of Mind Awareness Celebrity-Aided By Brand).