One question that has been asked of celebrity endorsements is how effective they are.  A number of researches have explored this question.  Lord and Petrevu discuss this question in their article Informational and Transformational Response to Celebrity Endorsement.  They found that the attractiveness, trustworthiness, and perceived expertise of a celebrity all affect the public’s perception of a product or service.

Another question that has been asked is if celebrity endorsements are effective, why are they effective?  Lord and Petrevu also answer this question in the same article.  They employ the Elaboration Likelihood Model to explain two main modes of persuasion related to celebrity endorsements.  These two modes of persuasion are the peripheral route and the central route.   The peripheral route is basically a shallow mode of persuasion in that the public is persuaded by superficial celebrity images.  The central route is basically the audience taking an active role in being persuaded and researches a product instead of relying on a celebrity endorsement to make their purchasing decisions.

How have celebrity endorsements been discussed in academic and non-academic circles?

Celebrity endorsements have been discussed widely in the field of Communication. The essay Political economy and cultural studies: Reconciliation or divorce? discusses celebrity endorsements from a political economy perspective.  Political economy is essentially the idea that ideas are turned into commodities and have different worth in a culture (Graham, 620).

The article above is just one example of an academic discussion of celebrity endorsements.  The Journal of Consumer Research is an academic journal that is dedicated to studying the perceptions of consumer audiences.

Outside of the “ivory tower” of academia, celebrity endorsements are an often discussed topic in a number of circles.  Vast numbers of blogs dedicated to certain celebrities discuss celebrity endorsements.  In addition to blogs about celebrities, endorsements are often the topic of non-academic blogs about Communication regulations.  A number of on-line newspapers discuss celebrity endorsements as well.

What can these two types of communities learn from each other?

The academic world and non-academic world can certainly learn a lot from each other.  By discussing celebrity endorsements, non-theorists could better understand why and how they are persuaded by celebrities.  Those involved in the academic world can better understand the “real life” implications of the theories to which they have contributed.

How might we go about engaging and contributing to that conversation?

This blog itself is an example of how we could contribute to the discussion of celebrity endorsements in the academic and non-academic communities.  Because this blog discusses Communication theory and applies these concepts heuristically, both academics and non-academics have the ability to engage in this conversation.  The internet is a proper medium for this discussion because it allows for free access.