The Determinants of Choosing Endorser in Iranian Campaigns

Employing an endorser as an effective marketing tool has been in variation in our country. For a while, the use of celebrities in advertising was prohibited, but, in the last few years, one can again see the massive presence of celebrities in corporate advertising. The use of endorsers, as the main focus of advertisement and corporate promotions, is one of the most effective strategies to influence the perception of the audience about an organization. Selecting effective endorsers can have different aspects, and extensive research has been conducted on this topic. Despite the wide range of studies in this field, there is a lack of a comprehensive model in Iran's theoretical literature. Therefore, we have conducted a qualitative study, in which the literature is reviewed, experts in the advertising industry of Iran are interviewed, and the main contributing factors in choosing effective endorsers are proposed. There were fifteen interviews performed. They suggested seven main themes in this regard. The themes included congruence with the ad, congruence with the audience, congruence expertise, attractiveness, familiarity, trustworthiness and likeability. Finally, considering these themes and the relevant theoretical background, a model is proposed for ad effectiveness through selecting appropriate endorsers.