Baby-Faced Endorsers in Advertising: Effects of Credibility and Affect on Consumers' Purchase Intention

In advertising, facial appearance may sometimes influence the endorsers’ credibility and the affect elicited in consumers. This study assesses how endorsers showing either a baby-face or a mature-face influence consumers’ purchase intention. Results show, firstly, that the advertised product type influences the three endorsers’ credibility dimensions (i.e., attractiveness, expertise, and trustworthiness). Secondly, a baby-faced endorser elicits a higher positive affect than that elicited by a mature-faced one. Thirdly, endorsers’ credibility is a valid predictor of purchase intention. Finally, the positive affect elicited by baby-faced endorsers can have an effect on consumers’ purchase intention.

Citation:

Alessandro Peluso and Gianluigi Guido (2005) ,"Baby-Faced Endorsers in Advertising: Effects of Credibility and Affect on Consumers' Purchase Intention", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 7, eds. Karin M. Ekstrom and Helene Brembeck, Goteborg, Sweden : Association for Consumer Research.