If a consumer sees a familiar face giving their stamp of approval on the product, they are more likely to do so as well. In the scope of the Social Learning Theory, the celebrity is acting as the model that a member of the masses, specifically teenagers, will imitate.
A journal wrote by Kineta Hung (2014) examines two main motivations that individuals have for imitating celebrities: aspirational motivation and playful motivation. Aspirational motivation is when an individual is either a fan or emotionally attached to a celebrity in some way, and consciously strives to be like that person. Playful motivation, on the other hand, is a more unconscious motivation. The individual sees a famous and successful person endorsing a product and unconsciously associates the product with success and/or wealth. That person then sees the product as superior and often times desires it. Celebrity posts on social media endorsing a product can spur both types of motivation, and do so every day. For example, former Kentucky basketball player and current forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns recently posted a picture on Instagram of himself with Beats by Dre headphones. The caption tagged the company in it. This advertisement will motivate different people in different ways. A teenage, male, Kentucky basketball fan who probably wants to be a player just like Towns will be aspirationally motivated. They consciously want to be like Towns. On the other hand, an adult male who works a nine-to-five job in an office may see the ad and also have a desire for the product. Although this person is not dreaming of making it to the NBA, he still sees the successful and wealthy Towns and associates the Beats headphones with those positive images. Celebrity endorsements have a specific purpose, but there is more than one way they can work effectively.
Endorsements are not as simple as having a celebrity make a tweet about your product.
