CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT AND CUSTOMER PATRONAGE OF SKIN CARE BRANDS IN PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between celebrity endorsement and customer patronage of skin care brands in Port Harcourt. Cross-sectional research design was used for the study and the study population is the 36 registered skin care brands in Port Harcourt. A total number of one hundred and forty-four (144) copies of the questionnaire were sent to the management staff of these brands in order to elicit responses from them. In analyzing the data, descriptive and inferential statistics were employed and Spearman rank order correlation coefficient with the assistance of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS)  version 21 were used to measure the existence of  relationship between celebrity endorsement and customer patronage.  The results from the study established that the dimensions of the independent variables significantly associates with the measures of customer patronage of Skin care brands in Port Harcourt. The study further concludes that celebrity endorsement positively relates with customer patronage of skin care brands in Port Harcourt. It was recommended that Companies should monitor the behavior, conduct and public image of the endorser continuously to minimize any potential negative publicity.