Synopsis

“Analysis of celebrity endorsement as an effective destination marketing tool”

Robert van der Veen

Bournemouth University – United Kingdom Fachhochschule Heilbronn - Germany

Master of Arts in European Tourism Management 2003/2004

Abstract

Commercial companies use celebrities with target customer segments to increase the appeal of their offerings. The instrument of celebrity endorsement has nowadays become a pervasive element in advertising and communication management. Whilst many strategic as well as tactical aspects of celebrity endorsement effectiveness have come under scrutiny from a manufacturing product marketing perspective, the concept of celebrity endorsement for hedonic consumption, in particular destinations is an often overlooked and under-researched strategy. This study will therefore posit a discussion of celebrity destination endorsement by providing an exploratory review of the concept that is based on an analysis of existing academic and conceptual literature on destination marketing and on celebrity endorsement in marketing management. Furthermore, marketing experts are consulted in order to contribute to the literature with new and deeper information. Here the main focus is on the perception of the interviewees relating to aspects of celebrity destination endorsement within a framework of celebrity endorsement in general. Therefore, by using a theoretical inquiry, it is not the researcher’s intention to establish ‘facts’ but rather identify the experts’ interpretations and perceptions in order to understand and determine the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement as a destination marketing instrument. As such, this study contributes to an understanding of the application of a marketing device for a hedonic product in general, and it also increases understanding of celebrity endorsement as a destination marketing tool.

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