2026-09-23T17:11:49Z https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129575 2026-02-05 col_2142_5131 col_2142_14846 com_2142_5130 com_2142_14845 com_2142_9614

application/pdf en text Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01 The student, Sungjai Hong, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-24 at 07:59. The student, Sungjai Hong, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-04-24 at 08:08. This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-04-30 at 12:26. DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21941 on 2025-10-19 at 19:16:08 A comprehensive framework for understanding celebrity athlete endorsement Hong, Sungjai 2025-04-30 Sato, Mikihiro Sato, Mikihiro Rindfleisch, Aric Stodolska, Monika Zou, Sharon Celebrity athlete endorsement source characteristics cognitive and emotional characteristics marekting outcomes eng Celebrity athlete endorsement has become a prominent marketing tactic that is used by multiple corporations around the world. Sport management research has demonstrated the effectiveness of celebrity athlete endorsement strategies; however, limited studies have examined the celebrity athlete endorsement process in a holistic framework. Drawing from the four celebrity endorsement theories—source credibility theory, source attractiveness theory, meaning transfer model, and match-up hypothesis theory—this dissertation developed a theoretical framework to understand the celebrity athlete endorsement process from a comprehensive perspective. Including the celebrity athlete’s source characteristics, the theoretical framework also integrated the consumer’s cognitive and emotional characteristics and cultural orientation that could influence the celebrity athlete endorsement process. This dissertation adopted a multi-study approach, using a survey design (Study 1) and an experimental design (Study 2) to understand the proposed theoretical framework. The findings from Study 1 supported that not only the celebrity athlete’s source characteristics generate positive marketing outcomes, such as brand attitude, perceived quality, but the consumer’s cognitive and emotional characteristics also were an important factor. The findings from Study 2 indicated that the consumer’s cultural orientation can come into effect and secure beneficial marketing outcomes (i.e., brand attitude, purchase intention). The findings of dissertation suggested that multiple factors in the celebrity athlete endorsement process need to be considered to secure maximum marketing benefits. This dissertation provided significant theoretical and managerial insights that contributed to the sport marketing and management literature. 2025-05 Thesis https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129575 n/a Recreation, Sport and Tourism Recreation, Sport, and Tourism University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Ph.D. Dissertation