Abstract

As there is a scarcity in the literature regarding the use of celebrity endorsements strategy in advertisements targeting Islamic markets, this study seeks to contribute to the knowledge through investigating the extent to which advertising agencies use such strategy in advertisements to attract Saudi consumers. It conducts a qualitative content analysis of advertisements appearing in traditional print and visual media and over YouTube. Interestingly, the results show that none of the advertisements appearing in traditional printed media have utilized Saudi celebrity’s endorsements. While a few Saudi celebrity endorsers appeared in television and YouTube commercials, none of them were portrayed as being experts in the product being advertised. In contrast, many embedded endorsements appeared during YouTube shows targeting Saudi youths, and the celebrities in those shows, where they exist, are often the YouTubers themselves. All of the three types of endorsements (explicit, implicit, and copresent) have been used by these YouTubers and they are all one-sided endorsements.

Key Words: Advertisement, Celebrity endorsement, New media, Traditional Media, Saudi Celebrities.

*      Shuaa Aljasir, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in Media and Communication, Faculty of Media and Communication, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

^JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 10, No. 1, April 2018, 19-27