Abstract:

A survey was conducted among 383 students of a private university in Cairo to assess their perceptions of advertising campaigns featuring celebrities, as well as how the gender of the celebrity interacts with the gender of the advertising viewers within the Egyptian cultural context. Results indicate that a majority of the respondents believe that “advertising affects (their) perception of the brand advertised for” and that “celebrity ads are more attractive compared to other kinds of ads.” The results were not so positive however when it came to purchasing behavior. Most respondents do believe that “ads featuring celebrities are effective in promoting a brand,” indicating that respondents’ perceptions of promoting a brand extend beyond purchasing behavior. Respondents seemed significantly more attracted to ads featuring celebrities of the opposite sex.

Key Words: Celebrity Advertising; Egypt; Arab World; Arab Media; Consumer Research.

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 7, No. 1, April 2015, 15 – 23 

©Delmas Communications Ltd.

About the authors

*Dr. Rasha Abdulla is an Associate Professor and past Chair of the Journalism and Mass Communication Department at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.

**Dr. Kevin Keenan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.

Full Article

Words: 3,627; Pages: 9