Kennedy et al. (2021) analyze the role of celebrities as spokespersons for brands and the extent to which consumers perceive these celebrities to be authentic. The authors begin by stating that perceived celebrity authenticity depends on whether or not the celebrity behaves in a manner that is consistent with their true selves. With this statement in mind, the authors are able to then compare celebrity endorsements with celebrity brands. When a celebrity creates their own brand, they are creating products that are a representation or projection of their true selves and own desires (Kennedy et al., 2021); thus, consumers perceive the celebrity and the brand as being authentic. Brands use celebrity endorsers to enhance their product’s position in the marketplace through the celebrity’s status and through positive associations that are typically attached to their personalities (Kennedy et al., 2021).

In contrast, when celebrities endorse one brand, but are then seen in public supporting a competing brand, consumers view them and the brand as being less authentic and less trustworthy. For example, David Beckham was an endorser for Motorola but was photographed using an Apple iPhone (Kennedy et al., 2021). This causes consumers to view both David Beckham and Motorola as less trustworthy and inauthentic. In comparison, celebrities who found their own brands are considered to be more authentic. An example of a celebrity brand is Katy Perry Collections. This brand was created by Katy Perry herself, and she has even integrated her own name onto the physical products that are sold by her brand (Kennedy et al., 2021). This is a strategic marketing tactic because Perry’s fans and followers will want to own products that align with their role model’s ideals and true self.

Wu et al. (2012) examine how it is possible to differentiate between expert and celebrity endorsers within marketing and advertising. These authors first distinguish between the two kinds of endorsers, explaining that celebrity endorsers are individuals who are well known to the public as they promote a product, whereas expert endorsers are individuals who have significant knowledge about a specific product or topic. These differences are important to note because when it comes to aspects such as trustworthiness, persuasiveness, and likability, celebrity endorsers seem to have a significant advantage over consumers (Wu et al., 2012). Our trust in celebrity endorsers likely derives from the fact that these individuals have previously established a name for themselves. With this sense of popularity, consumers are more likely to find likability in the celebrity endorsers than they do in the expert endorser because as Wu et al. (2012) imply, consumers are more interested in likeability, further associated with trust, than they are in straight knowledge from a spokesperson whom they are unfamiliar with. Through their studies, Wu et al. (2012) find that dietary supplement advertisements using a celebrity are in fact more believable to consumers than the same advertisements that feature an expert endorser.