BEYOND ATTRACTIVENESS: THE POWER OF CREDIBILITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/AIJBES.829114Keywords:
Credibility, Celebrity Endorsement, Generation Z, Purchase Intention, TEARS ModelAbstract
Celebrity endorsement is one of the marketing strategies that are often used to shape consumer attitudes and drive purchase intentions. The rapid development of communication technology and social media has expanded the influence of celebrities, especially among Gen Z who actively use digital technology and are always exposed to information, news and trends from local and international celebrities. In Malaysia, most university students in their 20s belong to Gen Z. Therefore, this group is an important consumer segment in digital marketing today and in the future. This study aims to examine the relationship between celebrity endorsement and purchase intention among Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) students based on the TEARS Model. This model includes five main attributes, which are trustworthiness, expertise, attraction, respect and similarity. The study used a cross-sectional survey design with a quantitative approach involving 281 undergraduate and postgraduate students from various demographic backgrounds. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire based on the TEARS Model instrument and analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation. The results show that similarity has the strongest positive relationship with purchase intention (r = 0.465, p < 0.001), followed by trustworthiness (r = 0.451, p < 0.001), respect (r = 0.336, p < 0.001) and expertise (r = 0.184, p = 0.002). On the other hand, attractiveness did not show a significant relationship with purchase intention (r = 0.073, p = 0.222). This finding shows that Gen Z students are more likely to have purchase intentions when celebrities who endorse a product are seen as authentic, trustworthy and have values and characteristics close to themselves. Physical attractiveness alone is not necessarily related to purchase intention. This study expands the understanding of the importance of credibility and similarity in celebrity endorsement, particularly in the context of students of higher education institutions in Malaysia.
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