Does Star Endorsement Work in China? A Case Study of Star Endorsed Basketball Sneakers

Abstract

This research was conducted to investigate to what extent the fan-based economy is effective in China. Basketball sneakers, one of the commodities that are most frequently endorsed by celebrities in the field, was used as the center of the study. The research used a survey and received 547 valid responses using the online survey website wjx.cn. The behavior of the consumers was analyzed based on how long he or she plays or practices basketball each week. Based on the survey results, we concluded that factors such as brand preference, time dedicated to basketball, and people’s weekly or monthly spending amount indeed have impacts on the tendency of buying celebrity endorsed sneakers.

Keywords: star endorsement, fan-based economy, basketball sneakers, idol marketing

JEL Classification: D, H, M, R