Purpose

This paper aims to model and estimate how celebrity chief executive officers (CEOs) credibility (i.e. expertise, trustworthiness, attractiveness) is related to their brand image (i.e. functional, sensory/visual). This paper further examines the effects of consumer materialism on both celebrity CEOs’ credibility and the image of their brand.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 260 participants knowledgeable of CEOs and their corresponding brands completed an online questionnaire in a cross-sectional study. The data were analyzed through covariance-based structural equation modeling.

Findings

Celebrity CEOs’ expertise and attractiveness are positively related to both functional and sensory/visual images of their brands. Results also demonstrate the positive effect of materialism on both celebrity CEOs’ credibility and brand image.

Research limitations/implications

The research was conducted in one country (France) using a cross-sectional design. Additional studies in other settings or countries should be carried out to establish the generalizability of results and strengthen causality inferences.

Practical implications

CEOs need to understand and manage their key role as celebrities, given the direct influence they may have on consumer brand perceptions and behavior.

Originality/value

This study refines the relationship between celebrity CEOs’ credibility and brand image. It is the first to introduce and validate the effect of consumer materialism on the perception of celebrity CEOs.

中文翻译：

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名人 CEO 的可信度、品牌形象和消费者唯物主义

目的

本文旨在模拟和估计名人首席执行官 (CEO) 的可信度（即专业知识、可信度、吸引力）与他们的品牌形象（即功能性、感官/视觉）之间的关系。本文进一步研究了消费者物质主义对名人 CEO 的可信度和品牌形象的影响。

设计/方法/方法

共有 260 名了解 CEO 及其相应品牌的参与者在横断面研究中完成了在线问卷调查。数据通过基于协方差的结构方程模型进行分析。

发现

名人 CEO 的专业知识和吸引力与其品牌的功能和感官/视觉形象呈正相关。结果还证明了物质主义对名人 CEO 的可信度和品牌形象的积极影响。

研究限制/影响

该研究是在一个国家（法国）使用横截面设计进行的。应在其他环境或国家进行更多研究，以确定结果的普遍性并加强因果关系推断。

实际影响

考虑到他们对消费者品牌认知和行为的直接影响，CEO 需要了解和管理他们作为名人的关键角色。

原创性/价值

本研究细化了名人 CEO 的可信度与品牌形象之间的关系。它是第一个介绍和验证消费者物质主义对名人 CEO 看法的影响。