V3I3P12

CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT AND CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION IN THE URBAN SPORTSWEAR MARKET: Empirical Evidence from Puma Sports Shoes in Bangalore, India

Rajpal Singh Chundawat^1*, Dr. Sekappa N. Makkalageri²

Abstract

Celebrity endorsement has emerged as a dominant advertising paradigm across competitive consumer markets, yet its differential effects on purchase intention remain inadequately theorized within geographically specific, product-category-focused contexts. This study investigates the impact of celebrity endorsement attributes—namely credibility, expertise, and attractiveness—on consumers’ purchase intention toward Puma sports shoes, drawing on a sample of 106 urban residents in Bangalore, India. Employing a descriptive, quantitative research design, data were gathered through a structured Likert-scale questionnaire and subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis. The empirical results reveal a hierarchical structure in consumers’ perceptions: credibility attained the highest mean score (M = 3.15), followed by expertise (M = 3.12) and attractiveness (M = 3.00). Paradoxically, correlation analysis demonstrated that expertise (r = 0.23) exhibited the strongest positive association with purchase intention, whereas credibility showed a near-zero correlation (r = -0.01)—a phenomenon termed the ‘Credibility Paradox.’ Furthermore, a notable awareness gap emerged, with approximately 38.7% of respondents lacking awareness of Puma’s endorsement campaigns, despite the brand’s investment in high-profile ambassadors. Awareness level proved to be a meaningful moderator of purchase intent, with highly aware consumers recording a mean purchase intention score of 3.14 compared to 2.97–2.98 among neutral and low-awareness cohorts. These findings extend the Source Credibility Theory and the Meaning Transfer Model within an emerging-market, sportswear-specific context and offer actionable managerial implications for endorsement strategy optimization.

Keywords:

Celebrity endorsement, purchase intention, source credibility, expertise, sportswear marketing, urban consumers, India