Graduation Term

2014

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

School of Communication

Committee Chair

John R. Baldwin

Abstract

This thesis investigates whether Olympian athletes make for high-quality sponsors in advertising strategies and campaign efforts. The research focuses on social cognitive theory, specifically the role of identification to determine if strong identification and celebrity credibility can lead customers to intent to purchase. The results demonstrate that there is a positive correlation between the team identification and sports fans identification and the perceived credibility of the famous Olympian and the lesser known Olympian. There was also a significant correlation between team identification and intent to purchase with the lesser known Olympian, but not with any other condition or variable.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2014.Rothblum.A

Included in

Communication Commons

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