Celebrities as Vampires in Advertising: Exploration of The Vampire Effect on Advertising Mediated by Source Credibility

In contemporary business practices, it is imperative for organizations to devise a comprehensive brand communication strategy that incorporates diverse techniques, including leveraging the influence of celebrities, utilizing lesser-known models, and even employing nonhuman message sources, such as graphical representations. The absence of agreement concerning the presence of this overshadowing phenomenon can be attributed for further investigation into the concept of the vampire effect within the realm of advertising. In advertisements that do not feature celebrities, the participants' natural inclination is to focus their attention for a more extended period on the brand name and logo of the product and, when advertisements feature celebrity endorsements, celebrity themselves draws the audience's attention. Paper investigate the presence of vampire effect and its underlying mediators by administering a survey involving a sample of 384 individuals from generation Y based in Colombo District-Sri Lanka selected through quota sampling technique. Structured Equation modeling was adopted as the analysis method with Smart PLS software. Findings indicates the celebrity signals for higher exposure towards vampire effect and mediation was observed through the relationship of variables. Findings shed crucial light on how to circumvent the vampire effect by putting in place the prerequisites. Findings would significant to practical marketers and advertising agencies to make decisions that will lessen the vampire effect and boost the effectiveness of advertisements. Paper directs managerial implications for further enhancing the efficiency of advertisements while minimizing the vampire impact of various endorsement tactics in the context of Sri Lanka.