Celebrity Characteristics and Customer Patronage of Betking Nigeria in Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

This paper examined the relationship between celebrity characteristics and customer patronage of Betkings Nigeria in Akwa Ibom State. Celebrity characteristics such as attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise are not strong enough to stimulate customer patronage in Betkings in Akwa Ibom State due to the fact that customers are tired of seeing the same celebrity over and over again, which creates a major problem of low customer patronage. The researcher employed the use of survey research design in which primary data were obtained through questionnaire administration.  The researcher employed tables and simple percentage method to analyse the research questions. Simple regression technique was used to test hypotheses. The finding of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between celebrity fit and customer patronage of Betkings in Akwa Ibom State. Another result showed that there is a significant relationship between celebrity credibility and customer patronage of Betkings in Akwa Ibom State. It was further discovered that there is a significant relationship between celebrity expertise and customer patronage of Betkings in Akwa Ibom State. Recommendations were that Betkings should scrutinize the credibility of the endorsed celebrity because credibility determines how the advertising information would impact the customers in terms of the communicated message. There is need to checkmate celebrity fit because when the attributes of the celebrity endorser match with the product features, consumers tend to increase their patronage. Betkings should examine the skill, experience and knowledge of the celebrity to endorse or recommend the product to the public because customers’ actions in response to such recommendations seem to vary directly with the celebrity’s perceived level of expertise and the target customers’ level of agreement with those recommendations.