Attractiveness, Trustworthiness, and Expertise: An Exploratory Study Examining College Student Evaluations of Sport Celebrities as Potential Advertising Models

Well- publicized negative off-the-field behavior by many of today’s professional athletes threatens to make this group of personalities less attractive in the eyes of firms searching for the celebrity endorser. Sales declines attributable to heightened consumer agitation with the anti-social behavior of many of today’s professional athletes have become a concern to advertisers, especially in cases where a single professional athlete becomes the sole spokesperson for the advertiser’s product line (Till 2001; Costanza and Goodnight 2000; Till and Shimp 1998). The present study investigates the effect of negative publicity on the evaluation of celebrity athletes who have previously been featured in advertising campaigns as a product endorser. The study discusses the role of public evaluations of athletes based upon their attractiveness, dependability (and/or trustworthiness), and perceived expertise. The study also examines the possible impact of respondent

sex, race

, and

status as a sports fan

on final evaluations of athletes.