Impact of Facebook Celebrity Endorsements on Gen Z’s Purchase Intention for Skincare Products: The Mediating Role of Brand Attitude

Abstract

With the rapid rise of social media, consumer–brand interactions are evolving, and Facebook has emerged as a key platform for influencer marketing. While there are worldwide examples of the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement, limited empirical research has examined the impact of celebrity endorsements on Generation Z consumers in Sri Lanka, especially in the skincare industry. The present study fills this research gap by examining the influence of Facebook celebrity endorsements on purchase intention with brand attitude as a mediating variable. Drawing on the Source Credibility Theory and the Ohanian Model (1990), this study investigates how three dimensions of celebrity endorsement (trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness) impact brand attitude and, ultimately, purchase intention. A quantitative, cross sectional research design was employed using a structured, self-administered online questionnaire, 392 Facebook users aged 16–30 years, selected through non probability convenience sampling. The results indicated a strong positive association with Facebook celebrity endorsements, brand attitude, and purchase intention (r=0.844–0.871, p<0.001). The multiple regression indicated that all three dimensions of credibility endorsement were significant predictors of purchase intention, attractiveness being the strongest predictor (β=0.406, p<0.001), followed by trustworthiness (β=0.284, p<0.001) and expertise (β=0.213, p<0.001). In total, these three dimensions of credibility endorsement explained 73.5% of the variance in purchase intention (R²=0.735), demonstrating the importance of celebrity endorsement in shaping consumer decisions. The mediation analysis indicated that the relationship was partially mediated by brand attitude (indirect effect = 0.4218, 95% CI [0.2929, 0.5421]), indicating that while celebrity endorsements have a direct impact on purchase intention, they are effective if they have positive brand attitudes. The findings underscore the effectiveness of Facebook celebrity endorsements in shaping Gen Z consumers’ brand attitudes and purchasing intentions for skincare products. Brands are encouraged to strategically select endorsement strategies with high trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness to enhance consumer engagement.