Effects of an endorser athlete’s identity on choosing a healthy
food option offered at a sports canteen
Nikos Voulgarakis
S3760944
Master Thesis
University of Groningen
1. Introduction
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The consumption of energy dense and rich in fat aliments has heavily concerned consumers for
almost three decades now (Thomas & Mills, 2006).
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Obesity is still prevailing and we can observe that the number of people frequenting fast food
restaurants is steadily large (DiPietro et al., 2016).
1. Introduction
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The goal of our research is to contribute to a change in that field, by identifying a way to influence
that perception, in order to promote healthier food choices that could be offered in such places
and examine the different elements that could affect the attractiveness of those choices.
2. Theoretical framework
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Endorser identity
- Whether consumers accept the nationality and source of fame of an endorser or evaluate his achievements positively can influence the attitude of the consumer's towards the endorsed product or brand (Nestorowicz, 2016).
2. Theoretical framework
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Identification
- Identification refers to the process in which one individual takes on the behaviors, values, or goals of another (Cramer, 2001) and it occurs when one individual shares the interests of another individual or believes that he or she shares the interests of another (Burke, 1969).
- Basil (1996) found that identification with celebrities who were promoting health messages increased the adoption of these messages.
2. Theoretical framework
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Health consciousness
- Health-conscious individuals are “wellness-oriented” and hold positive attitudes towards preventive measures such as exercising and eating healthy (Michaelidou & Hassan, 2008).
2. Theoretical framework
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Hypotheses
- H1: The identity of an endorser (including his nationality) who endorses a healthy food option positively influences a sports fan's food choice (leading to choosing a more healthy food option).
- H2: The size of the impact of endorser nationality on a sports fan's food choice is bigger/smaller when the sports fan identifies more/less with the endorser ( when the nationality of the sports fan is the same as/different from the nationality of the endorser).
3. Methodology
● Survey developed on Qualtrics.com
● 155 participants filled out the survey during a period of 11 consecutive days.
4. Results
● The relationship between the food choice that a sports fan makes and the identity of the endorser (including his nationality) is not statistically significant.
● There is not a statistically significant relationship between the identification of the sports fan with the endorser used for the healthy food choice endorsement and the size of the effect of the endorser’s identity on a sports fan’s food choice.
4. Results
H1 The identity of the endorser (including his nationality) positively influences a sports fan's food choice (leading to more healthy food options).
Not supported
H2 The size of the impact of endorser nationality on a sports fan's food choice is bigger/smaller when the respondent identifies more/less with the endorser (when the nationality of the sports fan is the same as/different from the nationality of the endorser).
Not supported
H3 Sports fans that are more health-conscious are more likely to choose a healthy food option (endorsed Nakd bar).
5. Discussion
● Identification was not proven to significantly influence the effect of endorser identity on food choice, challenging the claims of Zhang and Zhang (2010), according to which domestic celebrity endorsers may be viewed more favorably than foreign celebrity endorsers.
5. Discussion
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Limitations and future research
-Small number of Dutch (n=31) and German (n=19) participants ➔ Recreate study with a larger number of such participants
-Respondents familiar with endorsers because of their international success ➔ Choose players only active in their native country
-Non-endorsed healthy bar was not shown
