Celebrity Endorsers of Veganism on Social Media: Influence on Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions Towards Veganism

• In Event: Effects of Social Media on Health Risk Perceptions and Healthy Behavior

Abstract

Celebrities endorsing veganism may exert social influence on social media users’ attitude toward a vegan diet and behavioral intention to become vegan. A randomized between-subjects experiment (N = 303) examined the effects of consumers’ own eating habits (meat eater versus non-meat eater) and vegan celebrities’ different motivations for becoming a vegan (altruistic motivation versus egoistic motivation) on various outcomes of health communication about veganism. The results show interaction effects between vegan celebrity endorsers’ motivation and participants’ eating habits on health consciousness, intention to spread electronic word-of-mouth (eWoM) about veganism, and behavioral intention to become vegan. Furthermore, moderating effects of source credibility, subjective norms, and identification with the vegan celebrity endorser were found. Theoretical contributions to the literature on celebrity endorsement and message framing as well as practical implications for health communication about veganism are discussed.

Authors

• Seung-A Annie Jin, Boston College

• Joe Phua, U of Georgia

• Jihoon (Jay) Kim, U of Georgia