Using Celebrities in the Non-profit Activity in China.

The usage of celebrities as endorsers influences audience attitudes and intention towards advertisement. However, studies tend to focus on on-profit advertisements rather than commercial advertisements. This quantitative research explores how people’s attitudes towards celebrities, the fit between celebrities and non-profit activities, and the civic responsibility of celebrity influence the credibility of celebrity, which in turn elicits a range of positive responses. Moreover, people’s positive attitudes toward non-profit activities will all directly and positively lead to the intention to donate and thus to the implementation of the behavior. Drawing on China’s poverty alleviation activity and structural equation modeling, this research highlights celebrities’ civic responsibility as a salient characteristic that influences how people feel about non-profit activities. In contrast, the effect of perceived fit on the credibility of a celebrity is relatively less vivid. The implications for celebrity endorsements in the non-profit sector are also discussed.