Leveraging Olympic champion athletes as a communication tool: a neuromarketing study

Abstract

Celebrity endorsements has long been regarded as an effective marketing tool as well as the most widely used marketing strategy globally. Olympic champions, due to their global appeal through the Olympic Games, are prime targets for brands to promote both sports and non-sport products. Their influence helps shape consumer purchase decisions. This study uses two well-known Chinese Olympic athletes, presenting both original and modified images as stimuli to examine the impact of their endorsements. A sample of 100 participants was analysed using the two neuromarketing tools, eye-tracking and galvanic skin response to examine the perceptions of Chinese youth, with a non-Chinese group serving as the reference. The study concludes that the presence of celebrities, alongside brand logos, significantly influences participants’ attention towards these celebrities. Specifically, different Olympic champion athletes as endorsers impact audience cognitive perceptions. This research makes dual contributions, both theoretically and practically. Theoretically, it enhances the understanding of celebrity endorsement, particularly athlete endorsements, by providing empirical evidence that advances the existing literature on sports marketing research. Practically, the findings regarding participants’ varying visual and emotional response to different celebrity endorsement provide insights for brands aiming to develop effective sports marketing strategies.