The Influence of NCT Dream as Celebrity Endorser Towards Consumer Purchase Intention with Brand Image as a Mediating Variable: The Case of Tos Tos in Indonesia

Abstract

Nowadays, marketers in the world compete in the business by using celebrity endorsers. In particular, many Indonesian companies including Tos Tos are recruiting Korean artists to endorse their brands. Recently, Tos Tos announced NCT Dream to be the endorser of their snack tortilla chips. Through this research, the researchers want to analyze the effect of NCT Dream as a celebrity endorser on consumer purchase intention. The celebrity endorser will be measured by the TEARS model which includes trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, respect, and similarity. Furthermore, the researchers want to examine the brand image as the mediating variable of the relationship between celebrity endorsers and purchase intention. Data collection was carried out by distributing questionnaires using a simple random sampling method. A total of 100 respondents who met the requirements were analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0 software. The results of the analysis explain that there is a significant relationship between respect and purchase intention, trustworthiness and brand image, expertise to brand image, brand image to purchase intention, and an indirect effect mediating brand image in the relationship between expertise and purchase intention.

Keywords: Celebrity endorser, Purchase intention, Brand image, TEARS, Tos Tos Indonesia.