Evaluating celebrity influence on brand attention, emotion, and memory

Why Culture Beats Credibility: Unpacking McCracken’s Meaning‑Transfer Model

Grant McCracken’s classic 1989 study Who is the Celebrity Endorser? Cultural Foundations of the Endorsement Process turned the spotlight on the cultural engine that powers celebrity endorsement. Rather than relying solely on the traditional “source credibility” (Hovland & Weiss, 1951) or “source attractiveness” (Ohanian, 1990) lenses, McCracken introduced a meaning‑transfer model that treats the celebrity as a carrier of cultural meanings that can be passed on to a brand.

From “Beauty Is Fine” to “Meaning Is Transferable”

The “what is beautiful is good” heuristic (Dion, Berscheid & Walster, 1972) explains why attractive faces boost attention, but McCracken argued it falls short of explaining the why a celebrity’s lifestyle, values, and symbolic capital turn into part of a product’s story. In the meaning‑transfer model, a celebrity’s cultural meanings (e.g., glamour, rebellion, authenticity) are first attached to the celebrity, then transferred to the endorsed brand through advertising exposure.

Celebrity Endorsement in the Age of Influencers

McCracken’s insight anticipated today’s “influencer marketing” boom (Lafontaine, 2002; Brooks, Drenten & Piskorski, 2021). Modern influencers function as “micro‑celebrities” who continually generate personal meaning through social media content, making the transfer process even more fluid. Studies show that credibility, expertise, and perceived authenticity now dominate the endorsement equation (Smith & Brower, 2021; Lou & Yuan, 2019).

Did you know? A recent neuromarketing review (Yao & Wang, 2024) found that neural metrics can predict how strongly consumers will adopt the meanings transferred from a celebrity to a product.

Emerging Trends Shaping the Future of Celebrity Endorsement

1. Short‑Form Video & TikTok‑Style “Star Power”

Short‑form travel videos starring destination ambassadors are reshaping tourism advertising (Yang, Zhang, Liu, Hua & Li, 2022). The “TikTok meets celebrity” study (Zhu, Fong, Gao & Liu, 2023) shows that attachment to a celebrity’s persona directly lifts visit intention, confirming the meaning‑transfer pathway in a novel media format.

2. Authenticity as a Transferable Asset

Authenticity now acts as a cultural meaning that can be transferred from celebrity to brand (Teng & Chen, 2020). When a celebrity’s story aligns with a destination’s heritage, the “authenticity boost” elevates brand love (Zhang, Xu & Gursoy, 2020) and reduces the “vampire effect” where a mis‑aligned endorsement harms recall (Erfgen, Zenker & Sattler, 2015).

3. Neural and Eye‑Tracking Insights

Eye‑tracking research reveals that celebrity faces capture attention more effectively than generic imagery (Rodbari, Elahi, Javadi & Akbari Yazdi, 2024). Combined with EEG and fMRI data, marketers can now quantify the depth of meaning transfer in real time (Bastiaansen et al., 2018; Shahzad et al., 2024).

4. Cross‑Cultural and Emerging‑Market Dynamics

In emerging markets, local celebrity ambassadors still dominate, but global stars are increasingly used to signal modernity (Osei‑Frimpong, Donkor & Owusu‑Frimpong, 2019). Research on Bollywood celebrities (Vhora, 2018) and Oprah’s Australia campaign (Johns, Weir & Weir, 2015) illustrates how cultural relevance determines transfer success.

5. The Rise of “Celebrity‑Chef” and “Entertainer‑Chef” Hybrids

Recent work in hospitality shows that chef‑celebrity endorsements interact with cultural dimensions like power distance (Huo, Lin, Zheng & Zhang, 2022). The hybrid model expands McCracken’s original framework to include professional expertise as an additional meaning source.

Pro tip: When selecting a celebrity for a new product, map the brand’s core cultural meanings (e.g., sustainability, luxury) and match them with the celebrity’s publicly perceived meanings. Utilize a simple matrix:

Brand meaning → Celebrity meaning alignment
Audience cultural values → Celebrity cultural relevance
Media platform → Transfer speed (short‑form video vs. Traditional TV)

FAQ – Quick Answers to Your Burning Questions

What is the meaning‑transfer model?: It’s McCracken’s theory that a celebrity’s cultural meanings are passed to a brand through advertising, shaping consumer perception.
Why is source credibility no longer enough?: Credibility focuses on expertise and trust, but it ignores the symbolic and cultural meanings that drive modern consumer‑celebrity connections.
Can non‑celebrity influencers use the same model?: Yes. Influencers act as micro‑celebrity carriers of meaning, and studies show their credibility and authenticity amplify transfer effects.
How does authenticity affect endorsement?: Authenticity is a cultural meaning that, when aligned with the brand, strengthens consumer attachment and reduces backlash.
Is there a risk of “meaning overload”?: When a celebrity’s meaning clashes with a brand’s, the “vampire effect” can diminish recall and damage the brand.

What’s Next? Your Turn to Shape the Narrative

McCracken’s cultural lens still holds the key to unlocking successful endorsements. As short‑form video, neuromarketing, and authenticity continue to evolve, marketers who map cultural meanings with precision will stay ahead of the curve.

Read our deep‑dive on building a meaning‑driven celebrity strategy or explore the original JSTOR article for a scholarly foundation.

Join the conversation: Which celebrity meaning resonates most with you today? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe for weekly insights on the latest marketing trends.