Beyond the fame: The influence of endorser type and credibility in social media posts on Generation Z's purchase intentions.

In the developing era of digital marketing, social media platforms have become the dominant means of brand communication, particularly when targeting Generation Z. This study aims to answer the following research question: "To what extent does endorser type in social media advertisements influence Generation's Z purchase intentions, and to what extent is this relationship mediated by the perceived credibility of the endorser?" The research also aimed to explore whether traditional celebrity endorsers were still effective in driving purchase intention among Generation Z, considering a shift in their consumer behaviour. This was achieved by comparing the impact of celebrity endorsers with influencers and non- famous endorsers on purchase intention, while testing how credibility might have affected this relationship. To answer the research question, an experimental research design was employed, collecting data through an online questionnaire distributed via the Qualtrics platform. The research focused on Generation Z representatives, while randomly assigning them to one of the three experimental conditions, each depicting a fictional Instagram post featuring either a traditional celebrity, an influencer, or a non-famous endorser. The data was analysed using SPSS 29.0 software, where mediation analysis was performed with PROCESS Model 4 to test the impact of endorser type and indirect effect of perceived credibility on purchase intention. The final sample consisted of 104 Generation Z participants. The analysis revealed that none of the initial hypotheses were supported. No significant difference was found between celebrity, influencer and non-famous conditions in terms of effect on purchase intention. Also, celebrity was not perceived as significantly more credible than influencer or non-famous endorser. However, the influencer was rated as significantly less credible than the non-famous endorser. These findings show that credibility and fame of the endorser are not sufficient to influence Generation Z's purchase intention, emphasising the importance for brands to re-think their marketing strategies and avoid relying solely on the use of endorsers in their advertisements.