LOVE IS LOVE: ATTITUDE TOWARDS TRANSSEXUAL CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT IN A RELIGIOUSLY CONSERVATIVE COUNTRY

Abstract

Purpose The objective of this research was to test and analyse the effect of the four dimension of transsexual celebrity endorsement, namely trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, and transsexual celebrity brand congruence, on purchase intention through consumer attitude toward the brand and attitude toward transsexual celebrity as the mediating variables. The research focused on transsexual social media celebrities who were in great demand to become endorsers of many products. Method The researcher utilised a quantitative research using data collected from the questionnaires distributed to 302 respondents. The respondents came from Generation Y (millennials) and Generation Z who were active as social media users, especially Instagram. The research data were analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test the hypotheses developed in the research. Value This research was conducted in order to observe and analyse how the attitudes towards transsexual celebrities as product endorsers on social media influence customers’ purchase intention in a religiously conservative country, which had never been studied before. Findings There is a market for Transsexual Celebrity Endorsement despite of negative stigma and discriminations against them in Indonesia. Attractiveness was proven to significantly affect Attitude Towards The Brand also has the most significant effect on Purchase Intention, thus being transsexual is a new dimension of attractiveness in celebrity endorsement.