Fast food, fast foot : an examination of the influence of athletes in fast food advertisements on consumption behaviour in adults

• Main Author: Tan, Tessa Yi Xin
• Other Authors: Dr Leng Ho Keat
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/59165
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In recent years, numerous professional athletes have come under fire for endorsing various fast food brands. This study examines the attitudes of Singaporean consumers in terms of fast food purchase and branding, and the level of influence an athlete’s appearance in fast food advertisements has on consumer behaviour. 159 respondents aged between 21 and 45, were randomly divided into three groups; all were exposed to an advertisement of a brand of fast food, one with an athlete endorsement, another with an actor endorsement and a third without endorsements acted as a control. A survey was administered to determine consumer attitudes and behaviour in response to the advertisements. Results showed that Singaporeans base fast food consumption on convenience and competitive pricing and exhibit brand loyalty. A one-way ANOVA test and post-hoc Tukey’s test also revealed athlete-endorsed advertisement to be significantly more attractive (p < 0.05) than the actor-endorsed and control advertisement. However, no significant difference was found between the influence each advertisement had on fast food consumption behaviour (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that while athlete endorsers are especially good for attracting consumer attention in advertisements, they lack the ability to influence fast food consumption any more than an actor endorser or generic fast food advertisement. This study provides health practitioners with a better understanding of Singaporean attitudes toward fast food and consumption behaviour and marketers with an insight into the impact different categories of celebrities have on consumption.