Celebrity product endorsements: a deciding purchasing factor?
Recently, Oprah Winfrey released a line of products in her O, That's Good! line, including cauliflower crust pizza. The pizza has no artificial flavors or dyes, and although it's being touted as a cauliflower crust, only a third of the crust is actually made with cauliflower. Varieties include Pepperoni, Five Cheese, Supreme, and Fire Roasted Veggie, and our article for the product included a picture of Oprah holding a slice of pizza.
Oprah is not new to singing bread's praises, which is why I was a little surprised that she went with a cauliflower crust for her pizza—but not entirely, because cauliflower crust is very popular right now, especially with people on the Keto diet or those who are trying to cut back on carbs. I was able to try a sample of CAULIPOWER's pizza back at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas last year, and it was quite tasty.
What I'm now wondering, is: would a celebrity endorsement propel consumers to try a product that they wouldn't normally pick up at the grocery store?
For example, if a consumer had never tried a cauliflower crust before, and now sees Oprah with her own line of cauliflower crust pizzas, with her picture on the front of the product: would that entice them to try it at the grocery store? And what about if the pizza is more expensive then the usual DIGIORNO's or Red Baron pizza that they normally buy? (and it most likely will be, as cauliflower crust is considered a premium product)
(To be fair, Oprah's picture actually isn't on the front of the product—but it does say O, That's Good!, with her signature on top of it, so there's no doubt that this is an Oprah-endorsed product.)
The Little Kernel, originally introduced in 2016, is also celebrity-endorsed, but not as blatantly as Oprah's line: it was originally introduced in an episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The popcorn company is owned by cast member Jacqueline Laurita's husband, Chris, and the inspiration for the brand came from their son, Nicholas, who is autistic and follows a gluten-free diet as part of his treatment.
I would be curious to know if any Real Housewives viewers saw the popcorn on the show, and then decided to buy it, based on the fact that Laurita's husband was involved with the brand.
Have you ever bought a product simply because a celebrity that you like or follow endorsed it? If so, what product, and which celebrity?
