Behaviour Change

PROPAGANDA FOR CHANGE is a project created by the students of Behaviour Change (ps359) and Professor Thomas Hills @thomhills at the Psychology Department of the University of Warwick. This work was supported by funding from Warwick's Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Find your True Match with Beyoncé


Find your True Match with Beyoncé





This L’Oreal Paris True Match foundation commercial features well known celebrity Beyoncé promoting her unique experience with the foundation while its features are described.
This advert uses the physically attractive-admirer altercast; Beyoncé is both a famous celebrity and what is considered to be very attractive. Pharmaceutical sales representatives in a study promoted different products treating the same ailment to local physicians. It was found that sales were significantly higher for physicians visited by attractive salespersons proving attractiveness has an effect on consumer behaviour (Ahearne, Gruen & Jarvis, 1999). Furthermore, Reingen and Kernan (1993) used photographs of people previously rated attractive or unattractive as salespersons. These photographs were rated by participants as good or bad salespersons. They found physical attractiveness as a main effect for the ratings.
Beyoncé is a well-known and admired celebrity and many products use celebrities to endorse their products. Using a celebrity gives the advert better source credibility which makes the message even more effective (Erdogan, 2010).
The advert cleverly uses the product as a gateway between ordinary consumers and the celebrity, while maintaining that every person is unique. Giving consumers the celebrity’s cultural background along with the shade she uses reinforces the connection and the aspiration of beauty like Beyoncé’s by using the product.


Ahearne, M., Gruen, T.W. & Jarvis, C.B. (1999). If looks could sell: Moderation and mediation on the attractiveness effect on salesperson performance. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 16, 269-284.

Reingen, P.H. & Kernan, J.B. (1993). Social  Perception  and Interpersonal Influence:  Some  Consequences  of the Physical  Attractiveness  Stereotype  in a Personal  Selling  Setting. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2, 25-38.

Erdogan, B.Z. (1999). Celebrity Endorsement: A Literature Review. Journal of Marketing Management, 15, 291-314.


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