Briana Anderson - Cornell University

• Attractive people are more persuasive (see: Baker & Churchill, 1977;
Chaiken, 1979).
Based on these studies of attractiveness in interpersonal relations, Patzer (1983)
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conducted an experiment in which participants viewed fictitious advertisements that
included three levels of attractiveness – low, medium, and high. The dependent
variables included 1) perceived trustworthiness and expertise of the communicator and
2) liking for the communicator if they were to meet. The results of the data analysis
support the hypothesis that communicators of higher levels of attractiveness are
perceived as more trustworthy and of higher expertise than those of lower
attractiveness levels. The data strongly supported the hypothesis that attractiveness
has a significant positive effect on liking of the communicator. Overall, the results
offer evidence of a relationship between communicator physical attractiveness and
perceptions of communicator expertise, trustworthiness, and liking regardless of
communicator/receiver gender.
Endorser Credibility and Corporate Credibility -- What’s the Relationship?
Several studies have examined the effects of both corporate and source
credibility on consumers’ attitudes toward the brand and advertisement, as well as
purchase intentions. hile much advertising research has focused on the effectiveness
of endorsers on consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions (as a function of the
endorser’s credibility), more recent research has examined the role of corporate
credibility as well. Researchers have examined endorser and corporate credibility as
separate variables; this is generally conceptualized in the literature as companies
concern for having a credible endorser represent their brand, while also being
concerned with presenting a positive corporate image by engaging in socially
responsible activities (Lafferty and Goldsmith, 1999) to enhance their corporate
credibility.