Abstract

Purpose: This study examines the impact of celebrity (coach Park Hang-seo) endorser characteristics (e.g., attractiveness, expertise, similarity, and credibility) on Korean product image and on affective and behavioral commitments in the context of the Vietnamese distribution market. Research design, data, and methodology: Data were collected from 379 respondents and analyzed with SPSS 28.0 and SmartPLS 4.0. Results: The findings reveal that (1) attractiveness and expertise positively influence Korean product image, while similarity and attractiveness does not; (2) both attractiveness and expertise positively influence affective commitment, with similarity and attractiveness having no significant effect; (3) product image positively influences affective and behavioral commitment; (4) affective commitment positively influences behavioral commitment; (5) gender moderates the relationships between trustworthiness and affective commitment, as well as expertise and product image. Conclusions: The findings support Celebrity Endorsement Theory, Source Attractiveness Model, and Source Credibility Model, emphasizing the importance of celebrity endorser characteristics in distribution strategies to enhance product image, affective commitment, and behavioral commitment. The study also addresses a significant gap in research by highlighting the role of gender in celebrity endorsement effectiveness. In addition, the findings suggest that targeting specific consumer groups based on celebrity endorser characteristics can optimize distribution strategies