Comparing Product Advertising Videos: User Comments on Traditional Celebrities vs. Youtubers

Abstract

Businesses are modifying their strategies to respond to the constantly changing media environment. In the past, marketing teams relied on traditional celebrities to promote brands and boost sales. Recently, social media celebrities such as Instagrammers, Tiktokers, youtubers, and influencers have emerged as popular options for marketing communication due to their significant attention and preference. Despite considerable research on traditional and social media influencer endorsements, there remains a gap in understanding how social media users perceive and interact with these endorsements. This study investigates the differences in topic, sentiment, and pragmatics of user comments on Youtube advertisement videos showcasing traditional celebrities and youtubers. We examined user comments on eight advertisement videos using content analysis, with half featuring traditional celebrities and the other half featuring youtubers. The findings indicate that including traditional celebrities in videos leads to increased user focus on brand features, along with greater expressions of admiration and positive sentiment. Furthermore, traditional celebrities are more effective than influencers in fostering favourable and reliable brand awareness. Possible explanations for these results are considered, and their theoretical and practical implications are derived.