Effects of endorser types in political endorsement advertising

Independent voters are a valuable vote source, often determining electoral outcomes worldwide. Political endorsements from both celebrities and non-celebrities are also a common, vital election strategy. This paper compares the ad effects associated with three types of endorsers in political endorsement advertising on young independent voters in Taiwan, and explores the moderating effects of two voter characteristics. The experimental results indicate that young independent voters prefer political endorsement ads to general political ads. Compared to political figure endorsements, political ads endorsed by either a common citizen or an entertainer can increase voter favourability towards the advertised party and their intention to vote for it. Moreover, common citizen endorsements are more effective than entertainer endorsements in increasing voter turnout intention. However, for female voters or those with better general attitudes towards political ads, the effects associated with endorser types are weakened.