Do Celebrity Endorsements Matter? A Twitter Experiment Promoting Vaccination in Indonesia

Bibliographic Data

ID9709422
AuthorsVivi Alatas (Asa Kreativita , Indonesia), Arun G Chandrasekhar (Stanford University, NBER & J-PAL , USA), Markus Mobius (0000-0002-4725-7896, Microsoft Research , USA), Benjamin A Olken (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Benjamin Olken (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, corresponding author), Cindy Paladines (TCW , USA)
Year2024
Volume134
Issue659
Pages913-933
Publication date2024-03-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Economic Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0013-0133 • E-ISSN: 1468-0297
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/ej/uead102
OpenAlexW4389260077
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited13

Do celebrity endorsements matter? And if so, how can celebrities communicate effectively? We conduct a nationwide Twitter experiment in Indonesia promoting vaccination. Celebrity messages are 72% more likely to be passed on or liked than similar messages without a celebrity’s imprimatur. In total, 66% of the celebrity effect comes from authorship, compared to passing on messages. Citing external medical sources decreases retweets by 27%. Phone surveys show that those randomly exposed to messaging have fewer incorrect beliefs and report more vaccination among friends and neighbours. The results can inform public health campaigns and celebrity public service more generally

Advertising · Business · Health communication · Internet privacy · Phone · Political science · Public health · Public relations · Computer Science · Media Influence and Politics · Medicine · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy

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