Competent Singles and Warm Teams: The Congruence Effect of Endorser Type and Advertising Appeal in Sport Advertising Communication

Shengru Ren, Sheng Bi, Department of Marketing, Renmin Business School, Renmin University of China, Department of Marketing, School of Management, Beijing Institute of Technology

Communication & Sport

Published online on February 28, 2026

Abstract

Communication & Sport, Ahead of Print.
Athlete endorsement is a widely used strategy in marketing, yet little is known about how the design of advertisements should vary depending on whether the endorser is a single athlete or a sports team. Drawing on meaning transfer theory and processing ...