Effectiveness of athlete endorsement strategies and Generation Y: an Australian exploration

This paper examines in an Australian context whether athlete endorsement communication strategies influence Generation Y's positive word of mouth behaviours. Specifically it explored whether Generation Y saw athletes as role models and whether this translated into positive word of mouth behaviours. External influences including gender, English language enculturation and business acumen were also explored. English language enculturation and business acumen influenced positive word of mouth behaviours. It is recommended that Australian marketing practitioners use athlete endorsement strategies as a strategic marketing communications tool and consider the aforementioned external influences in the design of effective strategic marketing communications.