فرشاد توجاری

One of the tactics that makes products appear distinctive and valuable—encouraging customers to repurchase—is the use of celebrity endorsements. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of the perceived value of sports and non-sports products on customers’ purchase intention based on mental involvement in endorser–product congruence. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population consisted of two parts. In the first part, endorsers and products were identified: Ali Daei and Shahrbanoo Mansourian were selected as famous sports endorsers, while Amin Hayayi and Elham Hamidi were chosen as famous non-sports endorsers. The Majid brand was selected as the sports product, and the Novin Charm brand was chosen as the non-sports product. The sampling method for this stage was purposive. The second part included customers of both sports and non-sports products, categorized into high and low mental involvement groups. Stratified random sampling was applied, and the sample size was estimated at 420 participants. Data were collected using the Perceived Value Questionnaire by Lee et al (2021), the Purchase Intention Scale by Lee et al (2021), and the Mental Involvement Scale by Bian and Moutinho (2011). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS, AMOS, and SmartPLS software. According to the findings, the endorsement of sports and non-sports products by sports celebrities had a stronger influence compared to endorsements by non-sports celebrities. Furthermore, it was found that sports celebrities’ endorsements of sports and non-sports products could enhance the purchase intention of customers with both high and low levels of mental involvement.