A comparison of four strategies to promote fair trade products

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is, first, to assess the influence of four promotional strategies on students' purchase intention for fair trade coffee; and second to examine the effect of attractiveness and credibility of two university sports celebrities on purchase intention for fair‐trade coffee in a campus convenience store. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 100 college students at a mid‐western asked them to rate two campus sports celebrities on attractiveness, expertise, and trustworthiness and the relationship of these qualities to purchase intention for fair trade coffee. Influence of four promotional strategies on purchase intention was assessed. Findings – There was a positive and significant relationship between attractiveness and trustworthiness of the sports celebrities and customers' purchase intention for fair‐trade coffee. However, a “buy one get one free cup coupon” stimulated higher purchase intention than sports celebrities, flyers, and packaging. Research limitations/implications – Results are based on a student sample. Advertising stimuli were written scenarios with no illustrations. Practical implications – Less expensive promotional strategies (e.g. coupons) rather than celebrity endorsements may be equally effective in eliciting purchase intention for fair trade products. Originality/value – The paper is innovative in its examination of the effectiveness of promotional strategies (including sports celebrity influence) to promote fair trade products in a small business context.