Celebrity entrepreneurship : the effect of negative celebrity information on the new venture

Increasingly, celebrities engage in business not just as endorsers but also with a financial stake and decision-making role in the business. Whether initiated by the celebrity or by other founders, we refer to such instances of new ventures entering the market with a celebrity engaged in such ways as “celebrity entrepreneurship”. Partnering with a celebrity rather than contracting them as a celebrity endorser is not without its risks. Even the most mundane information concerning the lives of celebrities is newsworthy so when negative information concerning a celebrity surfaces, it spreads fast. When celebrities are involved with starting or owning a company, they carry their name with them. Under such circumstances, negative information about the celebrity might reflect negatively on the company as well. Our findings suggest that negative information a) leads to negative attitudes towards the new venture and promotion, b) which is comparable worse for celebrity entrepreneur led new ventures; c) new ventures can potentially reduce damage to their brand by distancing themselves from the celebrity, d) however, such a maneuver may not be as effective when the new venture is run by a celebrity entrepreneur.