Celebrity Endorsements and Brand Awareness of Betking in Abak Metropolis, Nigeria

The increasing competition within Nigeria’s sports betting industry has compelled operators to adopt innovative marketing communication strategies capable of strengthening brand awareness and attracting consumers. Among these strategies, celebrity endorsement has become increasingly prominent; however, empirical evidence regarding its effectiveness within the betting industry remains limited, particularly in Akwa Ibom State. This study examined the effect of celebrity endorsements on the brand awareness of BetKing in Abak metropolis. Specifically, the study investigated the influence of celebrity popularity, celebrity credibility and endorsement frequency on brand awareness. The study adopted a survey research design. The population comprised 181,717 registered BetKing customers in Abak metropolis, from which a sample of 399 respondents was determined using Taro Yamane’s formula. Convenience sampling technique was employed in selecting respondents, while data were collected using structured questionnaires. A total of 397 valid questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis with the aid of SPSS version 25. The findings revealed that celebrity popularity significantly enhanced brand awareness (β = 0.292, p < 0.05), while endorsement frequency exerted the strongest positive influence on brand awareness (β = 0.813, p < 0.05). However, celebrity credibility showed no significant effect on brand awareness (β = 0.060, p > 0.05). The study concluded that celebrity popularity and repeated endorsement exposure constitute the major celebrity endorsement dimensions influencing BetKing’s brand awareness. The study recommended that BetKing should continue engaging highly recognised celebrities and increase the frequency of endorsement campaigns across multiple communication channels in order to strengthen consumer awareness and brand recall.