Özet:
Celebrities always seem larger than life; it is when they die that we remember they are only human. With the
emergence of the Internet and social networking sites, consumers are able to follow the daily activities of their
favorite celebrities. After a celebrity’s death, consumers exhibit a stronger interest in the lives of these celebrities
and demand for celebrity-related products increases sharply. The aim of the present study is to examine young
consumers’ responses to celebrity deaths and explore the major factors that lead to increased demand for
celebrity memorabilia and merchandise. Specifically, this research will attempt to present why young consumers
exhibit such a sudden and strong interest in celebrity-related products after their death and why these products
are cherished so greatly. Factor analysis is applied and the results indicate that a celebrity’s death increases
young consumers’ demand for memorabilia due to five major factors. These factors include immortality of the
celebrity, keepsake value & deep-felt love as well as uniqueness of the celebrity, prestige and financial value
attached with the product and wide availability & increased media promotion. Based on these factors, it can be
argued that consumption of celebrity merchandise is motivated by the attachment and significance of the
celebrity to the young consumer before death. These results are important for marketers to grasp the effect of
death on the consumption of celebrity merchandise. Online and traditional retailers need to understand the major
factors attracting consumers to celebrity memorabilia and merchandise so that they can respond quickly and
efficiently to sudden demand fluctuations.