Understanding McCracken’s Meaning Transfer Model (MTM) in celebrity and influencer perfume advertisements

Abstract This study examines the application of McCracken’s Meaning Transfer Model (MTM) to celebrity and influencer perfume advertisements through a qualitative and interpretive approach. It investigates how cultural and symbolic meanings in advertising are conveyed and internalized by consumers. Although MTM has been applied in areas such as fashion and luxury goods, its potential in the perfume industry has not been systematically explored. Perfume advertising relies on sensory and symbolic communication, which makes it a theoretically significant setting for studying how cultural meanings are constructed and transferred. The study draws on 21 semi-structured interviews with participants from diverse international backgrounds. Interpretive content analysis shows how meanings move across three stages: from culturally constituted symbols to endorsers, from endorsers to products, and from products to consumers. This process is shaped by branding aesthetics, emotional narratives, and perceptions of endorser authenticity. Findings demonstrate that perfume advertising functions as a cultural carrier that influences consumer identity and aspiration. The study extends the application of MTM to perfume advertising as a sensory-driven product category and highlights how symbolic storytelling, endorser authenticity, and cultural alignment shape consumer identity and brand relationships.