THE LIABILITY OF CELEBRITIES THAT ENGAGE IN COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENT IN ETHIOPIA: A COMPARATIVE APPROACH

Advisor: Wakgari Kabeta (LL.B, LL.M. Assist. Professor) Market conditions and competition drive marketers to focus on branding and marketing tactics, often exploiting celebrities for deceptive advertisements. Companies and marketers today place a bigger focus on branding and marketing than on actual products, and they employ a range of tactics to persuade consumers to acquire their goods and services. As an advertisement strategy, using celebrity endorsements targets large audiences, influencing buying decisions and brand awareness through real-life product usage. Celebrities' real-life product usage is a powerful strategy for businesses seeking long-term success, as it boosts brand awareness and purchasing habits. In Ethiopia, the popularity of such celebrities is currently being utilized to attract consumers into purchasing products or availing of services and their advertisements are frequently deceptive as they are flashy exaggerations. Ethiopia's Advertisement Proclamation, which protects consumers from deceptive advertising, lacks specific definitions and liabilities for celebrities. In Ethiopia, there is a lack of a comprehensive legal strategy for celebrities' advertising liabilities, highlighting the need for a robust framework to regulate obligations and protect consumer rights. The study compares Ethiopia's advertising laws and liabilities for celebrities, comparing them to those of the US, India, and China, and examines consumer rights, market competition, endorsement guidelines, joint liability, and self-regulatory organizations. The researcher suggests enacting laws by relevant bodies to address advertising gaps and raise stakeholder awareness in Ethiopia, balancing consumer rights protection with celebrity endorsement. It does not impose liability for inaccurate or misleading content that adheres to US and Chinese regulations. Ethiopia should follow and amend the advertisement laws of countries like China, the US, and India, which have established regulations for celebrity endorsements and liabilities related to false claims, and Ethiopia should also favor self-regulatory systems like the ICC and European Advertising Standards Alliance.<br> Keywords: Advertisement, Celebrities, Consumer, Ethiopia, Liabilities