The Influence of Celebrity Endorser and Brand Image on Rational Purchasing Decisions Scarlett Whitening with Consumer Trust as an Intervening Variable (Case Study of DKI Jakarta and DI Yogyakarta Students)

The development of free trade has created increasingly fierce business competition, which has encouraged companies to become more creative in carrying out their business activities. The market is characterized by various new products and services, with innovation continuing to develop. The company makes various efforts to increase sales, meet customer needs, and increase trust. Scarlett Whitening is a beauty product quite popular in Indonesia, as seen from its high sales figures, and it can beat foreign products. It is necessary to evaluate and improve several promotional efforts that have been carried out, such as those of celebrity endorsers and brand image, when faced with purchasing decisions and consumer trust as intervening variables. This research aims to determine the influence of Celebrity Endorsers and Brand Image on purchasing decisions, with consumer trust as an intervening variable. This type of research is quantitative. Data is presented through questionnaires distributed to 150 student representatives throughout Indonesia using the SEM PLS method for testing and hypothesizing. The results of this research show that there is no influence between celebrity endorsers and consumer trust and purchasing decisions.

The development of free trade has created increasingly fierce business competition, which has encouraged companies to become more creative in carrying out their business activities.The market is characterized by various new products and services, with innovation continuing to develop.The company makes various efforts to increase sales, meet customer needs, and increase trust.Scarlett Whitening is a beauty product quite popular in Indonesia, as seen from its high sales figures, and it can beat foreign products.It is necessary to evaluate and improve several promotional efforts that have been carried out, such as those of celebrity endorsers and brand image, when faced with purchasing decisions and consumer trust as intervening variables.This research aims to determine the influence of Celebrity Endorsers and Brand Image on purchasing decisions, with consumer trust as an intervening variable.This type of research is quantitative.Data is presented through questionnaires distributed to 150 student representatives throughout Indonesia using the SEM PLS method for testing and hypothesizing.The results of this research show that there is no influence between celebrity endorsers and consumer trust and purchasing decisions.

INTRODUCTION
The business world is increasingly developing with the rapid development of society's needs and information technology.As an information technology, the Internet significantly impacts various aspects, including business and marketing.The internet has become a daily necessity for society and a business field known as online business and e-commerce.Online shopping businesses are increasingly popping up on websites, e-commerce and social media.The care and beauty business is one type of business increasingly trending worldwide.
The development of free trade has created increasingly fierce business competition, which encourages companies to become more creative in carrying out their business activities.The market is characterized by various new products and services, with innovation continuing to develop.The company makes various efforts to increase sales and meet customer needs.Therefore, marketing is the main activity companies must carry out to survive, grow and strengthen their position in the face of increasingly fierce business competition.To achieve a competitive advantage, every company competes to grab market share.Companies must identify the market and determine their product sales strategy in a quickly changing market.Consumers have different attitudes and behavior toward certain products (Frisdinawati, 2012).
The dimensions contained in Celebrity Endorser include attractiveness, credibility and expertise (Noviandra, 2006).Attractiveness includes some characteristics in celebrities that can be seen by the public, such as physical attractiveness, intelligence, personality traits, and lifestyle.Conversely, credibility is a celebrity's ability and trustworthiness to convince others about the promoted product.Celebrity personality influences brand personality, so selecting the right celebrity can influence increasing market share (Sebayang & Siahaan, 2008).Therefore, the success of product promotion depends on celebrities' role as advertising stars.Using celebrities in the media is an effective alternative strategy for introducing products to consumers.
In celebrity endorsement, the projection of brand personality through real personality endorsement is often used (Temporal, 2001).It is because consumer behavior studies how individuals, groups and organizations choose, buy, use and utilize goods, services, ideas or experiences to meet their needs and desires.
Brand personality is important in marketing because it can make a product brand look different from other brands, such as humans.Product features and prices are easy for competitors to imitate, but brand personality tends to be more difficult.Celebrities can increase the brand value of the advertised product.However, they need to be careful when choosing celebrities to advertise products because inappropriate selection can cause the brand value to decrease.Celebrities can be imaginary figures for consumers, where when consumers buy a product, they want to have an image like the celebrity who advertises the product.Brands have quality values obtained from the experience of using products or services, which can influence consumer perceptions of the brand.
Brand image plays an important role in influencing consumer judgment because of people's perception or belief in certain product brands.Brand image refers to the overall representation of assumptions about a brand and is built based on data and experiences related to the brand in the past.Brand image is related to behavior in the form of beliefs and preferences for a brand.Consumers who have a positive image of a brand tend to make purchases (Takaya, 2019).
Brand refers to the appearance or expression of the identity of an individual, thing, or organization.Meanwhile, Brand Image refers to the appearance or expression of brand identity.Generally, brand image can be interpreted as the public's perception of a brand's identity.Advertising and promotion are very important activities in marketing communications because these activities target a wide audience and can provide messages quickly related to the Brand Image in a relatively short time.
An effective promotional strategy will help a company form a strong brand image.A strong brand image is very important to increase consumers' memory of a brand based on the built associations.Branding a product can increase its selling value, but the parties involved must analyze the benefits, namely producers and consumers.Therefore, companies need to consider the benefits that can be obtained from their branding strategy.
Consumers' Rational Purchase Decisions are influenced by their trust in the products offered, which can influence repeat Rational Purchase Decisions and the disclosure of valuable personal information.Although consumer trust is considered important in brand management strategies, trust that has not been fully realized in consumer practice is related to the brand's ability to carry out its functions.Trust is a key factor in today's business environment and has emotional dimensions related to confidence, security, importance, respect, desire, gratitude and admiration.Belief holds an unshakable decision, just like belief in a religion.We can carry out any religious process without objections.So, strong trust will influence a person's decision.In this case, it can apply to decisions in choosing a product.Hence, this trust is important as an intervening variable for factors such as celebrity endorsement and brand image influencing rational purchasing decisions.
SCARLETT is Indonesia's fastest-growing local beauty brand, founded in 2017 by Felicya Angelista.SCARLETT releases various beauty products that focus on brightening and maintaining healthy skin for the body, face and hair.With "Reveal Your Beauty," SCARLETT is a solution that can increase the confidence of Scarlett's friends to dare to reveal their version of beauty.Scarlett Whitening, in 2023, will use the brand ambassador of the boy band EXO.However, it is important to remember that celebrity endorsements do not always run smoothly and can experience failure, such as when the endorsed celebrity uploads photos of other products, which can cause consumers to switch to other products.Scarlett, a local brand, leads sales in the body lotion category with a market share of 23.42%.Since 2017, this brand, owned by Felicya Angelista, has offered various body care products such as body wash, scrub and lotion.Pamelo Scarlett Whitening is Scarlett's best-selling body lotion product at the moment.The main ingredients in Scarlett Jolly's body lotion include Glutathione, Vitamin E, Niacinamide, and Kojic Acid, which brighten the body's skin.Based on this data, aggressive marketing strategies and sales promotions have succeeded in increasing the market share of these beauty products.
Even able to compete with international brands.However, if we look at the overall sales data from 2020 -2022, there is a decline in sales of Scarlett Whitening due to the large number of competitors that have emerged.So, it can be seen that even though Scarlett Whitening is ranked in 2023, it cannot be denied that there is a decline in sales.From pre-research conducted in October 2023, from 22 people who filled out questionnaires with closed and open options, the results showed that the majority of users were women, around 95% and 5% were men, consisting of students (68.2%) and private employees (31.8%) then several factors influence respondents in making Rational Purchasing Decisions including celebrity endorsers (4.5%), Brand Image (54.5%) and consumer trust (54.5%).Therefore, it is very necessary to analyze several factors, such as Brand Image, the role of celebrity endorsers and consumer trust in providing Rational Purchasing Decisions, so the author took the research title: "The Influence of Celebrity Endorser and Brand Image on Rational Purchasing Decisions for Scarlett Whitening Products with Consumer Trust as a Variable Intervening."

LITERATURE REVIEW Celebrity Endorser
A celebrity endorser borrows their public image to promote or endorse the products or services of a particular brand.Celebrity endorsers have a competitive advantage in advertising because they can attract consumer attention and help build a better brand image.Therefore, celebrity endorsers are often used in advertising and marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness and image.As the global market grows, more and more brands are using celebrities as endorsers of their products.Although celebrity endorsers have the potential to increase brand awareness and brand image, the success of a campaign can be influenced by factors such as the suitability of the celebrity to the brand, consumer trust in the celebrity, and the influence of social media (Agnihotri & Bhattacharya, 2018).

Brand Image
According (Coaker, 2021) (Tharpe, 2014), (Simonson et al., 2009) in (Aditya Wardhana, 2022).suggests that brand image is a reinterpretation of all perceptions of a brand, which are formed from information and past experiences of consumers and customers regarding the brand.According to (Espindola & Jessica Inthurn, 2020) in (Aditya Wardhana, 2022), brand image is related to consumer attitudes in the form of preferences for a brand.(Kotler et al., 2019) and (Kotler & Armstrong, 2018) state that a brand is not just a name or sy but a key element in the relationship between a company and its customers.(Mcpheron, 2021) and (Wardana, 2022) stated that if customers have a positive image of a brand, then customers will buy that product again.However, if a brand's image is negative, there is little chance of repurchasing the product.Based on the description above, brand image is the perception of a brand in consumers' minds, forming consumer and customer trust in a brand.

Consumer Confidence
According to Deutch (Rifai, 2019), trust is the expectations of the parties in a transaction and the risks associated with estimates and behavior towards these expectations.Assael stated that measuring trust in a brand requires determining its attributes and benefits.

Rational Purchasing Decisions
Environmental and individual factors influence consumers' rational purchasing decisions and involve psychological processes.The psychological process of consumer behavior includes information processing, learning, and changes in attitudes and behavior.

METHODOLOGY
In this research, a quantitative approach emphasizes testing theories by measuring research variables using numbers and analyzing data using statistical procedures (Indriantoro & Supomo B, 2013).The quantitative approach has several advantages that are relevant in the context of this research.First, this approach allows researchers to analyze subjects and samples with certainty, saving time and costs and making it easier in practice.The quantitative approach also allows the software to facilitate the data analysis, increasing efficiency and accuracy in interpreting research results.The population in this study is women and men who purchased and used Scarlett Whitening at several universities in DKI Jakarta and Yogyakarta, and they will be the research subjects.Because researchers do not yet know the number of student populations who buy and use it, they use the Hair method.According to the approach described by (Hair, 2024) to determine the sample size, a rule states that the sample size should be five times the number of parameters or indicators used in the research.There are 29 indicators in this research, so the number of respondents taken is 29 x 5 = 145.However, if the number of respondents found exceeds this, the data will still be analyzed according to the number of respondents available.The sampling technique used was purposive sampling, where the author distributed the questionnaire link via social media and short message applications.The selected respondents must meet certain criteria, such as having used the Scarlett Whitening beauty product.This technique allows researchers to select respondents according to research objectives and predetermined criteria.

RESEARCH RESULT Structural Model Testing (Inner Model)
Inner model testing is a model development process based on conceptual and theoretical principles to analyze the relationship between exogenous and endogenous variables.This testing process is carried out through a series of steps as follows:

Goodness of Fit Model (R-square value)
An analysis of the proportion of variation in the relationship between variables can be carried out by examining the R-square value.
= 0,802 Based on calculations, the Q2 value obtained is 0.802, meaning the model formed is good.

Hypothesis Test
An evaluation can be carried out based on the statistical value to test the validity of the proposed hypothesis.The hypothesis can be accepted if the t statistical value exceeds the t table value.Estimated results from the t statistic can be identified through the weight output in the analysis results in the following table.

1) H1: Celebrity Endorser does not affect Rational Purchasing Decisions
The parameter coefficient test results between Celebrity Endorser and Rational Purchasing Decisions show a coefficient value of 0.123 and a calculated t-value of 1.877 with a p-value of 0.063.At the significance level (α) = 0.05, the calculated t-value is smaller than the t-table value (1.877<1.977),and the p-value is greater than 0.05 (p<0.05).It shows that celebrity endorsement does not influence rational purchasing decisions.

2) H2: Celebrity Endorser does not affect consumer trust
The results of the parameter coefficient test between Celebrity Endorser and consumer trust show a coefficient value of 0.172 and a calculated t-value of 1.372 with a p-value of 0.172.At the significance level (α) = 0.05, the calculated t-value is smaller than the t-table value (1.372<1.977),and the pvalue is greater than 0.05 (p<0.05).It shows that celebrity endorsement does not affect consumer trust.

3) H3: Brand Image has a positive and significant effect on Rational Purchasing Decision
The results of the parameter coefficient test between Brand Image and Rational Purchasing Decisions show a coefficient value of 0.322 and a calculated t-value of 4.076 with a p-value of 0.000.At the significance level (α) = 0.05, the calculated t value is greater than the t table value (4.076>1.977),and the p-value is smaller than 0.05 (p<0.05).It shows that Brand Image positively and significantly affects Rational Purchasing Decisions.

4) H4: Brand Image has a positive and significant effect on consumer trust
The results of the parameter coefficient test between Brand Image and consumer trust show a coefficient value of 0.603 and a calculated t-value of 6.244 with a p-value of 0.000.At the significance level (α) = 0.05, the calculated t value is greater than the t table value (6.244>1.977),and the pvalue is smaller than 0.05 (p<0.05).It shows that Brand Image positively and significantly affects consumer trust.

5) H5: Consumer trust has a positive and significant effect on Rational Purchasing Decisions
The results of the parameter coefficient test between consumer trust and Rational Purchasing Decisions show a coefficient value of 0.494 and a calculated t-value of 6.466 with a p-value of 0.000.At the significance level (α) = 0.05, the calculated t value is greater than the t table value 6.259>1.977),and the p-value is smaller than 0.05 (p<0.05).It shows that consumer trust positively and significantly affects Rational Purchasing Decisions.

7) H7: Brand Image has a positive effect on Rational Purchasing Decisions through consumer trust
The results of the parameter coefficient test for the indirect influence of Brand Image on Rational Purchasing Decisions through consumer trust show a coefficient value of 0.297 and a calculated t-value of 4.158 with a pvalue of 0.000.At the significance level (α) = 0.05, the calculated t value is greater than the t table value (4.158>1.977),and the p-value is smaller than 0.05 (p<0.05).Because the p-value is smaller than 0.05, it can be concluded that Brand Image influences Rational Purchasing Decisions through consumer trust.

The Influence of Celebrity Endorsers on Rational Purchasing Decisions
From the data above, it can be seen that celebrity endorsement does not influence rational purchasing decisions.It aligns with research from Sulistyowati (2022), where the celebrity endorsement variable does not affect the rational purchasing decision variable.The author suspects the reason for the lack of influence of celebrity endorsers on rational purchasing decisions is the lack of popularity and unsuitability of the celebrity's choice in the eyes of consumers.Judging from the cross-loading value of the Celebrity Endorser variable, the lowest in statement EXO was the 3rd Generation K POP group in 2012, along with the emergence of BTS.At that time, the majority of respondents aged 18-22 years were still children, and there was a possibility that they were not very familiar with the K-POP group.Utilizing public figures who are well-known and frequently exposed to the public is considered a rational decision.Some reasons for producers' use of Celebrity Endorsers relate to the impact of messages conveyed by famous individuals, which involve greater attraction and attention from the public, along with the ease of remembering the message.However, on the contrary, if the Celebrity Endorser selection is not in line with the product's imaging objectives, the celebrity's presence can be detrimental to the product's brand image (Shimp & Andrews, 2013).From this theory, we know that if the celebrity endorser is not in line or appropriate, the existence of the celebrity endorser can harm the brand image and cause it to fail to reach the target market.

Influence of Celebrity Endorser on Consumer Trust
From the data above, it can be seen that celebrity endorsement does not affect consumer trust.It can happen because the currently used celebrity (EXO) lacks consumer trust, where the celebrity is felt to be less representative of the product or not in line with consumer interests.This result is not in line with (Santoso, 2020), where there is a relationship between celebrity endorsers and consumer trust.It is the same reason why the Exo band, which is K POP, is less well known by respondents who are predominantly 18-22 years old, and around 45.3% are men.So, the band's unattractiveness in respondents' eyes causes a lack of trust in the band.According to Deutch (Rifai, 2019), trust is the expectations of the parties in a transaction and the risks associated with estimates and behavior towards these expectations.So, if a celebrity endorser does not give an attractive impression to consumers or is not well recognized, it will create a lack of trust in the product.It is important to provide the right celebrity attractiveness, be recognized by the majority of the target market, provide good product information and give a good impression to consumers.

Influence of Brand Image on Rational Purchasing Decisions
Brand image positively and significantly affects purchasing decisions, which aligns with previous research (Alfiyah, 2023).The highest cross-loading value for the Brand Image variable is the statement unique, so it gets a good response from users and can influence Rational Purchasing Decisions.Information is very important in product marketing.A lack of information causes ambiguity in the recipient of the information, so good and interesting information must be applied, as has been done by Scarlett Whitening, to help attract consumers to make rational purchasing decisions.

The influence of brand image on consumer trust
Brand Image has a positive and significant effect on Rational Purchasing Decisions.This result is in line with research by (Putri & Harti, 2022).The brand image of Scarlett products generates trust in consumers regarding the benefits and quality of Scarlett products.As Scarlett products improve their product, company, and user image, consumer trust becomes increasingly strong.The statement is the highest cross-loading value for the brand image variable, which can provide trust.Robert N. Anthony and John Dearden, as quoted in (Jogiyanto, 2001), Information refers to data that has been processed in such a way that it obtains a more useful form and has significant meaning for the user.Data, on the other hand, reflects the reality of an event at a certain time and is a concrete representation of a unified phenomenon.Information is a very vital force for an organizational entity.The inability of an organization to obtain sufficient information can result in weakness and ultimately lead to destruction.It shows the power of information in everything, both from an organization and in explaining a product.

The Influence of Consumer Trust on Rational Purchasing Decisions
There is a positive and significant influence between consumer trust and rational purchasing decisions, which aligns with several previous studies (Wardani, 2022).Consumer trust, which includes trust in Scarlett products, has a significant role as a consideration for consumers in selecting facial and body care products to meet their needs.In conclusion, the higher the level of consumer confidence in the ability of Scarlett products to meet facial and body care needs, the greater the possibility of a Rational Purchasing Decision.

The influence of Celebrity Endorsers through consumer trust influences Rational Purchasing Decisions
Celebrity Endorsers do not influence Rational Purchasing Decisions through consumer trust.This result does not align with previous research (Ghaisani & Purbawati, 2020), which found that celebrity endorsements influence rational purchasing decisions through consumer trust.The lack of influence of Celebrity Endorsers on Rational Purchasing Decisions does not change even though it is assisted by purchasing confidence.It is because consumers do not trust the Celebrity Endorsers used, and this results in consumers' Rational Purchasing Decisions, so selecting a Celebrity Endorser that is appropriate to the market and represents consumer culture is very important in increasing trust and rational purchasing decisions for a product

The influence of Brand Image through consumer trust influences Rational Purchasing Decisions
Brand Image influences Rational Purchasing Decisions through consumer trust.These results align with those (Ghaisani & Purbawati, 2020), Brand Image is the image consumers have of Scarlett products, which reflects the product's success in providing benefits in line with consumer expectations and creating brand associations that are closely linked to consumers' memories.The brand for Scarlett products details the meaning of the brand so that it is easy for consumers to remember and trust, including company image, product image, and user image, which ultimately results in a positive brand image.Therefore, the Brand Image of Scarlett products has the potential to build consumer trust, which in turn encourages rational purchasing decisions.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Celebrity Endorser does not influence Rational Purchasing Decisions 2. Celebrity Endorser does not affect consumer trust 3. Brand Image positively and significantly affects Rational Purchasing Decisions.

Table 2 .
Based on the data in Table2, it can be seen that the R-square value for the Rational Purchasing Decision variable reaches 0.64.It indicates that as much as 64% of the rational purchasing decision variable variation can be explained by the consumer trust, brand image, and celebrity endorsement variables.On the other hand, the R-square value for the Consumer Trust variable reached 0.454, indicating that the Brand Image and Celebrity Endorser variables can explain around 45.4% of the variation in the Consumer Trust variable.Evaluation of the construct model is then carried out by calculating Q-square as an indicator of predictive relevance, as follows :

Table 3 . Path Coefficients (Mean, STDEV, T-Values)
Based on the table above, research hypotheses can be tested.Hypothesis testing uses a significance level of 5% with a t table of 1.977 (N=150).

Celebrity Endorser has no influence on Rational Purchasing Decisions through consumer trust
The coefficient test results show a coefficient value of 0.066 and a calculated t-value of 1.427 with a p-value of 0.156.At the significance level (α) = 0.05, the calculated t-value is smaller than the t-table value (1.427<1.977),and the p-value is greater than 0.05 (p<0.05).Because the p-value is greater than 0.05, it can be concluded that Celebrity Endorser does not influence Rational Purchasing Decisions through consumer trust.