Celebrity Endorsement Not Important to Young Adults. So They Say
You guys over at celebu-obsessive BBDO might want to read up on a bit of new research from college marketing experts Alloy Media + Marketing which just released a study that found adults age 18-30 place far more emphasis on a brand's social responsibility than its use of celebrity endorsers. Of course any survey that queries people on the importance of not-for-profit causes, community activism and environmental friendliness as compared to the importance of celebrity endorsement is bound to skew results in favor of the "right" answer.
The trouble with this survey is that it measured perception and intent, not actual behavior and the opening of a wallet. A better and more valuable test of what influences a person's actions after being exposed to a brand's message would be to compare purchase behavior of various brands with said brand's use of celebrity endorsers, socially conscious practices and the brands reliance on it's "image." Of course, these sorts of studies have been done many times before but are usually proprietary in nature because it involves a brand divulging sales figures, etc. Point being, studies that measure action versus intent and far more relevant.
Comments
David Ogilvy in his 1983 book Ogilvy On Advertising on page 109 "Testimonials by celebrities. These are below average in their ability to change brand preference. Viewers guess that the celebrity has been bought, and they are right." He is also right in his statement "Viewers have a way of remembering the celebrity while forgetting the product." I don't see where either of these facts have changed in twenty-three years.
Nope, Roy, it hasn't changed one bit. Neither has the desire of advertising people (or anyone for that matter) to spend several hours with a celeb. Those celebrity photoshoots are packed events.
Post a comment