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.
