A new survey by AdWeekMedia found that fewer than one in ten respondents claimed that their purchases were swayed by celebrity endorsements of products.
When respondents in the survey were asked whether the presence of a celebrity in an ad makes them more or less likely to buy the product, nearly 8 in 10 (78 percent) said it doesn't influence them one way or the other, according to an article in AdWeek. Only eight percent said the presence of a celebrity spokesperson makes them more likely to buy a product. This compares with a 12 percent who actually say it makes them less likely to buy a product.
Among the findings by demographic group:
- Older respondents were more likely to reject celebrities as endorsers. Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of those ages 55+ say seeing a celeb in an ad makes them less likely to buy a product, vs. just 4 percent saying it makes them more likely to buy.
- Men (15 percent) are slightly more likely than women (11) to say a celeb deters them from buying a product.
- Among "business owners," 20 percent said the presence of celebs in ads makes them less likely to buy. That compares with 11 percent of people with jobs in the “management" category.
- Among those respondents with "creative" jobs, 19 percent said a celeb in an ad makes them less likely to buy. This compares with eight percent saying it makes them more likely.
Questioning whether the respondents were actually being truthful, the AdWeek article noted that many respondents were skeptical of their answers in comments posted along with their votes. One respondent said, "Most of us would rather die than admit to being 'swayed by glamour' in a purchase decision." Another commented, "We know that our subconscious will automatically add a bit of credibility if a celeb is in an ad (whether we believe this on a conscious level or not)."
The survey was conducted online in July among a sample of 4,778 LinkedIn users.
On August 21, AdWeek released a list of the top-ten celebrity endorsement deals:
1. Catherine Zeta-Jones, T-Mobile: $20 million
2. Angelina Jolie, St. John: $12+ million
3. Nicole Kidman, Chanel No. 5: $12 million
4. Jessica Simpson, Guthy-Renker: $7.5 million
5. Gwyneth Paltrow, Estèe Lauder: $6+ million
6. Charlize Theron, Dior: $6 million
7. Julia Roberts, Gianfranco Ferrè: $5 million
8. Brad Pitt, Heineken: $4 million
9. Scarlett Johansson, L'Oreal: $4 million
10. Penelope Cruz, L'Oreal: $4 million
Discussion Questions: Is Madison Avenue overestimating the power of celebrities to support product or is this another case of survey respondents saying one thing and doing another? Can you name any categories where celebrity endorsements are probably wasteful spending?