Source: http://www.marketingcharts.com/topics/behavioral-marketing/celeb-product-hawkers-fail-to-sway-consumers-10042/?utm_campaign=rssfeed&utm_source=mc&utm_medium=textlink

Though the media feeds consumers a constant stream of minutiae about celebrities’ private lives, and celebs who Tweet seem to have legions of avid followers, a new study of LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/users by AdWeekMedia http://www.adweek.com/ finds that most US consumers say they are not at all 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 likely, less likely or neither more or less likely to buy the product, nearly 8 in 10 (78%) said it doesn’t sway them one way or the other. In fact, only 8% said the presence of a celebrity spokesperson makes them more likely to buy a product. This compares with a significant 12% who actually say it makes them less likely to buy a product.

[image: adweek-linkedin-poll-overall-results-celebrity-ad-favorability-august-2009.jpg]

Additional findings by demographic group:

- Older respondents are especially likely to reject celebrities as spokespeople. Nearly one-quarter (24%) of those ages 55+ say seeing a celeb in an ad makes them less likely to buy a product, vs. just 4% saying it makes them more likely to buy. – Men (15%) are slightly more likely than women (11) to say a celeb deters them from buying a product. – 20% of business owners vs. 11% of people with jobs in the “management” category say the presence celebrities in ads make them less likely to buy.

[image: adweek-linkedin-poll-results-job-titles-favorability-celebrities-august-2009.jpg]

– while 19% of survey participants in “creative” roles said a celeb in an ad makes them less likely to buy. This compares with 8% saying it makes them more likely.

A recent survey by Harris Interactive found that Americans do not consider the occupations of actor, entertainer and athlete to have a great deal of prestige.

*About the survey:* The survey was conducted online in July among a sample of 4,778 LinkedIn users.