Using celebrities to endorse products and services is almost as old as advertising itself. The fundamental principle behind it is simple: if a person who you like or trust says something is good, then maybe it is good. Little wonder then that celebrity endorsement is used so heavily in advertising.
Some people though are far more susceptible to the power of celebrity persuasion than others and it is these consumers that marketers can most efficiently reach with a celeb-led campaign. Latest data from Kantar Media’s Republic of Ireland TGI study reveal that 6% of adults (233,000 people) explicitly admit that celebrities influence their purchase decisions.
The split between the sexes for celebrity influence is fairly even, but age shows far more of a skew, with 15-24 year olds almost two and a half times more likely than the average adult to be swayed. Not surprisingly there is an abrupt drop off as consumers reach their 40s.
Some 12% of 25-34 year olds say celebrities influence their purchases, but this plummets to 3% for 35-44 year olds. And by the time consumers are aged 65+, it is 2%.
Despite the young age skew of those influenced by celebrity, they are far more likely than the average adult to hold a series of very traditional, conservative attitudes. For example, they are three times more likely to believe that a woman’s place is in the home and also three times more likely to agree that real men don’t cry.
They are also keen on having fun, being three times more likely to really enjoy drinking for long sessions and similarly more likely to spend money without thinking.
Given the celebrity influence, perhaps unsurprisingly, sponsorship represents a key way to reach this group. They are five times more likely than the average adult to tend to buy products from companies who sponsor TV programmes, similarly more likely to buy from companies who sponsor radio programmes and three and half times more likely to buy from companies who sponsor exhibitions or music events.
To view archived TGI Insights of the Week please click HERE
In association with
