PDM, ACNielsen unveil research tool for evaluating celebrity-brand fit

Indiscriminate use of celebrities, a hot topic of debate, may finally be monitored now. Celebrity management outfit PDM, in association with AC Nielsen has launched ‘ACN & PDM Star Power Track’, a scientific research tool aimed at evaluating the efficacy of celebrities and their brand fit.

This tool hopes to uncover the star power of the biggest celebrities in the country, including Bollywood actors and sports stars. ACN & PDM Star Power Track will provide advertisers, marketers and brand custodians with a scientific methodology to assess the popularity of a celebrity and their fitment to a particular brand’s attributes and projected values.

With product differentiation becoming increasingly difficult and the media environment getting cluttered, brands require powerful differentiators to build strong equity effectively. The ACN & PDM Star Power Track looks at strategic synergising of celebrities with the brand and its positioning, which in turn brings out a unique and enduring celebrity-brand fit.

The tool is made up of two components: The ‘Star Power Index’ which focuses on star appeal, star effectiveness and star visibility, and ‘Star Power Profile’ which deals with star image and star connect.

The ACN & PDM Star Power Track study will be conducted every quarter by ACNielsen, taking into account parameters such as consumer feedback across 10 metro cities, ad spends by various brands and a visibility track of media coverage across key publications.

The first module of the ACN & PDM Star Power Track will feature a pre-selected list of celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee, Ayesha Takia, Hrithik Roshan, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sania Mirza, among others.

Effective celebrity endorsements ensure that the product lingers in the memory long after the advertisement has been viewed. The study will answer various questions, such as whether the involvement of the celebrity truly increases the shelf life of the ad, or if it influences the purchase decision of the consumer or even if it increases brand loyalty.

Further, it will throw light on the level of awareness and popularity ranking of celebrities, whether celebrity endorsement for the brand can prove successful, which celebrities are successful endorsers and who will make a ‘good fit’ for the brand, which celebrity is over-exposed and which one is considered to be a role model by respondents. The study will also deal with which celebrity’s appeal is undiminished despite bad publicity.

Through this tool, marketers will be in a better position to choose the right celeb to endorse their brand.

The study will reflect the overall standing of celebrities, derived from using a combination of a celebrity’s appeal among consumers across the country, ad spends by his/her endorsed brands and his/her overall presence in the media.

“So far, the connect between the brand and its celebrity endorser has largely been driven by the popularity of a celebrity, and by instinct and gut feel,” remarks Preeta Singh, CEO, PDM. “With this research tool, we hope to bring science to the process, ensuring the brand gets its ‘bang-for-the buck,’ and the celebrity’s image is strengthened by the products he/she endorses.”

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