Celebrity Scandals and Endorsement Deals: Americans say it Does Not impact feelings on the Brand.

It seems each week there is a new celebrity scandal to which the various entertainment magazines, websites and television shows devote hours of time. Sometimes, an underlying consequence of these scandals can be the loss of an endorsement deal for the celebrity involved. But, does this matter to the average consumer?

The answer is: not really. Three-quarters of Americans (74%) say when a celebrity endorser gets involved in a scandal, it doesn’t impact the way they feel about the brand or brands they endorse. Just over one in five (22%) say they feel worse about the endorsed brands and 5% say they feel better about them.

These are some of the findings of a new Adweek Media/Harris Poll, survey of 2,140 U.S. adults surveyed online between April 23 and 27, 2010 by Harris Interactive.

Age differences

There is an age difference when it comes to attitude towards the endorsed brands after a scandal. Eight in ten (81%) Americans aged 55 and older, as well as 77% of those 35-44, say the scandal has no impact on how they feel about the brand. Those 45-54 are most likely to have a negative feeling as 28% of them say they feel worse about the brand. Those 18-34, however, are most likely to think positively about it as 11% say they feel better about an endorsed brand after a celebrity gets involved in a
scandal.

Regional differences

There are also some regional differences in attitudes towards brands after a celebrity gets caught doing something wrong. Those in the Midwest are most likely to have a negative attitude. Over one-quarter of Midwesterners (26%) say they would feel worse about the brand a celebrity endorses compared to 19% of those who live in the East.

So what?

Whenever a celebrity endorser is caught doing something questionable – whether it is actually illegal or just considered wrong – the brand executives face a very tough decision. Should they pull that endorsement or let it move forward? While it might matter a little more to certain groups than others, in general, strong majorities of Americans say it really doesn’t change how they feel about the brands. While it is understandable that the companies may not renew an endorsement deal, there doesn’t seem to
be any great need to pull current endorsements for fear of collateral damage.

To view charts CLICK above on ‘More Images’.

For more information at http://www.harrisinteractive.com