Celebrity endorsements yield little return in voting booth
Washington,
Dec
16:
Oprah
Winfrey"s
celebrity
support
to
US
presidential
candidate
Barack
Obama
has
raised
a
significant
question:
whether
celebrity
endorsements
make
a
difference
for
young
voters.
A
new
research
has
suggested
that
although
celebrity
endorsements
help
a
campaign
earn
visibility,
but
their
support
yields
little
return
in
the
voting
booth.
“In terms of voting behaviour, family and significant others are more influential than celebrities in engaging support for a political candidate. At first glance, it would appear that the money and time invested in celebrity support is wasteful," said Natalie Wood, Ph.D., a marketing expert at Saint Joseph"s University in Philadelphia. Wood said that securing celebrity support for a candidate is often very expensive, but notes that a well-placed endorsement can help a campaign earn exposure.
“Political parties welcome celebrity endorsements because they draw attention and financial support to their campaign. Celebrities willingly participate either because they believe they can make a difference or, in some way, increase their own level of marketability," Wood says.
Sometimes, when young voters perceive that a celebrity is using their status in order to influence their voting, they will rebel against the endorsement, and vote the opposite of what they are urged to do.
Wood said that the best strategy for celebrities in affecting the outcome of elections might be to urge young people to vote, but also to make their own decisions. “It may be that celebrities are more successful motivating people to vote in general as opposed to tendering a vote for a specific candidate," Wood said.
So
as
pop
culture
stars
begin
to
align
themselves
with
one
candidate
or
another,
it
is
important
for
candidates
to
remember
that
deciding
whom
to
vote
for
starts
at
home,
and
a
famous
face
on
the
campaign
trail
can
only
take
you
so
far.
The
research
was
recently
published
by
the
Journal
of
Political
Marketing.
ANI
>