Devoted to show business and the entertainment industry

I have thought a lot lately about the worth of endorsements and marketing in reference to celebrities.

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For example I wrote recently on another blog on how women can no longer be considered a demographic group without any diversity. Or that if you market to one woman a certain way, and then you can market to all women like her. You know, you hear women being talked about as if she is a “glob” that thinks in one way and desires all the same things presented in the same way. That particular post, hopefully demolishes that thought in your mind. 

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Now I’ve said all that to say this: A company called Davie-Brown Entertainment is about to launch an evaluation index for the purpose of determining a “celebrity’s relevance to a brand’s image and their influence on consumer-buying behavior.” 

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The DBI or Davie-Brown Index will be based upon surveys taken by i.think inc. They will take these surveys in connection with their 1.5 million-member panel that is “demographically balanced” throughout the entire country.

According to Jeff Chown, the president of Davie-Brown Talent there will be more than 1,500 celebrities incorporated into the index. 

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The evaluations will be based upon eight key attributes: appeal, notice, trendsetting, influence, trust, endorsement, aspiration and awareness. 

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Evidently what has created the need for this service or index was the continuing inability for companies to measure and decide how to even price the celebrity’s potential service to the company. 

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Not only that, but certain images and lifestyles of celebrities, when used in the wrong demographic, can really backfire on a marketing campaign. We’ve seen it happen over and over again. 

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Chown made the final statement that "Once it becomes standardized in the industry, you'll be able to associate a price with DBI scores, which in turn will offer measurable ROI, which is the name of the game."

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I think this is a stroke of genius. I’m not sure how certain celebs will like it, but from a business point-of-view, to have the ability to measure the worth and fit of a celebrity with the product or service offered is a tremendous tool that can add predictability to the costs of the marketing campaign, both financially and in customer good-will.