I am asked frequently by existing and prospective clients about celebrity and professional athlete endorsements and spokesperson agreements.  Many in business today want the magic bullet and think it can come from such an influencer.           

In contemporary society, how credible, believable and influential are celebrities and pro athletes really?            

Creating end-user or consumer demand requires an understanding of human behavior.  People are smarter and more skeptical today – making costly (hired gun) spokesperson investment decisions risky at best.  Plus, many celebs endorse multiple products, which causes scheduling issues and turns off media and consumers alike.  Marketers and the Fortune 500 alike need to acknowledge that today’s consumer (and customer) is enlightened and realizes endorsements are financially driven and companies pay handsomely for these affiliations.            

A look at PRSA’s National Credibility Index, which ranks spokespersons and endorsers from professional athletes and celebrities to ordinary business owners, can help a business or brand gain insight into how the public perceives different spokespersons in order to make the best decision and spend their marketing dollars wisely.           

The research team polled thousands of Americans and spent five years on this study, producing nearly 5,000 pages of materials.  They found that credibility was complex and full of intangibles including peer influence, life experience, demographics, attitudes, ideology and civic involvement.  Essentially what it means is that for a spokesperson to be seen as credible, he or she must be perceived as authentic, honest and competent.           

Here’s how the public perceives various spokespersons (one meaning most credible and 45 meaning least):

1. Supreme Court justice

2. Teacher

3. National expert

4. Member of the armed forces

5. Local business owner

6. Ordinary citizen

7. Local religious leader

8. High-ranking military officer

9. School official

10. National leader with shared traits

11. National religious leader

12. Network TV news anchor

13. Governor

14. Local business representative

15. Local newspaper or TV reporter

16. National civil rights leader

17. Locally elected council member

18. U.S. senator

19. Nationally syndicated columnist

20. Mayor of a big city

21. Head of state-level agency

22. Head of a local-level agency

23. Reporter for large newspaper or magazine

24. U.S. congressman

25. Head of a large corporation

26. National Credibility Index

27. Local civil rights leader
28. U.S. vice president

29. Head of national association

30. Community activist

31. Wall Street executive

32. Head of a presidential advisory board

33. U.S. president

34. Member of presidential Cabinet

35. Pollster

36. Student activist

37. Local labor union leader

38. Candidate for public office

39. Head of national labor union

40. Famous athlete

41. Head of national interest group

42. Political party leader

43. Public relations specialist

44. Famous entertainer

45. TV or radio talk show host 

Christopher Rosica is the author of The Authentic Brand: How Today’s Top Entrepreneurs Connect with Customers and CEO of Rosica Strategic Public Relations.