Almost two in five U.S. adults (37%) find business leaders to be the most persuasive when they endorse a product in an advertisement. About the same proportion (39%) say they find former political figures to be the least persuasive when they endorse a product in an advertisement.
Those are some of the findings of a new Adweek Media/Harris Poll . Other findings follow:
Most Persuasive
One in five Americans (21%) say they find athletes to be the most persuasive product spokespeople:
Key findings:
- Some 18% of US adults say television or movie stars are most persuasive, and 14% say singers or musicians.
- Only 10% say former political figures are most persuasive.
- Almost half (46%) of those 55 or older say business leaders are the most persuasive compared with only 28% of those 18-34 years old.
- Almost one quarter (23%) of people between the ages of 18 and 34 say television or movie stars are the most persuasive, but only 15% of people 55+ say the same.
Least Persuasive
The survey flipped the question around and asked people which types of celebrities were least persuasive when they endorsed a product in an advertisement. According to the survey, almost one-quarter (23%) of US deem television or movie stars the least persuasive endorsers of a product:
Key findings:
- Some 14% say business leaders are the least persuasive.
- Almost the same proportion (13%) say athletes are the least persuasive endorsing a product, and 11% say they find singers or musicians to be the least persuasive.
- Some 45% of 35- to 44-year-olds say they feel former political figures are least persuasive when they endorse a product, compared with one-third (33%) of those 18-34 years old.
About the data: This Adweek Media/Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States September 25 and 29, 2009 among 2,186 adults (age 18 or over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.
