Case History

Global Celebrity Index—

An International Star Search

Category: Health and Beauty Aids—Cosmetics
Methods: Global Online Survey, Custom Indexing Methodology

Summary

A major multinational cosmetics manufacturer set out to identify a universal celebrity spokesperson who would best represent its brand across various global markets. Decision Analyst was tasked with designing the methodology that would determine the ideal spokesperson for the company. Decision Analyst developed a comprehensive index score based on more than 15 distinct variables, such as personal attributes, familiarity, and fit with the brand that helped to differentiate between the celebrity candidates and to select the best representative.

Strategic Issues

Although the brand is well-established globally, no universal brand image exists across all markets. In some countries, the company is seen as young and innovative, while in others consumers perceive the brand as “traditional” or “old-fashioned.” The challenge was to identify a celebrity spokesperson who would resonate with both current and potential users across all markets; helping to enhance and revitalize the brand’s image, also increasing its popularity. The selected spokesperson would need to not only embody the brand’s current values, but also exemplify the standards of the brand’s future direction.

Research Objectives

The primary objective of the research was to evaluate potential candidates on key metrics and attributes as compared to current celebrity spokespeople, in order to decide which candidates would best represent the brand globally, as well as locally.

Marketing Research Design and Methods

Decision Analyst proposed online data collection across multiple global markets. This methodology allowed the research team to achieve uniformity among study variables and made it possible to compare celebrities’ comprehensive scores across markets. Respondents were recruited from Decision Analyst’s American Consumer Opinion® panel; they were then screened, and consumers who qualified were asked to participate in an online survey. Respondents were offered an incentive upon completion in order to encourage participation.

Question topics included, but were not limited to:

Data collection was conducted simultaneously from Argentina, Brazil, China, France, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The survey was administered in Chinese, English, French, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.

Once the data was collected, the Advanced Analytics team applied a custom scoring methodology that incorporated more than 15 variables and attribute percentages. This instrument produced comprehensive index scores that allowed for the ranking of candidates’ performance both on the global and the local levels. In order to identify the winner at the global level, country scores were combined, and the global index was generated. The highest scoring celebrities were then compared to current company spokespersons (benchmarks) and evaluated on additional dimensions in order to select the optimal candidate.

Results

The study’s custom index scoring system helped cut through the clutter of hundreds of potential candidates’ names and dozens of different evaluative dimensions. The celebrity index scores combined multiple variables, helping to avoid placing the emphasis on only a few attributes that could skew results. The methodology permitted us to compare celebrities across countries, while mitigating cultural scoring biases. As a result, Decision Analyst was able to identify several viable options that best exemplified the brand’s current and future values while reaching the largest audiences both locally and across the globe.

Marketing Research Services

If you would like more information on Tracking Research, please contact Jerry W. Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, (jthomas@decisionanalyst.com), or Tom Allen, Senior Vice President (tallen@decisionanalyst.com) or call 1-800-ANALYSIS (262-5974) or 1-817-640-6166.