A Test of Celebrity Endorsements

If there's one thing that brings out the celebrities with opinions, it's a US election.

First, there's the (supposedly) non-partisan efforts to simply encourage people to vote.
This year's "Don't Vote" campaign is a prime example. (Heads up - there's some strong language in the video below).



Then, there's the party- or candidate-specific endorsements.

It's hard to think of a celebrity who hasn't weighed in on who they support. And let's face it: this time, it's clearly Obama that virtually everyone is endorsing.

Performers ranging from Jay-Z to Jimmy Buffett to Bruce Springsteen to Billy Joel have given concerts in support of him. Sarah Silverman's contribution has been viewed over a million times on YouTube. (Watch out - even more strong language in this one).



And there are about a gazillion other examples.

So... here's the test:

1. Will voter turnout, especially among young adults, be particularly high?

and

2. Will Obama win in a landslide?

If the answer to either of these isn't a resounding "Yes", marketers need to consider giving up on the idea of celebrity endorsements once and for all.

I mean, if they can't encourage people to do something that's obviously important and easy (vote), and/or encourage people to do something that most seem in favour of anyway (vote Democrat), how can we possibly expect them to successfully encourage people to buy over-priced shoes, switch razor brands, or save Tibet?