Spokesperson Evaluation System Releases Version 2.0: Marketing Intelligence Tool Delivers Enhanced Celebrity Selection System for Advertisers & Brands

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Since its launch two years ago, InterMedia Entertainment® has issued the IME Star Index®, a cutting-edge marketing tool that evaluates and ranks the spokesperson potential of individual celebrities on a quarterly basis. Each celebrity's standing is based on consumer perceptions of them for six key marketing attributes:  Recognition, Attractiveness, Trust, Influence, Likeability and Relevance. 

Welcome to IME Star Index® 2.0, a breakthrough in the spokesperson evaluation and selection process that offers a wealth of directional data, strategies and tactics for advertisers and marketers.  Version 2.0 provides advertisers access to highly-targeted celebrity-centric data that can inform their decision making regarding potential spokespeople.

This advanced optimization tool offers two new reporting features that identify and integrate consumer psychographic, demographic and media usage data into the profiles of those fans that comprise the most devoted supporters of specific celebrities.  

The Index now goes beyond simply assisting an advertiser in selecting an appropriate celebrity for reaching its target consumer; it now provides explicit brand positioning and messaging strategies for developing the most-targeted approaches to best communicate and motivate a celebrity's Core Fan base. 

As a result, the IME Star Index® has evolved into a tool that provides clear-cut, actionable direction for optimizing creative, offer and media strategies for celebrity-centric campaigns. 

By appending associated consumer data from the GfK MRI Survey of the American Consumer (a top industry source for demographic and lifestyle data of consumers and media audiences), Version 2.0 now offers two new reporting features: Fan View and Brand Alignment.

Fan View incorporates the demographic and lifestyle preferences of those who self-identify as major devotees of specific celebrities, while Brand Alignment reveals the specific brand preferences, product usage habits and purchasing tendencies of those Core Fans.

"The IME Star Index® 2.0 has fully evolved into an instrument that both advertisers and talent representatives can utilize to consummate the most likely-to-succeed marriages between celebrities and brands," says Robert Yallen, CEO of the InterMedia Group of Companies®.  "The enhanced methodology used by the IME Star Index® will provide agents, managers and advertisers with highly-targeted reporting and analysis informed by the Index's own consumer research platform, melded with top industry research sources.   Version 2.0 is able to detect established and emerging patterns of marketplace segmentation and prospect lifestyle behavior that advertisers can incorporate into upcoming, or ongoing, campaigns to lift response and efficiency."

The charts below highlight actor Mark Harmon's key IME Star Index® scores among his Core Fans. Under "U.S. Averages," a score of 100 represents the norm among all U.S. consumers; any Core Fan Index score above that figure reflects a positive association, the higher the more robust. 

Fan View: This chart represents an extract of the type of data now available via Version 2.0. Version 2.0 can generate similar results for every reported demographic category and sub-group.

As an initial step in the spokesperson evaluation and selection process, any company that is considering Mark Harmon for this role can now match-up the tendencies of his Core Fan Base with the profiles of its most-desirable customers and/or prospects.  Based on the strength of these correlations, the advertiser can quickly discern whether this relationship has potential and is worth pursuing.

Brand Alignment: This chart depicts the scores of Harmon's Core Fans' relative to some product and service categories that have traditionally been heavy advertisers and are inclined to utilize a celebrity in a spokesperson role. 

The correlations shown concentrate on Harmon's strengths, as clearly any company considering him as its spokesperson would first need to validate whether his appeal extends to its target market, its category in general and its brand in particular. The key findings from the Brand Alignment results reveal that Harmon:

• Clearly exhibits strong appeal within numerous upscale categories, including automotive, dining, travel and financial services.
• Shows significant spokesperson potential for a range of upscale vehicles.  However, his scores were somewhat higher for domestic models than for foreign ones.
• Exhibited particular strength in multiple phases in the Travel & Hospitality category (only the top scores are shown here), starting with trip planning and extending to airline and hotel reservations.
• Has excellent potential to be a company spokesperson in the financial services sector.   With American Express, the strength of his Core Fan relationship escalates concurrent with the card's exclusivity level.  For mutual funds, Harmon showed strength with all companies surveyed (only the top scores are listed).
• Would not be a prudent option for some demographic groups and within certain product categories. For instance, while he is clearly a strong match for upscale brands such as Cadillac, Lexus and Mercedes, his Index scores are well below average for most lower-end models, including the Dodge Neon, Ford Escort and Toyota Corolla. 

IME Star Index® 2.0 2.0 offers any advertiser in the process of selecting a brand ambassador a groundbreaking, state-of-the-art evaluation and selection tool that brings a tangible advantage when negotiating the perilous landscape of celebrity endorsement. For more information on InterMedia Entertainment® and the IME Star Index® 2.0, go to www.intermediaentertainment.com, or contact Hunington Sachs at [email protected]  or call (818) 995-1455.

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SOURCE InterMedia Entertainment