By: Paul Klein

In the aftermath of the Toronto International Film Festival and the increasing association between stars and issues, I just came across some new research from Boston-based Cone about the impact of celebrity spokespeople on causes.

Cone’s research indicates that while spokespeople often help raise awareness of a cause, they  are not particularly effective in inspiring people to  act.  According to Cone’s survey, the majority of respondents  (about 58%) indicate a celeb’s tie to a cause may motivate  them to look into the cause, but not necessarily become  involved. Americans cited celebrity involvement as one of the least effective  communication tools for nonprofits to reach them–specifically,  it ranked No. 9 on a list of 10 (falling well behind such preferred methods as word-of-mouth and media coverage).  And, only 15 percent of Americans said celebrities are likely  to influence their decision to support a cause or charity. Here’s a list of the Celebrity Cause Marketing Survey’s most memorable celebrity  campaigns:

Lance Armstrong  LiveStrong 15.90%
Bono (Product) Red  10.90%
Angelina Jolie UNICEF  4.50%
Al Gore Global Warming  4.00%
Brad Pitt Katrina/New  Orleans Rebuild 3.50%

For me it’s Lance’s own experience with cancer that gives LiveStrong such impact and authenticity. I always felt that Bono’s Red campaign had lots of profile but little meaning or substance. How many people who bought Red products really understood what issue the campaign addressed?

For me authenticty + relevance + awareness = action.