• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, May 28, 2010

According to the findings ofa new Adweek Media/Harris Poll of 2,140 U.S. adults surveyed in April, 2010 by Harris Interactive, 74% of Americans say when a celebrity endorser gets involved in a scandal, it doesn't impact the way they feel about the brand or brands they endorse. 22% say they feel worse about the endorsed brands and 5% say they feel better about them.

There is an age difference, though, when it comes to attitude towards the endorsed brands after a scandal, says the report:

 

• 81% Americans aged 55 and older, as well as 77% of those 35-44, say the scandal has no impact on how they feel about the brand
• Those 45-54 are most likely to have a negative feeling as 28% of them say they feel worse about the brand
• Those 18-34, however, are most likely to think positively about it as 11% say they feel better about an endorsed brand after a celebrity gets involved in a scandal.

 

Consumer Feeling About Brand Endorsed By Celebrity Involved in Scandal (Base: All adults, % By Age & Gender)
	Total	Gender		Age
Feeling		Male	Female	18-34	35-44	45-54	55+
Better (NET)	5%	6	3	11	5	1	*
Much Better	1	1	1	3	2	*	*
Somewhat Better	3	5	2	8	3	1	*
Worse (NET)	22	21	22	21	18	28	19
Somewhat Worse	14	14	14	15	13	17	11
Much Worse	8	7	8	6	6	12	8
Doesn't impact feeling	74	73	75	68	77	70	81
Source: HarrisInteractive, May 2010 (Percentages Rounded, * indicates < 0.5%)

There are also some regional differences in attitudes towards brands after a celebrity gets caught doing something wrong. Those in the Midwest are most likely to have a negative attitude.

 

• 26% of Midwesterners say they would feel worse about the brand a celebrity endorses compared to 19% of those who live in the East

 

Consumer Feeling About Brand Endorsed By Celebrity Involved in Scandal (Base: All Adults, % By Region)
	Total	Region
Feeling		East	Midwest	South	West
Better (NET)	5%	7	3	4	6
Much Better	1	2	1	1	2
Somewhat Better	3	5	3	3	4
Worse (NET)	22	19	26	22	20
Somewhat Worse	14	11	17	15	11
Much Worse	8	8	9	7	9
Doesn't impact feeling	74	74	71	75	75
Source: HarrisInteractive, May 2010 (Percents rounded)

In general, concludes the report, strong majorities of Americans say it really doesn't change how they feel about the brands whether brand executives pull an endorsement or let it move forward.

For additional information, please visit HarrisInteractive here.