• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, March 31, 2011

According to The Nielsen Company, a celebrity endorser is a valuable asset to a brand, During this year's Oscars telecast, 4 of the 10 most-watched commercials featured a celebrity spokesperson. On the Internet, this trend continues as advertisers leverage social networking and celebrities to attract consumers.

Celebrities can be valuable to advertisers, but so too can the people who follow them on social media websites, says a study from Nielsen's NetView Internet usage from 3rd quarter 2010 and @Plan Release 4 2010.

According to the study 64% of adult U.S. Internet users who follow a celebrity also follow a brand, which means the celebrity follower is four times more likely to follow a brand than the average U.S. adult online. 

Additionally, Nielsen found that such fans are also more likely to offer advice and opinion to fellow online consumers. This is particularly the case when it comes to entertainment topics where 32% of celebrity fans online provide advice on movies (making them 44% more likely than the average online user to do so), and 28 percent provide guidance on music (56% more likely) and television programs (34% more likely).

Topics On Which Online Celebrity Fans/ Followers Most Likely to Offer Advice (U.S. Adults Online)
Category	% of Celebrity Fans/Followers	Index (approx)
Movies	31.7%	144
Music	28.1	156
Television Programs	27.6	134
Websites / Internet Content & Services	24.3	147
Food & Beverages	19.0	127
Electronics	18.5	147
Computer Hardware/Software	17.9	138
Books	17.6	121
Restaurants or Bars	16.0	126
Video Games	15.6	157
Source: The Nielsen Company (Read as: 32% of U.S. adult fans of celebrities online frequently provide advice on movies, 44% more likely than the average adult online.)

Fans of celebrities are also valuable consumers in other areas of online, particularly when it comes to transactions or purchases.  One quarter also used the web to conduct personal banking transactions and manage their credit card accounts, more likely to do so than the average adult online. Top online purchases among these online fans included clothing/shoes/accessories, music, and books.

Celebrity Fans/Followers Online; Top Online Purchases/Transactions (US Adults)
Purchase/Transaction	% of Respondents	Approximate Index (vs. Average Adult Online)
Conducted home banking transactions	25.4%	108
Managed credit card accounts	25.2	112
Purchased
Clothes/shoes/accessories	18.2	126
Music	13.8	169
Books	13.6	133
Auction items	13.5	130
Travel	13.1	103
Digital music	10.9	182
Women's  clothes/shoes/accessories	10.4	116
Drugs/remedies	9.4	119
Source: The Nielsen Company, March 2011 (Read: 25.4% conducted home banking and were 8% more likely than average adult online)

Top online activities among fans of celebrities included emailing, paying bills, and of course, social networking.  Of these top online activities, celebrity fans were significantly more likely than the average adult online to comment/post on social networking sites, view consumer generated video, visit a social networking site, and play online games.

Celebrity Fans/Followers Online; Top Online Activities (US Adults)
Activity	% of Respondents	Approximate Index (vs. Average Adult Online)
Sent/received any email	80.1%	101
Sent/received personal email	74.9	100
Visited social network site	62.4	167
Made comment/post on social network site	59.2	186
Paid/viewed bills	54.0	113
Checked weather online	46.7	115
Viewed/printed maps/directions	44.2	110
Viewed consumer generated video	43.8	183
Played games	39.3	145
Read general/political news	37.8	116
Source: The Nielsen Company, March 2011 (Read: 39.3% of adult celeb fans played online games, and 45% more likely than average online adult)

           

For more about the study from Nielsen, please visit here.