cover story celebrity ambassadors Mark Husak. He says marketers need more guidance to ensure they're making the right judgement. "Brands are investing a lot of money and trust in these affiliations. You are judged by the friends you keep - that concept is at the heart of associative marketing, " says Husak. "It is about leveraging the interests of what people are passionate about, whether it's a sports personality, comedian or musician. You're trusting that you are going to get the right 'rub off', " The pilot results of Cebra, which is based on a panel of 2,000 U K consumers, suggest which brands and celebrities would have a positive effect if they were paired up. Celebrities have been rated on their familiarity, affinity and buzz levels to come up viTith a "Cebra score" for their overall potential as a brand ambassador. The panel has identified the personahty traits of 100 celebrities and 100 brands to feed into a personality matching matrix to suggest suitable partnerships for brands. It also suggests celebrities that complement each other and celebrities that have opposite traits - ideal for brands wanting to use a group of celebrities in a campaign, (see safety in numbers, page 19). The panel was also asked to rate whether they thought somebody was a positive or negative role model. Choosing a celebrity depends on what message a brand is looking to commun icate, or on wh at kind of audience it wan ts to reach. Typing a • a place for 'anti-heroes' Amy Winehouse might be more famous for her love of a party and disregard of authority than her creative talents but that hasn't put fashion brand Fred Perry off from signing her up as a celebrity brand ambassador. An anti-hero can be just as profitable as a squeaky clean role model. Bad reputations could help a brand reach a new audience, according to the Cebra study. The top ten list of negative role models include Winehouse and Russell Brand, along with the Geldof sisters Peaches and Pixie, Jonathan Ross and, unsurprisi ngly, disgraced sports stars John Terry and Tiger Woods. The lists are an aggregate of results spanning the entire consumer panel's 18 to 64 age groups, but can also be broken down into lists specific to age and gender groups to further inform brands. Just because a celebrity is seen as a negative role model doesn't mean they can't be used to a brand's advantage to market a particular product. "In some cases a brand isn't looking for a role model. Some of the things these people are about can be very attractive to a brand that wants to be seen a certain way," say s Millward Brown's Husak. He gives the example of Kate Moss, number ten on the negative role model list, whose alleged cocaine use was splashed all over the papers in 2005. Chanel, Burberry and H&M all cancelled their deals with the model but cosm etics firm Rimmel kept her on. It wa s "a statement of what they wanted to be about," says Husak. Today, her clothing line with Topshop remains lucrati ve and she has recently released her own brand of perfume, demonstrating her long-lasting selling power. The Cebra study personality match has suggested brand partnerships for some names on the negative role model list based on similar character traits as rated by the consumer panel. These are mostly based on both the celebrity and brand being seen by the public as outgoing, spontaneous and playful. Jonathan R oss, number nine on the list, is well matched with Twitter. The talk show host is already a prolific Tweeter and his cheeky side could help the social network reach out to more people, the study suggests. The number two naughty star, Katie Price, otherwise known as Jordan, is seen as a potential am bassador for brands such as Pot Noodle, Coca-Col a, Facebook and Red Bull. Her ability to talk about any thing and everything is apparently a good thing for these brands. Paris Hilton, close behind at number three, has been judged by the study as a good match for La Senza. Hilton's sex tapes won't get in the way of this potential partnership, the study suggests. Husak warns, however, that brands considering using a negative role model should take into account what risks that poses. Contracts should be drawn up with specific behaviour-related clauses so the brand can withdraw from the deal if necessary. Out of the wood s: When sponsors were breakmg their ties with Tiger Woods, Paddy Power saw it as an opportunity Fred Perry marketing director Richard Martin has been reported in the press as saying Winehouse was a logical brand ambassador as she had "been wearing Fred Perry for years". Evidently Fred Perry has bought into her party girl, rebel ima ge, and this partnership could in fact resonate with a young, social target audience bringing in new fans of the brand. Winehouse's dishevelled image hasn't put off the fashion label from recruiting her to co-design a clothing range for its next four seasons. Cheeky Irish betting firm Paddy Power has also jumped at the opportunity to recruit an anti-hero. When sponsors abandoned Tiger Woods after reports of his indiscretions, the company grabbed the chance to offer the promptly refused but Paddy Power has confirmed it is to make a second, m ore attractive offer in the hope of snaring someone the brand thinks has star quality. Paddy Power, known for its tongue-in-cheek image and advertising campaigns, isn't fazed by the sports star's negative press coverage. "In terms of a brand name. Tiger is still up there with the Cokes and Pepsis of this world. We knew he'd return to golf sooner rather than later. He is still one of the best sportsmen in the world and his track record speaks for itself," argues Paddy Power communications manager Ken Robertson, adding, "I'd love to see a Paddy Power logo on his shirt". While some brands will choose to distance themselves from the likes of Woods, brands like Paddy Power see the benefit of choosing an anti-hero as their role model. inarketingweek.co.uk I 1 April 2010 I Marketing Week ' 19