Celebrand, Celebrity Brand Index with thenod.com

We have launched the Celebrand Index which is in partnership with thenod.com.

“TheNod.com is where people, products & places get The Nod from celebs and experts! Follow your fave faces & shop their stuff!”. It’s got great information on the celebs and is actually a nice implementation of “folksonomy” where people tag the celebs based on what they wear, were they where and what they were in. Thanks for your work on this Darika.

There’s more to come of course (including a bunch of lovely graphics) but for now we are explaining what the index is and some interim high level findings. Those high level findings include:

• Female celebrities more discussed

• Celebrity topic associations shift rapidly

• Some topics have high buzz but low brand presence

• Emotive conversations can indicate a celebrity’s potential to drive brand loyalty

The release is below, I’ll link to it online later.

London, 15th October, 2009: Celebrity recommendations website TheNod.com and online market research specialists Attentio have partnered to track and analyse celebrity brand associations.

The Celebrand Index has completed a set-up phase establishing patterns around celebrity “buzz” in relation to commercial sectors including Fashion, Travel, Technology, Sport and Automotive.

The index will track how official recommendations like advertising campaigns and celebrity own-brand products impact on consumer awareness, alongside unofficial recommendations such as a celebrity being spotted at a venue or using a product.

The Nod’s CEO David Lethbridge said, “The Nod tracks and lists celebrity recommendations and, via our affiliate model, sees it convert successfully into sales. We wanted a research partner to provide further data on the value, opportunities, and trends from celebrity association.”

Attentio Co-Founder Simon McDermott said, “Previous studies of this type just looked at whether celebrity endorsements work – which has been proven. Brands want to see more insights like which celebrities are generating buzz, in what sectors, and if those are positive mentions.”

Quarterly Reports:

The Celebrand Index will be released as a quarterly report showing analysis of The Celebrity 100 collated by Forbes Annually and separating male from female celebs as well as focussing on specific sectors such as Fashion, Travel, Sport, Technology, Health and Beauty, and Literature. Insights will also include rising stars, successful celebrity endorsements, and where brand opportunities lie.