GfK MRI and E-Poll Market Research have jointly developed and launched a uniquely rich platform offering a granular understanding of consumer/celebrity compatibility. The new MRI/E-Score Celebrity Fusion visualizes and simplifies the process of choosing endorsers and spokespeople, aligning product placements, and making other key decisions for celebrity-based marketing.

The joint venture creates a powerful source of strategic guidance for agencies, advertisers, and content creators. Clients can integrate consumer and celebrity insights as never before, empowering smarter decisions about:

• Endorsement Fit – Connecting a celebrity to an existing brand identity, or helping to take the product in a new direction
• Product Placement – Making sure a property’s cast, themes, and other elements make sense for the brand’s users
• Media Placement – Finding the right ad vehicles for shows built around specific celebrity appeal
• Compatible Categories & Advertisers – Identifying those well matched to a show based on the celebrities in the cast

MRI is the leading producer of advanced audience data in the US market. Its Survey of the American Consumer^® is used in the majority of media and marketing plans, covering consumption of over 6,500 products and services in nearly 600 categories. MRI also brings ad targets to life through psychographics and insights on attitudes, leisure activities, and media behaviors.

E-Poll has set the standard in measuring the marketability of celebrities, brands, and entertainment programs. Its innovative E-Score^® suite of research products includes critical awareness, appeal and attribute measures for over 10,000 celebrities.

“Only through careful alignment of talent, customer, category, and brand can celebrity marketing truly pay dividends,” said Karen Ramspacher, SVP of Innovation and Insights at MRI. “By bringing together two unmatched resources – one focused on consumer lifestyles, the other celebrity appeal – we are creating a multi-dimensional tool for placing smarter bets on celebrity marketing.”

“Unlocking the mystery of celebrity attraction has been our goal from the beginning with E-Score,” says Gerry Philpott, President/CEO at E-Poll. “Now having the ability to pinpoint that attraction and pair it with the consumer’s brand preferences fills a void that has existed in our industry for decades.”

For more information on MRI/E-Score Celebrity Fusion, please contact your E-Poll client representative, or Michelle Waxman at mwaxman@epoll.com