Michael Jackson Lags in Celebrity Index

Michael Jackson Lags in Celebrity Index

Consumer perceptions of Jackson prior to his death less favorable than those of Elvis, Elton, McCartney

LOS ANGELES, June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- He may have been the "King of Pop," but according to one celebrity index, Michael Jackson wasn't exactly royalty when it came to earning consumer trust.

According to data from the Davie Brown Index (DBI), which uses consumer surveys to score 2,500 celebrities across various attributes, at the time of his death, Jackson's trust among U.S. consumers was significantly lower than other iconic musicians, including Elvis Presley, Elton John, and Bruce Springsteen, whose trust scores were as much as 30 points higher than that of Jackson.

Data from the DBI indicates that while Jackson is known by a remarkable 99 percent of U.S. consumers, his scores for attributes such as appeal, aspiration, breakthrough, and endorsement are notably lower.

For example, Jackson has an appeal score of 46, some 30 points lower than that of Paul McCartney, Quincy Jones, and Neil Diamond. Jackson's influence score of 43 is 20 points below those of James Brown and Billy Joel. And Jackson's endorsement score of 33 is far below the endorsement scores for McCartney (70), Willie Nelson (65), and Elton John (60).

Moreover, as reflected in the DBI data, consumer perceptions of Jackson as a trendsetter had long faded. His score in that attribute (34) was 15 points lower than Rod Stewart (59) and 20 points below that of David Bowie (54).

Matt Delzell, a director for Davie Brown, believes Jackson's scores will spike in the coming weeks.

"When a celebrity dies, their iconic status is cemented," said Delzell. "As was the case with Elvis or Marilyn Monroe, the focus tends to get back to the celebrity's talent, successes, and accomplishments rather than their controversies, failures, and disappointments. I think you'll see Michael's scores rise across the board in the next six months."

About Davie Brown Entertainment

Founded in 1985, Davie Brown Entertainment (www.daviebrown.com) was one of the first entertainment agencies to connect brands with consumers through entertainment. Today, the agency's experience spans all entertainment disciplines - TV, film, music, gaming, digital, and celebrity talent - and remains the only comprehensive entertainment agency that works exclusively with brands.

Its proprietary celebrity evaluation tool - the Davie Brown Index - is the standard for measuring consumer viewpoints on celebrity endorsers. Based in Los Angeles, Davie Brown has offices in New York, Chicago and Dallas.

Davie Brown Entertainment is part of The Marketing Arm, which operates within Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC).

About The Marketing Arm

The Marketing Arm (www.themarketingarm.com) is an idea company that harnesses the power of emotion to make brands more engaging. With a focus on sophisticated planning across all promotional channels, The Marketing Arm provides best-in-class consulting that spans nine emotional platforms within entertainment, sports, multicultural, and cause marketing.

The agency develops comprehensive integrated programs - from digital to in-store and spanning 22 consumer touch-points - for more than 100 blue-chip brands.

Based in Dallas, The Marketing Arm has a distinctive culture that touches a 350-person corporate staff and nearly 1,200 field employees in offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Chicago, Charlotte, and Bentonville, Ark.

About Omnicom Group Inc.

Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC) is a leading global marketing and communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries. For further information on Omnicom and its brands, please visit www.omnicomgroup.com.

CONTACT: Chris Anderson
(214) 259-3290 (office) or (214) 450-6471 (mobile)
canderson@themarketingarm.com

NOTE TO MEDIA: For a detailed spreadsheet showing how Jackson's scores on
the DBI compare to those of other celebrities, members of the news media
should email Chris Anderson at canderson@themarketingarm.com.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
http://www.omnicomgroup.com

Source: The Marketing Arm

CONTACT: Chris Anderson of The Marketing Arm, +1-214-259-3290, mobile,
+1-214-450-6471, canderson@themarketingarm.com

Web Site: http://www.themarketingarm.com/
http://www.daviebrown.com/

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