Why we respond to celebrity endorsements

Would you buy a club from this man?

What difference does it make if Brad Pitt recommends a particular pen, or Sally Field a certain cereal? Unless the famous spokesperson has a specific area of expertise — say, Tiger Woods endorsing a set of golf clubs — why would anyone care?

A new study suggests the answer involves superstar-specific happy memories stored in our cerebral cortex.

Using brain-scan technology, researchers found those positive emotions get transferred from the personality to the product, producing a more positive impression of the item in question and, presumably, a greater probability of purchasing it.

The results suggest “the perception of a celebrity face results in the retrieval of explicit memories” — say, of a fun night out with friends, during which you enjoyed the actor’s latest movie. “The positive affect that is experienced during the retrieval of these memories may subsequently be transferred to the product associated with the celebrity,” the researchers write.

This helps explain why Tiger Woods lost almost all of his endorsement contracts in the wake of last year’s sex scandal. The great golfer no doubt still evokes positive memories of exciting tournaments, but to many, his image also arouses less-pleasant recollections. Presumably those negative emotions would also be transferred to the product in question.