Happy people for happy brands - and Ben Cousin if you want a bad boy...

Hugh Jackman and Kylie Minogue have been named as Australia’s most powerful celebrities in Australia’s first-ever celebrity + brand (Cebra) research by Millward Brown.

According to the Cebra study, Australia’s most popular celebrities can be identified by three main personality types: outgoing and spontaneous ‘lovers of life’ (Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Hawkins); clever and sensible ‘safe bets’ (Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman); and thorough and laid-back ‘solid males’ (Pat Rafter, Roger Federer). 

As a ‘lover of life’, Hugh Jackman’s personality aligns best with high energy brands such as Virgin Blue, Milo or Vodafone, while ‘safe bet’ Kylie Minogue would be a perfect match for calm and collected brands such as Nestle, Cadbury or Sunsilk.  With very similar personality attributes to Jackman, Daniel MacPherson could be a suitable and budget-beating alternative for brands seeking a life-loving celebrity endorser.
“When it works, the chemistry between brands and their celebrity ambassadors is powerful and adds the bottom line.  Yet when brands and celebrities are mismatched, campaigns can fail spectacularly,” said Daren Poole, Millward Brown’s Chief Client Officer for Australia.

The Top 10 Most Powerful Celebrities by Cebra score are:
1. Hugh Jackman
2. Kylie Minogue
3. Nicole Kidman
4. Jennifer Hawkins
5. Glenn McGrath
6. Hamish Blake and Andy Lee (duo)
7. Rebecca Gibney
8. Olivia Newton John
9. Pat Rafter
10. Guy Sebastian   

Top 10 Positive Celebrity Role Models
1. Hugh Jackman
2. Pat Rafter
3. Rebecca Gibney
4. Geoff Huegill
5. Andrew Gaze
6. Olivia Newton John
7. Glenn McGrath
8. Jennifer Hawkins
9. Kylie Minogue
10. Roger Federer.

Top 10 Negative Celebrity Role Models
1. Matthew Newton
2. Sam Newman
3. Kyle Sandilands
4. Ben Cousins
5. Lara Bingle
6. Tiger Woods
7. Shane Warne
8. Sophie Monk
9. Lleyton Hewitt
10. Jackie O

The Millward Brown Cebra study also reveals consumers’ Top 10 favourite brands, a mix of local and international brands, from grocery to retail:

1. Cadbury
2. Target
3. Vegemite
4. Subway
5. Coca-Cola
6. Coles
7. Milo
8. K-Mart
9. Woolworths
10. Apple

http://www.millwardbrown.com/Global/News/PressReleases/PressReleaseDetails/11-03-02/Millward_Brown_plays_cupid_with_Australia_s_first_celebrity-brand_matchmaking_study.aspx