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The Celebrity Endorsement: Does it Matter?
by Jessalyn Estill on October 3rd, 2008
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For the first time in her 25-year career, Oprah Winfrey has chosen to endorse a candidate. Not only has she endorsed Barack Obama, she’s also helped raise over $3 million for his campaign.
But she's not the only celebrity raising funds and awareness for a candidate; other stars supporting Obama include Robert De Niro, Jennifer Aniston, Samuel L. Jackson and George Clooney while on the other side, the McCain camp includes Robert Duvall, Sylvester Stallone, The View’s Elisabeth Hasselback, and Heidi Montag from The Hills. Open a copy of U.S. Weekly, or turn on The Tonight Show and you’ll quickly learn which stars are supporting whom. The question is, does it matter?
Celebrity endorsements are nothing new and arguably, have had little impact on recent elections. Brad Pitt and Bruce Springsteen campaigned with John Kerry while Sarah-Jessica Parker recorded messages for Al Gore; both candidates didn't win whereas Wilt Chamberlain supported Nixon during his first win in 1968. Still, in an era where Perez Hilton is considered a credible news source and Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show keep the public informed, you just have to wonder if these endorsements really do sway public opinions. Does the fact that John McCain watches The Hills change America’s perception of him? After all, he was the one that released an attack ad addressing on Obama's "celebrity" which begs the question of which one is the celebrity in the first place, the endorser or the endorsee?
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful women in America—her net worth exceeds billions and her media empire holds great influence across the nation; could her endorsement really mean nothing? At the end of the day I like to think it doesn’t matter which celebrity is endorsing whom; Hollywood should not have an impact on the perception of the candidates. Stars are outside of the political arena, and their endorsements have little value, right? Right?
I wonder what’s on Oprah today…
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