Beware Celebrity Endorsement

The British Consumers' Association is becoming increasingly concerned about the proliferation of celebrity endorsements of financial and other products in advertisements.

In a recent report in The Sunday Telegraph, Ashley Sharpe, head of money research at Which? Magazine stated: 'The danger is that, if the use of a credible celebrity is combined with a message that sounds great but doesn't tell you the full story, then many more people could be taken in, because they trust the person promoting the product."

Adrian Webb of esure, commented: "Celebrities have been endorsing products for more than 50 years. Consumers know to look beyond an eye-catching personality to the actual product.