If you want to sell a product, don’t kid around. That’s the clear message if you buy the results of a survey just released by global market research firm Ipsos. The hottest huckster: 89-year-old Betty White. She is America’s favorite and most trusted personality and would be most likely to drive business with an endorsement, according to the survey. She received the highest “favorability” rating among 100 well-known personalities, with 86% of those surveyed expressing a favorable opinion of her. Next on the list: Denzel Washington (85%) and Sandra Bullock (84%). Also in the top 10: Clint Eastwood (83%), Tom Hanks (81%), Harrison Ford (80%), Morgan Freeman (79%), Will Smith (77%), and Johnny Depp (76%). Most of the 100 personalities rated in the survey, which polled more than roughly 2000 adults, come from the world of entertainment, news and sports. Elected officials were deliberately excluded. Here is the complete list.


It’s cool to see so many African Americans in the top ten, especially Denzel being the #1 male. Very interesting…
Yeah but 15% still have an unfavorable opinion of Denzel. WTF?
I’ll always buy something Betty White is endorsing over Bow Wow or Bieber.
Tom Skanks is a scam. I’ll buy nothing he endorses.
In this day of CrapHop idolatry, Skank-infested reality shows, and overall garbage in all forms of mass media…it is awesome that Betty White is the most trusted, most respected celebrity out there. A sign that humanity may not be falling all apart.
Oh, and congrats to Betty…well deserved, well earned
So can marketers and advertisers take the hint that we don’t like Kim Kardashian.
What is Rhea Pearlman endorsing, gimme some of that– jk jk