From Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen performing in his honor at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday to those in attendance at the inauguration Tuesday, President Obama has always seemed to have celebrities on his side.In an October study published by The International Journal of Press/Politics, “The Oprah Factor: The Effects of a Celebrity Endorsement in a Primary Presidential Campaign,” authors Andrew Pease and Paul R. Brewer examined the effects a celebrity endorsement had on public opinion.They concluded that although Winfrey’s endorsement of Obama did not influence the extent to which participants saw him as likable, it led participants to see him as more likely to win the Democratic nomination and to say they would more likely vote for him.Michael Xenos, mass communication and political science professor, said celebrities’ opinions on political candidates may draw attention to the candidate, particularly with their fans.”[Celebrities’] opinions on politics may not come from any special place,” Xenos said. “But their opinion may draw some attention with some of their fans.”Xenos said though a celebrity endorsement may not necessarily change someone’s opinion about a candidate, it may make them more likely to take a second look.”If it’s a celebrity who has a brand, and people relate to that brand, they’re more likely to take a second look,” Xenos said.Bob Mann, mass communication professor, said celebrity endorsements may have helped Obama, particularly with young voters.”The impact was greater than simply earning support because of a celebrity endorsement,” Mann said in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille. “To me, it seems more of a cultural or a coolness thing.”Mann specifically credited will.i.am’s video “We Are the Ones” with connecting Obama with younger voters. The video generated millions of videos on YouTube.com and featured artists like Common, John Legend and Scarlett Johansson.”[The video] was a way to connect Obama and his soaring rhetoric with the coolness of various celebrities and so it spoke, very narrowly, to a certain (young) demographic who actually knew these people,” Mann said. “That said, the will.i.am video was not produced by Obama’s campaign, though they embraced it.”Obama secured endorsements from many celebrities, including Bruce Springsteen, Ben Affleck and George Clooney. But Mann said Obama did a good job of keeping celebrities at a distance.”Obama did a good job of keep celebrities at arm’s length and probably even more so after McCain ran his ad that featured Paris Hilton and Britney Spears,” Mann said. “Obama clearly did not want to be cast as a shallow celebrity and, therefore, seems to have made an effort to keep a very healthy distance, at least in public, between him and Hollywood.”Some students said Obama’s celebrity endorsements negatively affected his perception as a candidate. Dustin Danos, marketing freshman, said Obama was more concerned with his “look” than promoting his platform.”In the sense of the election, Obama was pursuing a celebrity look,” Danos said. “He pushed less of his experience and more of being an iconic figure.”Danos said though the endorsements helped Obama’s campaign, it’s not necessarily a celebrity’s job to endorse a political candidate.”You’re a musician — you’re not a political analyst,” Danos said. “If you push it too hard, it gets annoying.”Callie Douglas, undeclared freshman, said celebrity endorsements helped Obama gain popularity with voters.”It’s a good strategy because so many people follow what’s ‘in’ at the time,” Douglas said.——Contact Ben Bourgeois at [email protected]