By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Ad executives looking for a celebrity to endorse their product can't do much better than actor Liam Neeson.
That's the conclusion of the Nielsen company, which looked at celebrities who made commercials during the first three months of the year and ranked them with a calculation that takes into account likability, public awareness, influence and other factors. Its first "N-Scores" were released Tuesday. Neeson and Pierce Brosnan had identical scores of 94, although Neeson was judged to have a greater influence in getting products sold.
By looking at the effectiveness of celebrity pitchmen, the company best known for television ratings will now compete with Marketing Evaluations Inc., a company that produces the better-known Q Score, a measurement of public attitudes toward well-known figures.
Besides attaching scores to celebrity endorsers, Nielsen intends to offer marketers detailed information about the personalities and habits of people who respond well to each celebrity so they can better match pitchmen and products, said Chad Dreas, Nielsen's managing director of media analytics.
"What do they buy? Where do they shop? What do they watch?" said Dreas, describing the details Nielsen intends to sell.
Neeson, who has been featured in an ad for Supercell Games, is viewed positively by 78 percent of Americans who know him, Nielsen said. Brosnan and Matthew McConaughey, both featured in car commercials recently, also scored well in Nielsens' measurement.
Jeff Bridges stood out among celebrities for the amount of influence he carried with his fans, Nielsen said.
Other celebs with recent ads that scored well in Nielsen's measurement were Jennifer Garner, Natalie Portman, Sofia Vergara, Jim Parsons, Dennis Haysbert and J.K. Simmons.
Jean Smart, Ariana Grande, Michael Keaton among hosts for “SNL” season 50
Fresh off her Emmys win, Jean Smart will kick off the landmark 50th season of "Saturday Night Live."
NBC on Thursday announced the lineup of hosts for the season, which premieres Sept. 28. Joining Smart on the first show will be Jelly Roll as the musical act. He was also at the Emmys, singing during the ceremony's in memoriam segment.
It will be Smart's first time hosting "SNL."
Comedian Nate Bargatze will host on Oct. 5, with Coldplay as the musical guest.
Ariana Grande will host Oct. 12, with musical guest Stevie Nicks.
"Beetlejuice" star Michael Keaton will host on Oct. 19, the last show before Halloween, and Billie Eilish will be that night's musical guest.
The host on Nov. 2 will be "SNL" alum John Mulaney, with breakout sensation Chappell Roan as the music guest.
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