SHANGHAI: Brands will be able to gauge the commercial value of Chinese celebrities for the first time after the launch of a new index that assesses the star power and suitability of potential endorsers.

The FUSE Celebrity Index (FCI) will bring together data supplied by FUSE China, the branded content division of Omnicom Media Group, as well as Fundamental Media, the entertainment marketing specialists, and market researchers Entgroup.

Based on an annual survey of over 15,000 consumers, it will analyse the commercial worth of more than 700 Chinese celebrities in entertainment, sport and the arts, assessing their market appeal, personalities and potential brand matches.

Calvin Fu, general manager of FUSE China, said: "In the past, there was insufficient data, insights and understanding of celebrities' potential.

"Therefore, FUSE aims to assist the market with the unique logic, enabled by our rich experience in branded entertainment marketing and our thorough understanding of celebrities and what works in the Chinese market."

Wang Yuan Hong, of Fundamental Media, said his company hoped to contribute to the development and improved accountability of entertainment market integration.

"Entertainment economics these days require a professional and objective evaluation system to balance and serve arts and commerce," he explained.

The roll out of the survey may thus help address problems associated with celebrity endorsement in China that have previously been identified by Millward Brown, the research firm.

Its CelebritZ report surveyed over 100,000 consumers about more than 500 celebrities in various fields, and found the effectiveness of celebrity advertising to be waning.

Data from 2011 showed that celebrity advertising had decreased by 4% and 6% respectively in terms of likeability and brand linkage, with only 35% of celebrity TV ads achieving good results.

The main factors responsible for this decline included the excessive use of such endorsements and poor matches between famous faces and the products they represented.

Data sourced from Asia Media Journal; additional content by Warc staff