Tom Brady's trust level, appeal, and endorsement credibility have all plummeted in the wake of the "Deflategate" scandal, according to Marketing Arm's Celebrity DBI, a global index that determines a celebrity's ability to influence consumers.
Recent numbers indicate that consumer trust in the New England Patriots quarterback has dropped from 967th in February to 3,027th out of 3,686 celebrities measured, following the release of the Wells Report. Brady had been on par with celebrities like Cameron Diaz and John Hamm, but his trust level is now equivalent to that of conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly and actor Billy Bob Thornton.
"We expected a significant drop; this is a huge," Matt Delzell, Marketing Arm's managing director of celebrity talent acquisition, told Mason Levinson of Bloomberg.
Brady ranked 2,843rd in appeal in February, but ranked 117th in aspiration. He now ranks 3,570th in appeal, which is on par with rapper 50 Cent, Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan and pop star Britney Spears.
As for his credibility as an endorser, Brady dropped from 259th to 2,333rd. He also fell from 123rd to 1,190th in the influence category and from 244th to 1,580th as a trend-setter, though Delzell noted that the latter two categories remain fairly strong for the quarterback.
"If you were in the financial services business, where trust and credibility are paramount, it's not the right move," Delzell said of how future endorsers should look at Brady. "But if you are in the fashion world, and people aren't looking at you to be their moral compass, rather a trend-setter and they follow your style, that's a different story."