Do celebrity voices turn buyers on?

Are you hearing voices?

Are you driving yourself nuts trying to figure out whose voice that is in the Mercedes television commercial (Richard "John-Boy Walton" Thomas), or the ad for Volkswagen (John Cusack), Hyundai (Jeff Bridges and Kelsey Grammer), Honda (Kevin Spacey) or Pontiac (Matt Dillon)?

Pick a car commercial and it's likely that the disembodied voice spouting the sales pitch belongs to a celebrity, although it might take you a while to figure out exactly who it is, if in fact you notice at all.

Distracted by the face-gnawing badger in that goofy Toyota Corolla commercial, you might not twig to the fact the voice urging you to "Live the dream for less coin" is that of John O'Hurley, a.k.a. Seinfeld's J. Peterman.

Surely, though, being such a huge Boston Legal fan, you'd instantly recognized the voice-overs done by James Spader and immediately dash out to buy an Acura.

Admittedly there's some entertainment value (or annoyance factor) in trying to identify the actor doing the voice-over, but there's little evidence that sales skyrocket when stars speak off-camera.

Would you honestly buy a Volvo simply because Donald Sutherland urged you to? Conversely, would you boycott Ford because repeat drunk-driver Kiefer Sutherland's distinctive voice continues to hawk its wares?

Which, if any, will affect Mazda sales: Rob Lowe's on-screen presidential candidacy or his recent nanny woes?

In a world where folks sometimes confuse roles and reality, does the fact that CSI: New York's Gary Sinise has narrated Cadillac commercials make the brand any more trustworthy?

Will you listen more intently to the sales pitch simply because fellow Canuck Will Arnett signed a lucrative GMC endorsement deal?

Believing that people truly do pay more attention when famous voices talk, a few years back, some of England's talking parking meters (which remind drivers about automobile security and safety) were switched from the usual boring messages to ones voiced by celebrity impersonators.

Having a faux Michael Caine carp at you to secure your vehicle is one thing, but are we so star-struck that celebrity power can actually persuade us to buy a Buick?

Most consumers would likely say they don't care which celeb is hawking what car.

Come on, not even when it's the sultry Ms. Kate Walsh?

McSteamy's ex-wife got tongues wagging recently after slipping behind the wheel of a red hot Cadillac CTS and slurring her way through some dialogue, coyly asking the real question: "When you turn your car on, does it return the favour?"

Interestingly, the male version of that CTS commercial, with Kiwi actor Martin Henderson spouting something about "Be the Hammer," didn't seem to garner quite as much attention.

Obviously in the drive to make an ad, and hopefully the product, memorable, the choice of celebrity is always a bit of a gamble. Advertisers hope that adoring fans outweigh detractors and stars don't outshine the product (Celine Dion's reported $14 million endorsement deal apparently proved better for her record sales than for Chrysler.)

Then again, without the Hollywood types, what's left? Yet another ad with a professional driver jetting around a closed course?

Or perhaps you'd prefer a flash-dancing Kia salesman?

Better yet, how about a bunch of jiggly half-naked Subaru-scrubbing sumo wrestlers? Then again, those sudsy mawashi-wearing gents have quickly become stars in their own right (sexysubaru.ca), attracting worldwide attention and boosting car sales. All without the aid of a celebrity voice-over.

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