[MD] Intellectual activity

[craigerb at comcast.net]

Khaled, et al.,
Scenario I:  Brand X is rated by Consumer Reports far above Brand Y, both selling at the same price.  Brand Y hires a celebrity endorser & everyone buys Brand Y.
Scenario II:  Same as I, except no one buys Brand X until Brand X hires a celebrity endorser & then everyone buys Brand X.

These scenarios raise 2 questions for me:
1)  Is there such a thing as objectivity such that the evaluation of Consumer Reports is better than those of a celebrity endorser?
2) Why do we care whether I or II obtains?
Craig