"Celebrities have a big influence on what people buy," says Roy Weaver of Kiddiland in Liverpool, "especially in the cities. I call it The Bugaboo Effect. Our original shop is situated in what is quite a run down area of the city and our customers feel part of everything if they can at least push the same pushchair as their idol. ‘They've got one; I've got one!' is the sentiment. Their lifestyles may be miles apart but in nursery at least they can match. We could do with more celebrities being seen with their pushchairs, slings etc. It works for us - it's great for business!"

According to the boffins, we lived in small villages of less than 200 people for thousands and thousands of years. We knew everyone and they knew us; we belonged and thus the feeling of belonging, of being a part of a group is very important to us. These days we often do not even know the names of any of our neighbours but we still crave to belong to a group. There is an insatiable desire to identify with others just like our ancestors did and one result of this is the interest in celebrities.

"It's mainly the younger Mums who are aware of what products the celebrities are using. We've noticed it with the Bugaboo; they want to buy it because they've seen it around and like what it looks like. In some cases, they'd be better off with another brand such as the Stokke Xplory. But some customers couldn't care - it depends on whether they can identify with the various celebrities and if they feel comfortable with the image. They can also be very fickle!" says Ian Davidson of Babylicious in Hoylake.

"Celebrities can be very influential," says Yvonne Pearson of Media3 PR. "Customers aspire to what the celebrity represents. ‘I've got the same pushchair as so-and-so' is a very empowering statement. Getting the product out in the public eye is very important and even Z-list celebrities seen with a product is very good PR."

As befits such a big company, Dorel products are often pictured with celebrities. "We don't often send out free product so it's very pleasing when celebrities are pictured with our products as it means that actually went out and bought them! The CabrioFix has proved to be very popular with celebs such as Kerry Katona, Tom Parker Bowles, Mick Quinn, Davina McCall and Noel Gallagher all being pictured with it. The Buzz has been pictured with Frank Lampard. We seem to appeal to a wide variety! We did however, send a free Quinny pushchair to Mick Quinn - the ex Portsmouth footballer - for his new baby daughter, Mia. The synergy of the similarity of names was too good an opportunity to miss!"

However, it can be very hit and miss. Celebrities get given a lot of product and are unlikely to use most of what they are given. There is a rumour that one celeb is selling it all on eBay!. " We send out a lot of product but much of it doesn't get used and even less appears in the media, but when it does, it is very influential on sales," says Yvonne.

Dorel worked with Jordan (Katie Price) to promote the Quinny Buzz pushchair. "This gave us helpful coverage in OK! magazine and on the reality TV series 'Katie & Peter' which was broadcast following the birth of their baby, Junior. We did this during a period when her profile was high following her appearance on 'I'm a celebrity, get me out of here!' and we believe it made an impact on the target audience. In the right circumstances, working with celebrities can significantly improve brand recognition but its translation into sales can be difficult to quantify." 

Of course, we musn't forget, the pictures are taken to show the celebrity not the product. You may be on the front page of The Sun with an A-lister, the new baby nicely snuggled in your pushchair or car seat. Nevertheless, unless the logo is very clear or your product is has a very distinctive look, readers are unlikely to be able to identify it and much of the value disappears. If your product does appear in the press, it's important to pass this information on to the people who can maximise the use of this information - the retailers! "And this is the one that so-and-so was pictured using," is a very useful selling tool.

It's a good idea to have plenty of stock! "The last big celebrity driven sales that we had was when Jordan was pictured with her Mamas & Papas pushchair in a fabric called Afternoon Tea," according to Roy. "M&P were phasing it our, but suddenly everyone wanted it and it was very difficult to get hold of! It was such a pity; we could have sold more."

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