An article by Christina Patterson in i last week set out to explain why David Cameron, an Etonian, son of a stockbroker, married to an aristocrat, a multi-millionaire who had just spent £30k on his kitchen, should have been clapped and applauded by a group of Asda employees.

“They liked him. But then lots of people like him. So many people like him that the Tories are now more popular than they’ve been for nearly two years.”

Martin Jones of the AAR , who was on the recieving end of over 600 pitches with his clients, concluded that, above all else, they are looking to answer “How much do they want my business?” “Do I like them and can I spend time with them?” “Do they like each other?”

Gallup’s Personality Factor Opinion Poll concludes “in politics the single best determinant of electability is likeablity.”

Nielsen’s Likeability Index, used in assessing advertising, reports that “if we like an ad we can remember it and that liking is a key driver of effectiveness”.

Laurence Green in the Daily Telegraph gave a definition as ” relevant information combined with empathy and entertainment”. He suggested that “if emotion is what drives us we do well to chose likeability”.

Kevin Millicheap, advertising writer, said “Rehearsal makes nice people nicer”