Birkbeck Sport Business Centre found that in a survey of 614 Americans, less than half know who David Beckham is. Although, among those familiar with the former England captain, there are many who identified him as a trend-setting, stylish Englishman, more than half know little or nothing about him.
Furthermore, in a market that values allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, Beckham rated weakly when people were asked if they considered him to be a patriotic, caring and faithful family man.
The research found that Americans were more familiar with Victoria Beckham, and that she is presently the most important element of "Brand Beckham" and likely to be more so as the Spice Girls reunion bandwagon gets up to speed.
The Beckhams are set to make Los Angeles their home for the next five years, after David signed to football club LA Galaxy. Although his £125m contract with the team is likely to keep him in loo roll for the foreseeable future, Beckham will still be looking to make more money from endorsement deals.
Long-time sponsor Adidas has already launched a major ad campaign in the US showing Beckham trying out American Football with New Orleans Saints star Reggie Bush.
However, the implication of the Birkbeck research is that Beckham could struggle in a market that likes sports stars who are free of scandal.
Dr Simon Chadwick, a director of the Birkbeck Sport Business Centre, said: "Americans not only identify more with personalities from sports other than soccer, they also like successful, eloquent, trouble-free, clean-cut types.
"David Beckham therefore faces the challenge of promoting such qualities if he is to maximise the chances of his brand being a success. At the very least, Beckham must do well in the games he plays for LA Galaxy and must be seen as a successful sportsman."
The Brand Beckham research study was undertaken in the US and Canada in May and June 2007 using a 32-item questionnaire. Using a combination of random and structured sampling techniques, a total of 614 responses was generated and analysed. The research is part of a report about Brand Beckham that will become available in September 2007.