“All the consumer research shows that the public believes the reason celebrities do adverts is for the money,” says Hamish Pringle. If that happens, the impact for the brand will be a fraction of what if might have been.”
Everyone knows that celebrities do adverts for money. No matter how good the celebrity/brand fit is, people will always think (correctly) that they are doing it for the money. In addition, celebrity endorsement is popular now more than even. In the BBC News article that I got the above quote from, it also states that “analysis of the past 20 years shows the number of ads featuring celebrities in some way has doubled and now stands at about one in five”. How can celebrity endorsements be successful if they are so ubiquitous and audiences are skeptical of the reasons behind them? Once again, originality and planning are the only ways to ensure that celebrity endorsements have some sort of impact on the audience.
Sunday 25 February 2007
Friday 23 February 2007
What's the point?
“A recent survey of the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement found that 79% of British and American viewers said that celebrity endorsement had no effect on how valuable they think a product is”.
Then what is the point really? Isn’t one of the main reasons for celebrity endorsements that the celebrity adds value to the brand it promotes? Brands spend so much money on celebrity endorsement that one wonders, as I’ve been asking in my recent posts, if its really worth it. In the same article that I found the above quote, I found another quote that said,
“There’s a cachet to using well-known people,” says advertising executive Rich Silverstein. “It’s seen as a method of speeding up the way information reaches customers”.
So perhaps, the success of celebrity endorsements does not have to measured by how many units of a brand’s products are sold as a result of the endorsement, maybe it’s measured by how many people know about the brand as a result of the endorsement and what they associate it with. Maybe endorsements are all about the buzz-the buzz generated by the celebrity endorsement.
A good example of this is the Chanel short film-type advert starring Nicole Kidman. After it was released, everyone was talking about it, how well made it was, how expense it looked (and was), how beautiful Nicole Kidman looked. Chanel also associated itself with a glamorous actress, Nicole Kidman, which says a lot about Chanel as a brand. Chanel in itself is already a high-quality, glamorous and much sought after brand and pairing itself with an equally glamorous and sought after actress only reinforces its place as a leading high fashion brand.
Then what is the point really? Isn’t one of the main reasons for celebrity endorsements that the celebrity adds value to the brand it promotes? Brands spend so much money on celebrity endorsement that one wonders, as I’ve been asking in my recent posts, if its really worth it. In the same article that I found the above quote, I found another quote that said,
“There’s a cachet to using well-known people,” says advertising executive Rich Silverstein. “It’s seen as a method of speeding up the way information reaches customers”.
So perhaps, the success of celebrity endorsements does not have to measured by how many units of a brand’s products are sold as a result of the endorsement, maybe it’s measured by how many people know about the brand as a result of the endorsement and what they associate it with. Maybe endorsements are all about the buzz-the buzz generated by the celebrity endorsement.
A good example of this is the Chanel short film-type advert starring Nicole Kidman. After it was released, everyone was talking about it, how well made it was, how expense it looked (and was), how beautiful Nicole Kidman looked. Chanel also associated itself with a glamorous actress, Nicole Kidman, which says a lot about Chanel as a brand. Chanel in itself is already a high-quality, glamorous and much sought after brand and pairing itself with an equally glamorous and sought after actress only reinforces its place as a leading high fashion brand.
Thursday 22 February 2007
Celebrity Endorsments Gone Wrong
The fact that some celebrity endorsements fall flat and get no response makes some questions whether they can really work and are really worth the tremendous costs. What are some examples of celebrity endorsements gone wrong?
Kobe Bryant, NBA basketball player, is an example of how celebrity endorsement can go wrong. According to an article in the Knowledge Wharton website, Bryant was charged with rape in 2003, the charges were dropped because he claimed the sex was consensual, but he was still exposed as an adulterer. He lost many of his endorsement deals, with McDonald’s, Upper Deck and Nutella. How could these brands be associated with a married man charged of raping a woman? Scandals like this one could tarnish a brand’s image and be detrimental to it as well. Another example is of Madonna , who was endorsing Pepsi when she made the controversial video for “Like a Prayer” (the same music featured in the ad for Pepsi) back in the Eighties. The relationship was dissolved when Christian groups all over America decided to boycott Pepsi because of its affiliation with Madonna.
Other problems that can arise are when celebrities overshadow a brand, making it hard for audiences to see what they are trying to sell or promote, defeating the purpose of the endorsement in the first place. Brand disloyalty can be another problem, recently seen when Charlize Theron, an Oscar-winning South African actress who had a million dollar deal with the watchmakers Raymond Weil, was photographed sporting a watch of another make.
Celebrity endorsers have to be meticulously planned, or else disaster can ensue. Every worse case scenario must be considered before hand and every preventative measure must be taken to make sure mishaps can be fixed or at least foreseen. Celebrity endorsement takes a lot of planning and care; without planning and care it could turn into a nightmare, if things go wrong. A brand must also make sure that the celebrity brand does not overshadow their brand, thus defeating the purpose of the celebrity endorsement. Celebrity endorsement, especially in advertising, cost millions of dollars; brand should really make sure that they are investing their money properly by thoroughly planning a celebrity endorsement.
Kobe Bryant, NBA basketball player, is an example of how celebrity endorsement can go wrong. According to an article in the Knowledge Wharton website, Bryant was charged with rape in 2003, the charges were dropped because he claimed the sex was consensual, but he was still exposed as an adulterer. He lost many of his endorsement deals, with McDonald’s, Upper Deck and Nutella. How could these brands be associated with a married man charged of raping a woman? Scandals like this one could tarnish a brand’s image and be detrimental to it as well. Another example is of Madonna , who was endorsing Pepsi when she made the controversial video for “Like a Prayer” (the same music featured in the ad for Pepsi) back in the Eighties. The relationship was dissolved when Christian groups all over America decided to boycott Pepsi because of its affiliation with Madonna.
Other problems that can arise are when celebrities overshadow a brand, making it hard for audiences to see what they are trying to sell or promote, defeating the purpose of the endorsement in the first place. Brand disloyalty can be another problem, recently seen when Charlize Theron, an Oscar-winning South African actress who had a million dollar deal with the watchmakers Raymond Weil, was photographed sporting a watch of another make.
Celebrity endorsers have to be meticulously planned, or else disaster can ensue. Every worse case scenario must be considered before hand and every preventative measure must be taken to make sure mishaps can be fixed or at least foreseen. Celebrity endorsement takes a lot of planning and care; without planning and care it could turn into a nightmare, if things go wrong. A brand must also make sure that the celebrity brand does not overshadow their brand, thus defeating the purpose of the celebrity endorsement. Celebrity endorsement, especially in advertising, cost millions of dollars; brand should really make sure that they are investing their money properly by thoroughly planning a celebrity endorsement.
"Celebrity Sells" by Hamish Pringle: A mini review
Hamish Pringle’s book Celebrity Sells really delves into all aspects of celebrity endorsements. Should you even use a celebrity endorser? According to Pringle you should, it just all depends on how you go about it. He really knows his stuff, from interesting facts and statistics to case studies, Pringle keeps you interested and reading from the beginning to the end of his book.
In the introduction, Pringle discusses that in the era of celebrity, brands should take advantage of the public’s obsession with celebrities. Celebrity really does sell in a world where people want to know all they can about their favourite celebrities. Pringle writes about the different ways in which celebrities are part of our lives. What make a successful endorsement is then discussed in great detail, showing again that Pringle really knows the ends and outs of celebrity endorsements. But then Pringle also goes on to talk about what could go wrong when brands use celebrity endorsements, giving plenty of examples of what has gone wrong in the past, from scandals to brand disloyalty.
The rest of the book is dedicated to the relationship between the brand and the celebrity, analysing customers, celebrity product placements and sponsorships and other forms of celebrity endorsements. Hamish Pringle really knows the field and imparts as much of that knowledge that he can through this book. I would recommend it to anyone who is just curious about the art of celebrity endorsements but also to anyone in the fields of PR, marketing and advertising who want to find out how to go about celebrity endorsements in a successful manner.
Sunday 18 February 2007
Celebrity Endorsement: Is it really effective in the long run?
Celebrity endorsement seems to work best when it is organic and natural. Many people wonder if it is worth it (Justin Timberlake reportedly made £3.4m for his one-liner to the McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" campaign) and if it really works at all. The answer to this question would be a definite yes. If a company or brand chooses well, the celebrity endorsement could have a huge impact on their popularity and sales. According to an article in the Independent, “in a survey carried out by GMI Inc. (the world's leading provider of global online market research) 30 per cent of US and European shoppers would be more likely to buy a product which came with celebrity endorsement. In Japan and China, this figure stood at around 55 per cent”. So celebrity endorsement does have an impact on shoppers and their purchases.
In the Hamish Pringle book, Celebrity Sells, an entire chapter is dedicated to the effectiveness of celebrity endorsements. An interesting excerpt reads,
“Their [Millward Brown a leading UK research company in the specialist field of quantities pre-testing of commercials] experience overall is that celebrities can be used successfully to grab attention and generate interest in involvement in the brand. They can also be used to establish a brand ‘cue’, which can in turn aid recognition and communication and they have found that the ‘right’ celebrity can add values by association. Their research suggests that as long as the star does not upstage the brand it is often beneficial if the celebrity is used for what they are famous for already and for the brand to borrow and build on existing persona. Generally speaking, Millward Brown find that humorous add communicate better than ‘straight’ ones and that spoofs or parodies can be especially effective”.
Therefore, in order for celebrity endorsements to be effective, a brand must use a celebrity that really matches their brand, that way they can build on what they have in common. Some believe that celebrity endorsement does not take much creativity, but the truth is that it takes even more creativity than normal marketing and promotion. Since there are so many celebrity endorsements out there nowadays, one must make their celebrity partnership stand out of the crowd of celebrities endorsing various brands. Creative ideas can make a celebrity endorsement a roaring success. In addition, choosing a celebrity that is the most ‘spiritually aligned’ (in the words of Pringle) out the bunch can really make a difference to people’s perceptions of the endorsement itself and the product.
In the Hamish Pringle book, Celebrity Sells, an entire chapter is dedicated to the effectiveness of celebrity endorsements. An interesting excerpt reads,
“Their [Millward Brown a leading UK research company in the specialist field of quantities pre-testing of commercials] experience overall is that celebrities can be used successfully to grab attention and generate interest in involvement in the brand. They can also be used to establish a brand ‘cue’, which can in turn aid recognition and communication and they have found that the ‘right’ celebrity can add values by association. Their research suggests that as long as the star does not upstage the brand it is often beneficial if the celebrity is used for what they are famous for already and for the brand to borrow and build on existing persona. Generally speaking, Millward Brown find that humorous add communicate better than ‘straight’ ones and that spoofs or parodies can be especially effective”.
Therefore, in order for celebrity endorsements to be effective, a brand must use a celebrity that really matches their brand, that way they can build on what they have in common. Some believe that celebrity endorsement does not take much creativity, but the truth is that it takes even more creativity than normal marketing and promotion. Since there are so many celebrity endorsements out there nowadays, one must make their celebrity partnership stand out of the crowd of celebrities endorsing various brands. Creative ideas can make a celebrity endorsement a roaring success. In addition, choosing a celebrity that is the most ‘spiritually aligned’ (in the words of Pringle) out the bunch can really make a difference to people’s perceptions of the endorsement itself and the product.
Monday 12 February 2007
Introduction: the 'Era of Consent'
In his book, Celebrity Sells, Hamish Pringle discusses the ‘era of consent’. What does this mean? Businesses are finding that their audiences have more control over the messages they receive from businesses and corporations through ads and marketing. This is because of either ‘personal or technological intervention’. Audiences today are more sophisticated and can filter or ignore the messages they receive through ads and marketing. In addition, technology such as TiVo and Sky Plus make it easier to do so-one can just press fast forward and not have to watch adverts of any sort. The only brand that can survive this ‘era of consent’ and get people to pay attention to what they have to say are the most desirable brands. This is where celebrities come in, ‘in establishing the necessary customer trust and credibility it seems likely that celebrities, who themselves have a high standing in the public eye, could be one of the more powerful tools for brands in gaining the necessary customer permission’.
Celebrities are often used in ad and marketing campaigns, they endorse and promote products ranging from trainers to perfumes. In many cases they have proved instrumental in selling products. But does celebrity endorsement really work? Is it really useful for big businesses in the long run? What are some of the pros and cons of celebrity endorsements? These are some of the questions I will discuss in this blog in the next weeks.
Celebrities are often used in ad and marketing campaigns, they endorse and promote products ranging from trainers to perfumes. In many cases they have proved instrumental in selling products. But does celebrity endorsement really work? Is it really useful for big businesses in the long run? What are some of the pros and cons of celebrity endorsements? These are some of the questions I will discuss in this blog in the next weeks.
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