Most Powerful Celebrity Branding Method
Celebrity Branding - Celebrity branding is a method of advertising which uses the services of a celebrity to promote a product or service with the help of their fame and status in the society. This method has several approaches; it can involve a celebrity simply appearing in a commercial and the celebrity can be signed for attending events for promotion. Another method is to start a product line using their name as a brand. Perfume and garments are the largest product lines involving such a promotion. All the top actors, singers and models are known to give their name to a certain brand or licensed products. Jennifer Lopez started her own line of clothing a while ago which features designer clothes personally designed by her.
A customer's buying behavior is hugely influenced by famous people. Marketing experts, using associative learning principles, analyzes the lifestyle of the celebrities to properly assign them to the brand which depicts them perfectly. Their fashion sense, appeal, awareness, fame and public image are reviewed thoroughly to assign them the right charity work or product. Repetition, blocking, CS pre-exposure, extinction, overshadowing, belongingness, and association set size are the principles on the basis of which analysis is done like the famous Miss World Aishwarya Rai of India who has very beautiful eyes was chosen to campaign for eye donation project. Some of the celebrities are known for their distinct voice. This concept led to the voice-over method in advertising. Their voices merely attract customers when used in a commercial.
A customer's buying behavior is hugely influenced by famous people. Marketing experts, using associative learning principles, analyzes the lifestyle of the celebrities to properly assign them to the brand which depicts them perfectly. Their fashion sense, appeal, awareness, fame and public image are reviewed thoroughly to assign them the right charity work or product. Repetition, blocking, CS pre-exposure, extinction, overshadowing, belongingness, and association set size are the principles on the basis of which analysis is done like the famous Miss World Aishwarya Rai of India who has very beautiful eyes was chosen to campaign for eye donation project. Some of the celebrities are known for their distinct voice. This concept led to the voice-over method in advertising. Their voices merely attract customers when used in a commercial.
Selebrity Branding Method
Today, nearly twenty percent of the advertising industry utilizes celebrity endorsement. A celebrity is bound to endorse many products and brands over a course of time. Each time a different image of the celebrity is being projected to the public. The company should keep in mind the previous identity and play accordingly. Projecting a different person every time will sustain the interest of the customers, but at the same time the two identities shouldn't conflict with each other. The captain of England soccer team David Beckham has endorsed many products. While advertising for Gillette, his taste for hairstyles was considered and he was given a bald look. When campaigning for Police his passion for fashion was portrayed all over and heavily jeweled David Beckham was depicted.
If a celebrity isn't comfortable with being pictured differently each time he or she can create a graphic image or logo of their own which can be used each time they advertise for a particular product. The logo can reflect the personality of the respective celebrity, like the font can be stylish if the celebrity is fashion conscious like Jennifer Lopez who created a logo of JLO, which is used to advertise perfume and even clothing line of her own. Another advantage in this approach is that the brand can still be appealing to the crowds even after the celebrity has lost his or her looks as they won't require visual recognition and aids in the long-term negotiations. The celebrity logo itself carries the style and attitude.
Millions of dollars are being invested by marketers to get the promotional support of super stars every year. Davie Brown Entertainment has an agency completely devoted to the purpose of choosing a celebrity for a product. They not only judge a celebrity's caliber to affect brand affinity and consumer's taste but also design the advertisements for the celebrities to feature in it.
If a celebrity isn't comfortable with being pictured differently each time he or she can create a graphic image or logo of their own which can be used each time they advertise for a particular product. The logo can reflect the personality of the respective celebrity, like the font can be stylish if the celebrity is fashion conscious like Jennifer Lopez who created a logo of JLO, which is used to advertise perfume and even clothing line of her own. Another advantage in this approach is that the brand can still be appealing to the crowds even after the celebrity has lost his or her looks as they won't require visual recognition and aids in the long-term negotiations. The celebrity logo itself carries the style and attitude.
Millions of dollars are being invested by marketers to get the promotional support of super stars every year. Davie Brown Entertainment has an agency completely devoted to the purpose of choosing a celebrity for a product. They not only judge a celebrity's caliber to affect brand affinity and consumer's taste but also design the advertisements for the celebrities to feature in it.
Branding and Celebrity Endorsements
Nike is known around the world for being one of the most iconic brands. In 2017, it was ranked as the world's 16th most valuable brand in terms of its brand value – USD29.6 billion – by the annual Forbes ranking of The World's Most Valuable Brands. In spite of many market maneuvers (such as the recent merger between Adidas and Reebok), Nike has remained the leader in its category.
Nike is also very well known for another aspect and that is its consistent use of celebrities to endorse the brand. In fact one of the most successful collaborations between a brand and a celebrity is that of Nike and Michael Jordan. So successful was the collaboration that Nike and Jordan launched a new brand variant called the Air Jordan line of sport shoes.
Nike pulled off a very similar coup in the sports industry when it joined forces with the ace golfer Tiger Woods to enter the golf category with its apparel, equipment and accessories. Nike had no experience in golf before. Moreover, with golf being a very elite game, it was generally considered that a brand like Nike would not be very successful. This might have probably been true had Nike chosen the traditional path to building its equity in the golfing arena. But Nike chose to associate with the best golfer in the world and have him endorse the brand. As is known today, Nike has emerged highly successful in golf.
This channel now being used by many brands around the world raises some crucial questions about ways brands are built and also about the impact such collaborations have on branding:
Is associating with a leading celebrity the easiest way to build a brand?
Should celebrity endorsement be the principal channel of brand communications?
How can brands decide on potential brand endorsers?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of such endorsements?
Is celebrity endorsement always beneficial to the brand?
How can a celebrity enhance a brand image?
Answers to these and many other related questions form the content of this article.
Celebrity Endorsements – A brief introduction
Endorsement is a channel of brand communication in which a celebrity acts as the brand's spokesperson and certifies the brand's claim and position by extending his/her personality, popularity, status in society or expertise in the field to the brand. In a market with a very high proliferation of local, regional and international brands, celebrity endorsement was traditionally thought to provide a distinct differentiation.
But over the years, many aspiring brands in Asia have jumped on to this celebrity endorsement bandwagon. Even though endorsements have taken on a quasi-industry stature, there is hardly any hugely successful collaboration as those of Nike's. There are many reasons for such a happening. The next section addresses this issue.
Essentials of celebrity endorsements
Even though to an observer it may seem that Nike's success is totally based on Tiger Wood's association with the brand, nothing can be far from the truth. As a brand, Nike has established a very strong brand identity and a brand personality over the years. What Nike did was to use celebrity endorsement as one of the main channels of communicating its brand to a highly focused set of customers. So, Nike's association with Tiger Woods was one of the parts of an entire branding process that Nike has been practicing consistently. Contrary to this, most of the brands in Asia that have used celebrity endorsements have used it as the main brand building tool. Before any brand signs on a celebrity, they should consider three main aspects.
Attractiveness of the celebrity: This principle states that an attractive endorser will have a positive impact on the endorsement. The endorser should be attractive to the target audience in certain aspects like physical appearance, intellectual capabilities, athletic competence, and lifestyle. It has been proved that an endorser that appears attractive as defined above has a greater chance of enhancing the memorability of the brand that he/she endorses.
Credibility of the celebrity: This principle states that for any brand-celebrity collaboration to be successful, the personal credibility of the celebrity is crucial. Credibility is defined here as the celebrities' perceived expertise and trustworthiness. As celebrity endorsements act as an external cue that enable consumers to sift through the tremendous brand clutter in the market, the credibility factor of the celebrity greatly influences the acceptance with consumers. For example, Nike decided to suspend its endorsement contract with Oscar Pistorius in 2013 as his credibility was severely questioned from him being charged with premeditated murder.
Meaning transfer between the celebrity and the brand: This principle states that the success of the brand-celebrity collaboration heavily depends on the compatibility between the brand and the celebrity in terms of identity, personality, positioning in the market vis-à-vis competitors, and lifestyle. When a brand signs on a celebrity, these are some of the compatibility factors that have to exist for the brand to leverage the maximum from that collaboration.
Even though these three major principles must be adhered to by companies, practically it might be difficult to find celebrities that satisfy all these three conditions. Depending on the nature of the brand and the kind of product being used, companies can selectively emphasize one factor over the other.
Celebrity endorsements – Do's and Don'ts
All brands must be aware of some of the important aspects of celebrity branding as discussed below:
Consistency and long-term commitment: As with branding, companies should try to maintain consistency between the endorser and the brand to establish a strong personality and identity. More importantly, companies should view celebrity endorsements as long-term strategic decisions affecting the brand.
Three prerequisites to selecting celebrities: Before signing on celebrities to endorse their brands, companies need to ensure that they meet three basic prerequisites, namely the endorser should be attractive, have a positive image in the society, and be perceived as having the necessary knowledge (although it might be difficult for a celebrity to meet all three prerequisites).
Celebrity–brand match: Consistent with the principles discussed earlier, companies should ensure a match between the brand being endorsed and the endorser so that the endorsements are able to strongly influence the thought processes of consumers and create a positive perception of the brand.
Constant monitoring: Companies should monitor the behaviour, conduct and public image of the endorser continuously to minimize any potential negative publicity. One of the most effective ways to do this is to ensure that celebrity endorsement contracts are effectively drafted, keeping in mind any such negative events.
Selecting unique endorsers: Companies should try to bring on board those celebrities who do not endorse competitors' products or other quite different products, so that there is a clear transfer of personality and identity between the endorser and the brand.
Timing: As celebrities command a high price tag, companies should be on the constant lookout for emerging celebrities who show some promise and potential and sign them on in their formative years if possible to ensure a win–win situation.
Brand over endorser: When celebrities are used to endorse brands, one obvious result could be the potential overshadowing of the brand by the celebrity. Companies should ensure that this does not happen by formulating advertising collaterals and other communications.
Celebrity endorsement is just a channel: Companies must realize that having a celebrity endorsing a brand is not a goal in itself; rather it is one part of the communication mix that falls under the broader category of sponsorship marketing.
Celebrity ROI: Even though it is challenging to measure the effects of celebrity endorsements on companies' brands, companies should have a system combining quantitative and qualitative measures to measure the overall effect of celebrity endorsements on their brands.
Trademark and legal contracts: Companies should ensure that the celebrities they hire are on proper legal terms so that they do not endorse competitors' products in the same product category, thereby creating confusion in the minds of the consumers.
These guidelines are intended to provide companies a useful framework that they can use while deciding on the celebrities to endorse their brand.
Conclusion
The important aspect that companies must note is that celebrity endorsements cannot replace the comprehensive brand building processes. As branding evolves as a discipline companies must be extra cautious to utilize every possible channel of communication rather than just a celebrity endorsement. When all other steps in the branding process is followed and implemented, then channels such as celebrity endorsements can provide the cutting edge as it did for Nike and many others.
Nike is known around the world for being one of the most iconic brands. In 2017, it was ranked as the world's 16th most valuable brand in terms of its brand value – USD29.6 billion – by the annual Forbes ranking of The World's Most Valuable Brands. In spite of many market maneuvers (such as the recent merger between Adidas and Reebok), Nike has remained the leader in its category.
Nike is also very well known for another aspect and that is its consistent use of celebrities to endorse the brand. In fact one of the most successful collaborations between a brand and a celebrity is that of Nike and Michael Jordan. So successful was the collaboration that Nike and Jordan launched a new brand variant called the Air Jordan line of sport shoes.
Nike pulled off a very similar coup in the sports industry when it joined forces with the ace golfer Tiger Woods to enter the golf category with its apparel, equipment and accessories. Nike had no experience in golf before. Moreover, with golf being a very elite game, it was generally considered that a brand like Nike would not be very successful. This might have probably been true had Nike chosen the traditional path to building its equity in the golfing arena. But Nike chose to associate with the best golfer in the world and have him endorse the brand. As is known today, Nike has emerged highly successful in golf.
This channel now being used by many brands around the world raises some crucial questions about ways brands are built and also about the impact such collaborations have on branding:
Is associating with a leading celebrity the easiest way to build a brand?
Should celebrity endorsement be the principal channel of brand communications?
How can brands decide on potential brand endorsers?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of such endorsements?
Is celebrity endorsement always beneficial to the brand?
How can a celebrity enhance a brand image?
Answers to these and many other related questions form the content of this article.
Celebrity Endorsements – A brief introduction
Endorsement is a channel of brand communication in which a celebrity acts as the brand's spokesperson and certifies the brand's claim and position by extending his/her personality, popularity, status in society or expertise in the field to the brand. In a market with a very high proliferation of local, regional and international brands, celebrity endorsement was traditionally thought to provide a distinct differentiation.
But over the years, many aspiring brands in Asia have jumped on to this celebrity endorsement bandwagon. Even though endorsements have taken on a quasi-industry stature, there is hardly any hugely successful collaboration as those of Nike's. There are many reasons for such a happening. The next section addresses this issue.
Essentials of celebrity endorsements
Even though to an observer it may seem that Nike's success is totally based on Tiger Wood's association with the brand, nothing can be far from the truth. As a brand, Nike has established a very strong brand identity and a brand personality over the years. What Nike did was to use celebrity endorsement as one of the main channels of communicating its brand to a highly focused set of customers. So, Nike's association with Tiger Woods was one of the parts of an entire branding process that Nike has been practicing consistently. Contrary to this, most of the brands in Asia that have used celebrity endorsements have used it as the main brand building tool. Before any brand signs on a celebrity, they should consider three main aspects.
Attractiveness of the celebrity: This principle states that an attractive endorser will have a positive impact on the endorsement. The endorser should be attractive to the target audience in certain aspects like physical appearance, intellectual capabilities, athletic competence, and lifestyle. It has been proved that an endorser that appears attractive as defined above has a greater chance of enhancing the memorability of the brand that he/she endorses.
Credibility of the celebrity: This principle states that for any brand-celebrity collaboration to be successful, the personal credibility of the celebrity is crucial. Credibility is defined here as the celebrities' perceived expertise and trustworthiness. As celebrity endorsements act as an external cue that enable consumers to sift through the tremendous brand clutter in the market, the credibility factor of the celebrity greatly influences the acceptance with consumers. For example, Nike decided to suspend its endorsement contract with Oscar Pistorius in 2013 as his credibility was severely questioned from him being charged with premeditated murder.
Meaning transfer between the celebrity and the brand: This principle states that the success of the brand-celebrity collaboration heavily depends on the compatibility between the brand and the celebrity in terms of identity, personality, positioning in the market vis-à-vis competitors, and lifestyle. When a brand signs on a celebrity, these are some of the compatibility factors that have to exist for the brand to leverage the maximum from that collaboration.
Even though these three major principles must be adhered to by companies, practically it might be difficult to find celebrities that satisfy all these three conditions. Depending on the nature of the brand and the kind of product being used, companies can selectively emphasize one factor over the other.
Celebrity endorsements – Do's and Don'ts
All brands must be aware of some of the important aspects of celebrity branding as discussed below:
Consistency and long-term commitment: As with branding, companies should try to maintain consistency between the endorser and the brand to establish a strong personality and identity. More importantly, companies should view celebrity endorsements as long-term strategic decisions affecting the brand.
Three prerequisites to selecting celebrities: Before signing on celebrities to endorse their brands, companies need to ensure that they meet three basic prerequisites, namely the endorser should be attractive, have a positive image in the society, and be perceived as having the necessary knowledge (although it might be difficult for a celebrity to meet all three prerequisites).
Celebrity–brand match: Consistent with the principles discussed earlier, companies should ensure a match between the brand being endorsed and the endorser so that the endorsements are able to strongly influence the thought processes of consumers and create a positive perception of the brand.
Constant monitoring: Companies should monitor the behaviour, conduct and public image of the endorser continuously to minimize any potential negative publicity. One of the most effective ways to do this is to ensure that celebrity endorsement contracts are effectively drafted, keeping in mind any such negative events.
Selecting unique endorsers: Companies should try to bring on board those celebrities who do not endorse competitors' products or other quite different products, so that there is a clear transfer of personality and identity between the endorser and the brand.
Timing: As celebrities command a high price tag, companies should be on the constant lookout for emerging celebrities who show some promise and potential and sign them on in their formative years if possible to ensure a win–win situation.
Brand over endorser: When celebrities are used to endorse brands, one obvious result could be the potential overshadowing of the brand by the celebrity. Companies should ensure that this does not happen by formulating advertising collaterals and other communications.
Celebrity endorsement is just a channel: Companies must realize that having a celebrity endorsing a brand is not a goal in itself; rather it is one part of the communication mix that falls under the broader category of sponsorship marketing.
Celebrity ROI: Even though it is challenging to measure the effects of celebrity endorsements on companies' brands, companies should have a system combining quantitative and qualitative measures to measure the overall effect of celebrity endorsements on their brands.
Trademark and legal contracts: Companies should ensure that the celebrities they hire are on proper legal terms so that they do not endorse competitors' products in the same product category, thereby creating confusion in the minds of the consumers.
These guidelines are intended to provide companies a useful framework that they can use while deciding on the celebrities to endorse their brand.
Conclusion
The important aspect that companies must note is that celebrity endorsements cannot replace the comprehensive brand building processes. As branding evolves as a discipline companies must be extra cautious to utilize every possible channel of communication rather than just a celebrity endorsement. When all other steps in the branding process is followed and implemented, then channels such as celebrity endorsements can provide the cutting edge as it did for Nike and many others.
Celebrity endorsement
Infomercials are an advertisement technique that is usually produced and paid for by a company seeking to promote its products and services. The effect of infomercials, once they reach the target market, has been quite successful and so persuasive in most countries. Today most celebrities are keen on endorsing a product for which they are paid a high amount of money. Firms put loads of money in partnering their brands with qualities such as attractiveness, amiability, and dependability.
But why endorse a product which one has not even used yet? For starters, customers derive a certain fulfillment for products endorsed by their favorite celebrities. Some would just prefer to buy a product or utilize a service endorsed by a celebrity. It is for these reasons that most companies today believe and trust that the endorsement of their products by a well-known celebrity will help sell their goods and services.
Celebrity endorsements are used by countless businesses of all shapes and sizes as a marketing strategy. While some critics state that they have little positive impact on business sales, others assert that by using them, the benefits that a company can enjoy are countless.
Here is a few reason why you should employ celebrity endorsement as a marketing strategy for your products or services.
It enhances the credibility of a business
Companies enjoy enhanced credibility by choosing and endorsing the right celebrities for their products. Celebrities have their specialized niche which ranges from music and film, fitness, fashion, sports, etc. Therefore, as a business, you ought to take advantage of this and hire a celebrity whose specialization is in line with the product or service you seek to endorse. For example, a fitness trainer or author will work well at endorsing a health and fitness product or service.
So note that customers will take your business and product more seriously if the right celebrity endorses your product.
It boasts a business' brand awareness
Without a doubt, celebrities are good at networking, and they also enjoy easy access to a broad network. These are persons that love to take pictures which are often spread across magazines, blogs, social media, etc. This, therefore, means that using a well-known celebrity will significantly boost your brand in your target market and beyond.
In this regard, choosing a celebrity to endorse your products could be great as this will give your product the ultimate exposure across the market. For example, if you design and sell a waist trainer and a celebrity is seen training with one of these, fitness enthusiast will want to know more about the waist trainer and the brand. Before you know it, prospective customers will be calling, tweeting and messaging asking to learn more about the product and how they can get it. Ultimately, this relates to increased brand awareness as well increased sales.
Great promotional tool
Last but not least, celebrity endorsements tend to add significant value to a company's PR as it quickly attracts the attention of paparazzi and the media in general. As a business, the greatest tactic you can use to promote your product is by getting a celebrity to talk about it. When a celebrity does this, your product will receive media hype and lots of attention from the general public. Without all these, your company runs the risk of staying in the shadows and losing out on hugely profitable sales.
Marketing implications of Celebrity Endorsement
A celebrity endorsement provides an alternative to creative ads. Where creative ads are more prone towards logic or humour, celebrity endorsements mainly focus on the strengths of the celebrity and more often, it mainly tends to make the celebrity speak directly to the public "I use this brand, do you" and in essence the celebrity is speaking to his loyalists – "I am using this brand and so should you".
However, the marketer also has to take care about the reputation of the endorser and should prefer to stay with a celebrity which has a stable image and not that the image of the celebrity changes every few weeks. Michael jordan, Sachin Tendulkar and Michael Schumacher are celebrities whose images are stable and are hard to change. Thus for leading organizations, they are one of the most preferable endorsers.
Conclusion
If used appropriately, celebrity endorsements can make an excellent and exceptionally viable marketing strategy. That being said, the right celebrity must be chosen who is enthusiastic about your brand and will positively endorse your product and ultimately boost your sales.
Any other favorite celebrity endorsement you would like mentioned here? Feel free to comment.
Infomercials are an advertisement technique that is usually produced and paid for by a company seeking to promote its products and services. The effect of infomercials, once they reach the target market, has been quite successful and so persuasive in most countries. Today most celebrities are keen on endorsing a product for which they are paid a high amount of money. Firms put loads of money in partnering their brands with qualities such as attractiveness, amiability, and dependability.
But why endorse a product which one has not even used yet? For starters, customers derive a certain fulfillment for products endorsed by their favorite celebrities. Some would just prefer to buy a product or utilize a service endorsed by a celebrity. It is for these reasons that most companies today believe and trust that the endorsement of their products by a well-known celebrity will help sell their goods and services.
Celebrity endorsements are used by countless businesses of all shapes and sizes as a marketing strategy. While some critics state that they have little positive impact on business sales, others assert that by using them, the benefits that a company can enjoy are countless.
Here is a few reason why you should employ celebrity endorsement as a marketing strategy for your products or services.
It enhances the credibility of a business
Companies enjoy enhanced credibility by choosing and endorsing the right celebrities for their products. Celebrities have their specialized niche which ranges from music and film, fitness, fashion, sports, etc. Therefore, as a business, you ought to take advantage of this and hire a celebrity whose specialization is in line with the product or service you seek to endorse. For example, a fitness trainer or author will work well at endorsing a health and fitness product or service.
So note that customers will take your business and product more seriously if the right celebrity endorses your product.
It boasts a business' brand awareness
Without a doubt, celebrities are good at networking, and they also enjoy easy access to a broad network. These are persons that love to take pictures which are often spread across magazines, blogs, social media, etc. This, therefore, means that using a well-known celebrity will significantly boost your brand in your target market and beyond.
In this regard, choosing a celebrity to endorse your products could be great as this will give your product the ultimate exposure across the market. For example, if you design and sell a waist trainer and a celebrity is seen training with one of these, fitness enthusiast will want to know more about the waist trainer and the brand. Before you know it, prospective customers will be calling, tweeting and messaging asking to learn more about the product and how they can get it. Ultimately, this relates to increased brand awareness as well increased sales.
Great promotional tool
Last but not least, celebrity endorsements tend to add significant value to a company's PR as it quickly attracts the attention of paparazzi and the media in general. As a business, the greatest tactic you can use to promote your product is by getting a celebrity to talk about it. When a celebrity does this, your product will receive media hype and lots of attention from the general public. Without all these, your company runs the risk of staying in the shadows and losing out on hugely profitable sales.
Marketing implications of Celebrity Endorsement
A celebrity endorsement provides an alternative to creative ads. Where creative ads are more prone towards logic or humour, celebrity endorsements mainly focus on the strengths of the celebrity and more often, it mainly tends to make the celebrity speak directly to the public "I use this brand, do you" and in essence the celebrity is speaking to his loyalists – "I am using this brand and so should you".
However, the marketer also has to take care about the reputation of the endorser and should prefer to stay with a celebrity which has a stable image and not that the image of the celebrity changes every few weeks. Michael jordan, Sachin Tendulkar and Michael Schumacher are celebrities whose images are stable and are hard to change. Thus for leading organizations, they are one of the most preferable endorsers.
Conclusion
If used appropriately, celebrity endorsements can make an excellent and exceptionally viable marketing strategy. That being said, the right celebrity must be chosen who is enthusiastic about your brand and will positively endorse your product and ultimately boost your sales.
Any other favorite celebrity endorsement you would like mentioned here? Feel free to comment.
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