When
we watch television or flip through a magazine many ads have a celebrities face
as the focus of their ad. This
is intended to catch consumer’s attention leading them to further read the ad
and later go out and purchase the product. Although celebrity endorsements are commonly used and
can add to the success of a brand, shouldn’t products be strong enough where
celebrities are not needed within the company’s ad campaigns?
Companies
normally spend a ton of money on celebrity endorsements and in some cases before
they know it there is something negative about the celebrity in the media, therefore
bringing their product down with the star. In the article Save
Your Money: Celebrity Endorsements Not Worth The Cost, Kevin Harrington
uses the example what if you recently invested big bucks into Justin Bieber and
the next morning you wake up to find out he “had been arrested and charged with drunken driving, resisting arrest
and driving without a valid license.” Now, instead of this celebrity creating a
positive image for your product, they instead have caused it to crumble to
pieces.
Of
course, there are many advantages of celebrity endorsements, but there are also
risky disadvantages that go along with this marketing tactic. Companies are
faced with many pros and cons that must be taken into account when considering
investing in a celebrity endorsement. According to The Pert Group, these advantages include the celebrity’s
ability to enhance brand equity and name recognition, adding a new dimension
for a brand, increasing brand credibility, and lastly bringing a certain
personality to a brand.
Disadvantages include celebrities making mistakes and looking bad in the
publics eye, a celebrity changing their image, consumers being skeptical if the
celebrity actually uses the product, the high cost of investing in a celebrity
endorsement, and you have to make sure your celebrity has a direct connection
to the brand (McMahon).
Essentially,
for the endorsement to be successful the celebrity has to embody and “be” the
product. In the article The Value of Celebrity Endorsements by
Henry Schaefer he states, “ The key
ingredient for making this work is insuring that the celebrity spokesperson is
perceived to be compatible with the brand and the product category, and that
these important perceptions are based on the brand's target consumers.”
Beyonce,
an overall well-liked celebrity who very rarely has any negative publicity
signed a $50 million promotional deal with Pepsi in December 2012
(Miller). This caused many
controversies because previously she was involved in Michelle Obama’s Let’s
Move fitness campaign (Wallace). Pepsi
even had a decline in sales when Beyonce was the face of their brand. Beyonce
doesn’t personify the brand Pepsi. Pepsi is a soda brand that Americans are
advised to stay away from because of it known harmful health risks. Instead,
Beyonce personifies a strong fit woman who takes care of herself, eats well,
and wouldn’t be an everyday Pepsi drinker. In December 2012, The Center for Science in the
Public Interest encouraged Beyonce to abandon the deal. They wrote in an open
letter to her: “Your image is one of success, health, talent, fitness, and
glamour. But by lending your name and image to PepsiCo, you are associating
those positive attributes with a product that is quite literally sickening
Americans.”
On the other hand, pro-athlete endorsements within the
sports industry tend to be particularly successful. Yes, there is always the
risk that there could be negative publicity toward the athlete just like any
other celebrity endorsement, but there becomes a certain emotional connection
between a fan and their favorite player when they are representing a sports
brand. Some fans even make
the connection that if they buy those shoes or wear a certain brand they can be
more like that player and be a better athlete themselves. When a pro-athlete is sponsored by a
brand they wear this brand everywhere they go and make the brand a part of
their everyday life.
So,
overall what makes a good celebrity endorsement deal is when the celebrity and
the brand have similarities. When
the consumer sees an advertisement that has their favorite celebrity and is
confident that the star actually uses the product, this causes them to form an
emotional connection with that particular brand. In this case, will celebrity endorsements continue to grow
in the future, or is it becoming harder for brands to find celebrities that are
relatable to their product?
Work Cited:
-"The Value of Celebrity Endorsements." QScores.com
27 Jan. 2014. Web.
-Barker,
Andrew. "Branding Deals With Pop Stars Go Beyond the Casual
Endorsement." Variety. Variety Media LLC, 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 05
Apr. 2014.
-Bittman,
Mark. "Why Do Stars Think It’s O.K. to Sell Soda?" Opinionator Why
Do Stars Think Its OK to Sell Soda. The New York Times Company, 5 Jan.
2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
-McMahon,
Jen. "The Price of Fame: Advantages & Risks When Using Celebrity
Endorsements | Market Research Firm | Brand Positioning | Business Growth
Strategies| The Pert Group Blog." Market Research Firm Brand
Positioning Business Growth Strategies The Pert Group Blog. The Pert Group,
2 Nov. 2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
-Harrington, Kevin. "Save
Your Money: Celebrity Endorsements Not Worth The Cost." Forbes.
Forbes Magazine, 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
-Miller,
Julie. "Beyoncé Signs $50 Million Deal with (and Secures Unlikely Art
Patronage From) Pepsi." Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair Conde Nast
Digital, 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
-Wallace,
Tracey. "5 Ridiculous Celebrity Endorsements That Went Way Wrong." PolicyMic.
Mic Network Inc., 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
It seems like marketing and celebrity endorsements go hand in hand. Every year companies dish out billions of dollars in order to gain endorsements from various celebrities. As a marketing minor I have studied many different marketing techniques, and while it may seem that celebrity endorsements are the only tools in a marketer’s box there are plenty of other viable options that companies can pursue. So why are celebrity endorsements so popular? Despite how expensive they are, celebrity endorsements are relatively easy for companies to implement and they are often used a short cut.
ReplyDeleteAs was mentioned in the article by P. David Marshall, society uses celebrities as a way to identify themselves and share information about who they are with others (P. David 427). Companies use their celebrity spokespeople in a similar way. But, more often than not they choose a celebrity to dictate their brand identity, rather than having a clear idea of the brand’s persona and finding a celebrity to fit that image. A celebrity endorsement should strengthen an already existing brand perception, not create one out of thin air. Brands whose image relies solely on a celebrity are in trouble, because if nothing else as media studies majors, we’ve learned that celebrity can be fleeting. If you pin your brand on one person, you better pray that that person has staying power.
Despite my opinion that celebrity endorsements are the easy way out, they are not all bad. According to "QScores.com" article “celebrity endorsements can have a significant impact on increasing consumer awareness and purchase intentions for virtually every product category” (“The Value” 1). The most important aspect of creating a successful brand-celebrity relationship is making sure that the chosen celebrity is perceived to be consistent with the brand image. There is nothing consistent about pairing Tim Tebow with T-Mobile. Sure they share an initial and advertisers obviously worked hard at creating an entertaining Super Bowl ad, but other than that there is nothing that relates a Christ-fearing football player to a phone carrier. It is unclear what T-Mobile was trying to say about their brand when they made Tebow their spokesperson, and therefor it was an unsuccessful celebrity endorsement. It doesn’t matter if you’ve snagged the hottest celebrity for your latest ad campaign, if the relationship doesn’t make sense then it will seem desperate and disingenuous.
There is also the trouble with celebrities having too many endorsements. Take Shaquille O’Neal for example. He has endorsed everything from Taco Bell and Burger King, to Icy Hot and most recently the Buick LaCrosse. Is there a product that Shaq won’t endorse? Having someone like that represent your brand creates confusion for customers. One of the benefits of celebrity endorsements is the ability to set your brand apart, but when your celebrity also represents a dozen other brands, there is little to no brand distinction. The billions of dollars spent on Shaq’s endorsement could have been put to better use by creating a strong ad campaign sans-celebrity. If your endorser is not viewed as unique to your product, what is the point of spending all that money? There is none, and to refer to my prior statement, its just marketing laziness. I do not foresee celebrity endorsements going anywhere in the future. When used correctly they can be a strong reinforcement of who the brand is, and can be a great way to connect with the target market. But when used incorrectly, it can diminish the brand’s equity. Celebrity endorsements should be used to compliment an already strong campaign, not support the entire brand on their back.
Works Cited
-"The Value of Celebrity Endorsements." QScores.com 27 Jan. 2014. Web.
- P. David Marshall, “The Promotion and Presentation of Self: Celebrity as Marker of Presentational Media,” in The Media Studies Reader, Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012), 427 - 438.
You bring up a really good point about celebrity endorsements. If a company is offering a quality product, why do they need celebrity endorsements? And really it all comes down to the bottom line, money. Our society is so invested in celebrity culture that that’s what gets us to fork over more money. In the same way that we are more likely to buy a magazine with our favorite celebrity on the cover, we are more likely to buy a product that our favorite celebrity has endorsed.
ReplyDeleteI always have to remind myself to be skeptical of celebrity endorsements. Recently, I was watching TV with my roommates and we saw an ad for Aveeno skin care with Jennifer Aniston as the face of the commercial, and she said something along the lines of, “what’s my advice for radiant skin? A good nights sleep and Aveeno.” Now, none of us believe that she actually uses $10 drug store skin care products but, that being said, I think she is really a good choice for the company as the face of Aveeno. She has always had the naturally beautiful, fresh-faced look that Aveeno says their products promote, and, in my personal opinion, she’s never looked better than she does right now. Furthermore, I can’t think of an instance where she has come under fire in the press, and has always given off the image that she is a down to earth, trustworthy person. So, to me, Jennifer Aniston is a great choice for a celebrity endorsement. Even when she was featured in the Smart Water ads, I have to admit was more attracted to Smart Water.
I agree 100% with the Henry Schaefer’s statement that, “the key ingredient for making this work is insuring that the celebrity spokesperson is perceived to be compatible with the brand and the product category, and that these important perceptions are based on the brand's target consumers” in his article “The Value of Celebrity Endorsements.” I think if a company is going to choose to use a celebrity endorsement as a marketing strategy, they can’t underestimate how smart consumers are. It’s easy to tell when an endorsement is a good match or not. And if it’s not, then consumers are likely to become skeptical of the quality of the product, and even less trustworthy of the company as a whole.
I think you made this point perfectly when mentioning Beyoncé’s endorsement of Pepsi. This just wasn’t a good fit. Even though Beyoncé has always been and continues to be a well liked celebrity according to Raechal Leone Shewfelt’s article “Celeb Winners and Losers of 2013.” She signed the deal with Pepsi in December 2012 and her image was strong throughout 2013 but Pepsi actually saw a decline in sales when she was the face of the brand, not as a direct result of a negative image on her part, but because she just wasn’t the right figure to promote the brand.
Works Cited:
Schaefer, Henry. "The Value of Celebrity Endorsements." QScores.com 27 Jan. 2014. Web.
Shewfelt, Raechal Leone. "Celeb Winners and Losers of 2013." OMG! 27 Dec. 2013. Web.
When you ask whether celebrity endorsements are on the incline or decline, I started immediately thinking about the endorsements that I see at my two jobs. At WWE, my office is full of Fruity Pebbles boxes featuring a cartoon version of John Cena, at my seasonal fragrance job posters of Scarlett Johanssen for Dolce & Gabbana and Blake Lively for Gucci line the aisles. In all of these cases, I believe the endorsements work. It’s common sense that John Cena definitely does not eat Fruity Pebbles, but his WWE character appeals to children, therefore he has the power to help the cereal sell more product with his face on the box. Realistically, Scar Jo and Blake Lively could be using D&G or Gucci respectively, but it’s their gorgeous presences that make people stop and want to smell the fragrances – I’ve witnessed that first hand.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I agree when you talk about Beyonce being unfit for Pepsi – they were better off recruiting her husband for the job. “The perceived celebrity/brand relationship needs to be strong” (Schafer), and Beyonce drinking Pepsi surely isn’t something her fans can easily imagine. Given your blog, and the readings from this week, I’ve concluded that research beyond star power needs to be conducted before choosing a celebrity to endorse a product. And even so, the most thoroughly conducted research does not serve as an accurate prediction. For example, Tiger Woods seemed like a safe bet for Nike, but everyone knows that didn’t exactly work out. That being said, likability can fade naturally (for example, I loved Beyonce back in the day, but now I can’t stand anything about her), so for a company to want one endorser long-term could really just be the main problem. A few ads are one thing, but to make someone the ‘face’ of a company, as seen with someone like Tiger Woods, can go downhill real fast.
Overall, the importance lies in the hands of the endorsee, not the endorser. Celebrities are going to make just as many mistakes – if not, more mistakes – than the average human, and this needs to be taken into consideration when choosing a person to go hand-in-hand with a brand. The example you gave about Justin Bieber randomly getting arrested is the perfect lesson for agencies that make these bold decisions. Yes, the face can help with sales (I’ve used Matthe McConaughey’s ‘endorsement’ of Dolce & Gabbana cologne as a selling point many times at my fragrance job), but other times it just seems forced, and even like another hop on the “Beyonce”, “Adam Levine”, or “Kardashian” bandwagon. Just looking at the Celeb Winners and Losers List of 2013 shows how many celebrities with endorsement deals have gone down hill in a matter of 12 months of less, so no, hiring a celebrity to pull in sales may not always be the best idea. When done in moderation, by a celebrity who actually cares about the product (if that’s even possible), the celebrity endorsement formula may just prove to be successful.
Works Cited:
Schaefer, Henry. "The Value of Celebrity Endorsements." QScores.com 27 Jan. 2014. Web.
Shewfelt, Raechal Leone. "Celeb Winners and Losers of 2013." OMG! 27 Dec. 2013. Web.