It appears to me that the advertising world has really taken a liking to the idea of celebrity endorsements. Services and products ranging from nonprofit organizations to face cleansing solutions have used celebrities as a marketing tool. It’s rare to watch TV these days or flip through a magazine without seeing a celebrity grace the screen or pages to promote something. I wonder though, is it really effective?
As much as I want to say, “No it’s not effective, and nobody cares what acne solution Jessica Simpson uses or what P Diddy’s vodka of choice is,” I can’t. While it has no personal effect on me, it is still a powerful marketing tool. I’ll be the first to admit that I do keep up with celebrity gossip and I too, just like so many other Americans, have somewhat of a “fascination” with the rich and famous; but still, what they claim to use, support, eat, drink, or whatever else doesn’t necessarily make me want to follow.
I find it particularly humorous when celebrities come off sounding as if they don’t really know what they’re talking about while promoting a product. My favorite example of this is the ProActiv commercial which features Lindsay Lohan. While talking about one of the products she says, “I actually think I keep some in my car, too.” You think Miss Lohan? Either you use the product religiously like you claim you do, or you don’t.
Okay, so that’s the only not-so-perfect example of a celebrity endorsement that comes to mind. A lot of advertising campaigns do, however, use a more meaningful and sincere approach. Several non-profit organizations use celebrities to relay their message. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for instance, once had a PSA filled with well-known stars such as Jennifer Aniston and Bernie Mac. That particular campaign was full of emotion, hitting the viewers’ hearts.
Perhaps the reason non-profit organizations, as well as nationally known corporations use the star factor as a marketing technique is to establish a greater degree of credibility, or to help consumers remember the product. According to the website Cool Avenues, “The reason behind the popularity of celebrity advertising is the advertisers’ belief that brand images built through celebrities achieve a higher degree of attention and recall for consumers, which will eventually lead to higher sales.”
BrandChannel.com believes that celebrity endorsements are a very wise idea, and that the revenue is the proof. This website provides the example of the “legend” of the clothing company, Tommy Hilfiger. According to the story, rapper Snoop Dogg appeared on Saturday Night Live wearing a shirt with the Tommy Hilfiger logo on it. Afterwards the clothing company saw a $100 million sales jump over the year.
Apparently in that instance, using a celebrity to promote a product wasn’t such a bad idea. But maybe, just maybe, companies should make sure the public figure they hire is the appropriate fit and knows exactly what he or she is endorsing.
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