Customers tend to feel more obligated to make a purchase from someone they trust, relate to, or idolise from the standpoint of a buyer. That is why a celebrity endorsement is so effective. Celebrities can frequently encourage buyers to click “purchase” when they would otherwise hesitate.
However, while it is an excellent way to expand your business, it may be costly and, in certain situations, unsafe. These setbacks are particularly difficult for small firms and start-ups. So, how do you get your goods into the hands of a celebrity when you don’t have a big brand? Continue reading to discover out.
What is a Celebrity Endorsement?
Celebrity endorsement, also known as celebrity branding or celebrity advertising, is a marketing approach that promotes a company or product by leveraging a celebrity’s reputation and image. Other applications include non-profit organisations that use a celebrity’s celebrity to garner publicity or funds for a cause. Alternatively, event marketers might use a celebrity’s renown and popularity to generate buzz and prestige for their virtual or hybrid event.
Your celebrity of choice does not have to be a movie star. Brands have created outstanding branding efforts by collaborating with musicians, athletes, social media celebrities, and even fake characters such as cartoons. Image (does the celebrity represent your values?) and following (how large an audience will you reach through this celebrity) are the two primary considerations that will define your choice of celebrity.
Why Use Celebrities for Advertising?
Brands collaborate with celebrities for a variety of reasons. According to Forbes, celebrity endorsement increases short-term revenue and long-term brand exposure.
Celebrity marketing can also be used to signify a significant transition for a company, such as the debut of a new product, market growth, or brand repositioning. Nike has traditionally mostly sponsored tennis and track athletes. When they intended to extend their market, they collaborated with NBA star Michael Jordan to develop a new product line and produce a series of advertisements that were a huge success.
Celebrity branding can also be an effective tactic for differentiating yourself from your competition and gaining an advantage in a crowded industry.
Types of Celebrity Endorsements
A celebrity can endorse your company or product in a variety of ways.
#1. Celebrity ads and commercials
These ads can be shown as banners and movies for paid campaigns, on social media, or as YouTube video bumpers. You can even go the more traditional route and buy television commercial time or have the celebrity host an infomercial rather than an advertisement.
#2. Celebrity appearances in live events
Brands frequently engage a celebrity to deliver a keynote speech or to host their entire hybrid or virtual event.
#3. Celebrity signature product lines
Some companies put a celebrity’s name or face right on their product. This is popular in industries such as music instruments, apparel, and other items such as Vitaminwater, to which 50 Cent contributed his visage.
#4. Celebrity spokesperson
Celebrity spokesperson advertising is widespread in the non-profit and causes sectors. The celebrity draws publicity by speaking in the organization’s name at third-party events and to the media.
As part of the arrangement, brands may award (usually honorary) titles to their celebrity. Lady Gaga has a “day job” as Polaroid’s Creative Director. For golf manufacturer Callaway, Justin Timberlake holds the same position. It must be a lot of fun hanging out around the coffee machine. However, it also makes a strong statement to the consumer.
How to Get Celebrity Endorsements
Celebrity endorsements today seem far different than they did in the past.
Prior to the advent of social media, A-list celebrities were employed to endorse brands through TV commercials, print advertisements, and other traditional marketing tactics, such as Justin Timberlake’s McDonald’s marketing campaign in 2003.
Although celebrities might frequently attract a big audience, the relationship between the endorser and the brand was frequently at best tenuous.
Today’s advertising is very different, with a greater emphasis on the relationship between the endorser and the consumer than ever before.
Consider Jennifer Aniston’s partnership with Aveeno or Roger Federer’s partnership with Nike. These celebrities were not “randomly chosen” for these products based just on their fame; rather, their lifestyle and professional choices made them ideal brand endorsers.
However, there is no one-size-fits-all technique for choosing the ideal brand endorser. Who do you want to be the face of your brand? What should you spend? What type of audience are you hoping to attract?
Here are a few things to think about before you start your search.
#1. Figure out your budget.
Before proceeding with an endorsement, you should decide how much money you want to spend. Once you’ve decided on a figure, it’s critical that you stay to it.
#2. Understand your intended audience.
Determine who you want to target your marketing efforts on before looking for a celebrity. This is also a fantastic opportunity to conduct research and define your buyer personas.
What types of customers do you wish to attract? Where is your audience spending the most time? Do you wish to reach a small or huge number of people? Before engaging an influencer, consider the type of audience you want to target.
#3. Find celebrities who can show a passion for your brand.
It’s all about identifying the appropriate candidate to meet your brand’s objective, whether it’s a top-tier athlete or a YouTube sensation.
It may appear clear that selecting a popular celebrity will garner the greatest attention, and in some circumstances, this is correct.
Finding an influencer who is passionate about your cause, on the other hand, might give your brand authenticity. Also, if they believe in your idea, it will be lot easier to present it to them.
#4. Make direct contact.
While the internet makes many high-profile persons appear easily accessible nowadays, determining the best technique to reach them can be tricky. For some, the easiest way to contact them is through their agency; for others, a straight email or social media message might suffice. Before sending out enquiries, conduct research to identify which contact method has the highest success rate.
#5. Work with an agency.
Working with a talent agency, according to Jones, is the best approach to position your company to benefit from a celebrity association. These agencies already have substantial celebrity contacts, and bringing them on board can make it easier for the agency’s customers to follow suit. A partnership like this can help your business gain publicity in a variety of ways, such as having a celebrity tweet about your product or arranging a launch party where your product is viewed with celebrities in attendance.
Social Media Celebrity Endorsements
Because of the prevalence of social media marketing, celebrity endorsements have a stronger impact than ever before – which is fantastic for small businesses.
Why? For starters, social media is often less expensive than more traditional outlets such as television and radio. Furthermore, it is frequently more effective than traditional marketing campaigns. Social media may establish a direct connection between your brand and the consumer.
And, let’s face it, who isn’t on social media? 79% of Americans have at least one social media presence. Finally, social media provides a tremendous chance for small businesses to boost brand recognition and reach a wider audience. You should give it a shot.
Examples of Successful Celebrity Endorsements
Let’s now look at some examples of successful celebrity endorsements.
#1. Michael Jordan and Nike
Michael Jordan’s collaboration with Nike to launch the Air Jordan brand was one of the most legendary endorsements. Nike and Jordan demonstrate the power of great marketing and the proper celebrity to make a celebrity endorsement a success.
Jordan’s endorsement began at the outset of his NBA career. Jordan was regarded as one of the best players in the NBA, so it was an easy decision for Nike, a footwear business, to strike a deal with him.
Nike began with the iconic red and black Air Jordan I, the shoe that started it all. The NBA banned the shoe shortly after its introduction because the hues violated their “all white” shoe rules.
Jordan wore them anyway, but he was fined $5,000 each time he did. This quickly grabbed public notice and launched one of Nike’s most successful marketing campaigns.
#2. Ed Sheeran and Heinz
Ed Sheeran and Heinz are two of the odder endorsements. Sheeran, a singer/songwriter, collaborated with the food business Heinz on a limited edition bottle dubbed “Edchup.” As strange as it may seem, Sheeran is a big admirer of their ketchup. So much so that he has it tattooed on his arm.
#3. Uber Eats and Patrick Stewart vs. Mark Hamill
Uber Eats scored a home swing with its 2020 campaign, resolving several age-old rivalries in a single ad: Star Wars vs. Star Trek, Tom-ay-to vs. Tom-ah-to,… and popular dishes in the United States against popular dishes in the United Kingdom. Uber Eats collaborated with British Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart and American Star Wars actor Mark Hamill on this advertisement. Uber Eats kindly delivers food to both sides as they work out their disagreements. The message is unmistakable. Pure brilliance.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Celebrity Endorsement?
Let’s go through some extra tips for getting the most out of your celebrity endorsement:
#1. Make it a long-term commitment
It’s best to think of celebrity endorsement as a long-term strategy. It takes time for the public to associate the celebrity with the brand and recognise them as such. Particularly if you’re leveraging celebrity endorsement to acquire new audiences or reposition your brand.
#2. Create a 360-degree campaign centred on your celebrity.
Celebrity marketing is an expensive business. You’ll want to do more with it than just release a brief video for a paid campaign. Prepare to flex all of your marketing muscles and make a big splash.
#3. Keep the legalities in mind
Legal issues distinguish celebrity branding from other types of marketing campaigns. You will have to deal with complex contracts, agents, and unions. Make sure your legal team is on board, but consider employing external experts with celebrity project experience.
#4. Strengthen working relationships
A celebrity endorsement is a close partnership between several parties, each with their own ambitions and requirements. And when it comes to preserving its celebrity’s image and career, Hollywood agents are infamous for being tough cookies. Making the effort to establish trust and rapport with all parties involved will go a long way.
#5. Follow your celebrity
There’s no need to monitor your celebrity, but you should keep an eye on their behaviours and activities to ensure they adhere to your company’s ideals. You should incorporate a clause in your contract that addresses these types of scenarios.
#6. Track your progress.
There are no simple and straightforward criteria for measuring the success of your celebrity campaign, but it is critical to assess the quantitative and qualitative impact of the endorsement on your brand, lead generation, and sales. If at all possible, avoid scheduling your celebrity campaign at the same time as other large promotions or known seasonal performance swings, so you can isolate the performance of your celebrity branding and calculate your ROI more accurately.
What are the 4 Types of Celebrity Endorsements?
The kind of deals you can make with celebrities, regardless of how you roll out the campaign, generally fall into one of the following categories:
- One-Off Celebrity Deals
- Unofficial Deals
- Long-Term Celebrity Deals
- Offer the Celebrity Equity
What is the Biggest Celebrity Endorsement?
Some of the highest-paid endorsements include Lionel Messi’s USD 1 billion deal with Adidas in 2017, David Beckham’s Adidas deal at USD 168 million, George Foreman’s deal with Salton Inc. valued over USD 138 million, and Tiger Woods’ deal with Nike worth USD 100 million.
Who was the First Celebrity Endorsement?
In 1882, pioneering FMCG advertiser Pears Soap used West End actress Lily Langtree on its ads, making her the first celebrity to ‘endorse’ a commercial product.
Does Nike Have a Celebrity Endorsement?
Nike is also well-known for another feature: its frequent use of celebrities to promote the brand. In fact, one of the most successful brand-celebrity relationships is that of Nike and Michael Jordan.
How Successful is Celebrity Endorsement?
Celebrity endorsements aren’t just a terrific method to increase business recognition and reputation. According to a recent study, celebrity endorsements can boost a company’s sales by 4%. The main disadvantage is that hiring a celebrity can be costly and, in certain situations, hazardous for small enterprises.
Conclusion
Regardless of the size of your company, celebrity endorsements can be a great tool in enhancing your marketing efforts. Nonetheless, before entering into any agreements, it is critical to have a clear vision and identify your target audience.
Ultimately, regardless of the collaborations you pursue, being true to your brand is critical. By emphasising these concepts, you can appeal to others who share your views.
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