Catherine Zeta Jones for T-Mobile

After reading so much about the use of celebrities in advertisements, I've found myself paying much more attention to commercials using celebs. T-mobile's decision to use Catherine Zeta Jones is one that doesn't make much sense to me. It's not that she has a negative image, but she's also someone I'd bet knows little about technology or cell phones.

One factor that crucial to analyze is whether or not the celebrity is credible for a given product or category. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is a credible celeb for Ciroc vodka. Known for throwing some of the largest celebrity parties and his overall lifestyle, I'd trust him to know a thing or two about quality alcohol. Then there is Angelina Jolie for Louis Vuitton. I consider Angelina Jolie to be a style icon, so she is a quite credible source for the LV brand, and I'd trust that she'd actually wear their clothing.



In highly image-driven consumer categories such as fashion, perfume or liquor, celebrity endorsements can be credible. For sporting goods, endorsement by an athlete can work wonders. Look at Michael Jordan's success with Nike. However, categories that require more consideration, such as financial services or technology, a celebrity endorser isn’t likely to have much of a positive impact. This might be why T-mobile decided to drop Catherine Zeta Jones when her contract ended. It can also explain the decision of Carl's Jr. to drop Paris Hilton from their ad campaign. It can be assumed that neither of these women are credible sources for either of these products, leaving me to have a hard time taking these ads (or brands) seriously.

Celebs: A Big Waste of Money

Earlier this year, ad age wrote an article based on studies that showed celebrities in advertising don't pay big dividends. In other words, using big names to sell a product is a big waste of money. The study showed that fewer than 12% of ads using celebrities exceeded a 10% lift, and one-fifth of celebrity ads had a negative effect on advertising effectiveness (Daboll).

Does this mean celebs are losing their spark at influencing consumers? According to the author, that's exactly what it means. The article says that consumers aren't the same as they used to be. In fact, the same ads that influenced us five years ago would probably be ineffective today.

In other words, it takes a lot more than a movie star or rock star to sell us something. As consumers, we are much more informed, time compressed, and critical. There's not much we haven't seen, and we're difficult to impress. Having an enormous amount of ads thrown at us is annoying enough, and sometimes the idea of celeb pushing them makes it more irritating. In fact, the study shows that consumers want relevance and messages that contain quality attributes.

If you take a look at the worst celebrity endorsements of 2010, Tiger Woods was at the top of the list. Not just because of the controversy surrounding his scandal, but because marketers went about advertising the brand the wrong way. They focused on addressing his "mistakes," rather than the product he was supposed to be promoting. If an ad has bad creative, mixing a celeb usually makes it even less effective and more confusing to the viewer.

What it comes down to is adding a celebrity to an already poor creative message is like rubbing salt in the wound. Brands need to charging their agencies to create ads that have a strong, creative message that has a high level of relevance, information, desire and attention. Just because an ad is popular, funny and goes viral doesn't mean sales went up for the product. In the same way, just because a celeb is has dozens of box-office hits or platinum selling albums doesn't mean they'll be able to sell a particular product. The study shows that there is a negative relationship between celebrities and ad effectiveness.

Using Multiple Celebs & the Milk Mustache Campaign

Everyone can recall the milk mustache ads promoting the consumption of milk. Singers, actors, comedians, and athletes were all featured in the ads. What made the campaign so unique was that it a largely diverse amount of celebrities.

After noticing a significant decline in the consumption of milk, the marketing goal of the campaign was to change consumers attitudes toward milk and increase public awareness of its nutrition facts.

What made this campaign so successful? Was it the use of celebrities, the number of celebrities, or was it the specific marketing strategy? There's no doubt that the campaign wouldn't have been successful if any regular Joe was featured in the ads. To change the people's perception of milk, they had to see public figures with qualities that consumers emulated. The first milk mustache ads were targeted toward females, and used celebs like Christie Brinkley and Kate Moss. They then expanded their ads to include male celebrities, child celebrities, allowing the advertisers to widen its appeal to a much more diverse audience. Men were reached by using celebrities like Spike Lee and Matthew Fox. The campaign even appealed to teens when Britney Spears was featured wearing a milk mustache and the growth and development benefits of milk.


However, using a large number of celebrities is not always beneficial or necessary. The reason this particular campaign was so successful utilizing a multi-celebrity endorsement strategy was because the it was aimed at very large, diverse audience. Many products have a specific target audience that fits into a certain demographic, certain age group, gender, lifestyle, etc. The milk campaign needed to reach both men and women, all age groups, all lifestyles, etc. It was necessary to mix up the advertising message and target each of them to different audience members.

In addition, employing a number of celebrities can also help the advertiser build a sense of consensus and avoid audience boredom. It is important for the marketer to carefully manage the choice of celebrity and how it fits with the product. The goal is to appeal to the intended segments without confusing audience's about the product or the brand image (Chung-kue,McDonald).













Works Cited

Chung-kue Hsu, Daniella McDonald, (2002) "An examination on multiple celebrity endorsers in advertising", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 11 Iss: 1, pp.19 - 29

Celebrities Endorsing Diets

An article published in the New York Times in August discussed weight loss products using celebrity endorsements. One of the most famous weight loss companies, Jenny Craig, used actress Carrie Fisher to promote their program. Last May, Fisher showed off her 30-pound weight loss in People magazine. However, employing celebrities can be a "double edged sword" (Broddesser-Akner). Weight loss companies take the risk that a celebrity will either be unable to lose the weight or gain the weight after the weight loss program. If this happens, it makes the product look like it doesn't work.

One of the newest celebrity endorsers for Weight Watchers is Jennifer Hudson, who has lost a significant amount of weight. Marie Osmond is also an inspirational success story for Nutrisystem.

Using "regular people" to promote weight loss products doesn't quite have the same effect. Sure we see average people on weight loss commercials on TV, but we don't know if they gain the weight back or if they lost more weight after the ad was aired. Celebrities, on the other hand, play out their weight loss journey under glaring lights. For example, we all remember Jenny Craig spokeswoman Kirstie Alley disrobing on "Oprah" flaunting her new bikini body, only to return to the show dressed more conservatively and considerably heavier.

Some of the companies don't see their celeb endorsers failing on the program harmful to their brand. They insist that it doesn't mean the product doesn't work, it just means that the celebrities aren't sticking to the program.

Works Cited

Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. "When Dieting Becomes a Role to Play." New York Times. 2 Aug. 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. .

When Celebrity Endorsements Hurt the Brand

Celebrity Endorsement Hurting the Brand

When a celebrity doesn't connect with the brand or product they are advertising, consumers lose confidence in the brand itself. If you see an ad and think, "They would never buy/use/ that," then you begin to focus more on the celebrity endorsing the product for the paycheck and less on the actual message of the ad.

A recent example is found in Jennifer Lopez's endorsement of the Fiat 500 car. There was no doubt that she'd be the face of some sort of ad campaign while she hosted American Idol, released an album, and divorced Marc Anthony, but the brand she chose to endorse didn't fit.

Another reason Fiat failed was that the ad focused on the celebrity and not on the car and why people should buy it. There failed to advertise the features of the car that encouraged people to buy it. The only message consumers walked away with was the promotion of her new song in the ad and that J-Lo was now single.

This is a perfect example of how a brand can use a celebrity endorser ineffectively.

I still don't know anyone who owns a Fiat 500.




Works Cited

Vara, Suzanne. "When Celebrity Endorsements Hurt the Brand." Business 2 Community. 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. .

50 Cent--too many endorsements?

It's been a while since I've actually heard a song from 50 Cent on the radio. However, that doesn't mean he hasn't been pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars. A September 2009 BusinessInsider.com article talks 50 Cent's "massive $150 million business empire." According to BusinessInsider, it was smart business moves more than anything else that propelled the rapper to where he is today. For example, 50 Cent did more than just endorse Vitamin Water on TV. He also negotiated a stake of the parent company for himself, which "netted him $100 million."

1. Vitamin Water
50’s best known and most lucrative recent revenue stream is his endorsement deal with Vitamin Water. After signing on to shill for the brand’s Formula 50 beverage, 50 got a stake in parent company, Energy Brands. When Coca-Cola bought Energy in May 2007, 50’s stake netted him $100 million. Vitamin Water also utilized his "Anger Management" concert tour with Eminem, in which they promoted Vitamin Water at each show.

2. Reebok
Reebok paid him $20 million in 2003 to license a G-Unit sneaker line. Reebok's reportedly sold more than 4 million pairs at $80 a pop, which means Fiddy's shoes have made more than $320 million in revenue.


3. Pontiac
He also had an endorsement deal with Pontiac, which sponsored his 2007 tour of New York City's five boroughs to promote his album, Curtis. 50 helped design a bright red G8 sedan and was also sponsoring an El Camino-like G8 pickup, which he unveiled at last year's New York City auto show.
4. Jacob & Co.
50 Cent is also the new face of Jacob & Co. high-end watches.

With so many endorsements going on at one time, it makes me wonder if one face representing so many brands can have a negative effect on the product. According to Hamish Pringle, who wrote Celebrity Sells in 2004, "There is research to show that consumers lose confidence in celebrities who do too many things. Consumers understand that celebrities are paid, so why should they be believed?" (Stromberg).

I believe that if one celebrity is advertising products that are in different brand categories, then there won't be a negative effect. 50 Cent's endorsements fall under beverages, cars, jewelry, shoes. None of these brands are in direct competition, and may even benefit from the rising popularity of other products. For example, if 50 Cent has the power to make Reebok shoes the coolest, desired sneaker, then it may make sales of Vitamin Water increase because consumers associate the rapper with a certain level of desire and prestige.










Works Cited

Angelova, Kamelia, and Hilary Lewis. "50 Cent's Massive Business Empire." Business Insider. 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 8 Oct. 2011. .


Stromberg, Dawn. "Do Celebrity Endorsements Really Persuade Consumer Buys? - Web Extras." The Globe - Point Park University. 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 8 Oct. 2011. .

Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty

Dove's decision to launch their "Real Beauty" campaign was risky. Founded on a message that forces us to reevaluate what society has deemed "beautiful," Dove used only real women in their ads--fat, wrinkles, cellulite and all! I remember when I first turned the page in my magazine and saw Dove's two-page ad with overweight, naked women. I was a little taken aback. I don't think I had the reaction to the brand that they'd hoped. However, their television ads, which showed how media's unrealistic definition of beauty is negatively affecting women and self esteem, were emotionally moving and changed perspective on the entire campaign. The next time I saw one of Dove's print ads, I appreciated the message more.

Within six months, sales of the products featured in the ads increased 600 percent in the first two months. The Campaign for Real Beauty exceeded company expectations, and global sales surpassed the $1 billion mark in 2004.

It wasn't just the campaign's empowering message to women that made it successful. And it wasn't just that it ventured away from celebrity endorsements into using "real women" in their various ads. I think what made this campaign so successful was the way it was packaged. It was the creative element.

For example, instead of calling their products "anti-aging," they pushed the idea of "pro-aging." The idea that aging was beautiful and should be embraced is what resonated with women, and made them remember the ads more.

This shows that an ad campaign doesn't have to include flawless celebrities to sell products. They need to truly understand their market--and advertise accordingly.




Works Cited:
http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2007/2259/the-real-story-behind-the-success-of-doves-campaign-for-real-beauty#ixzz1cJgL6ELP

Non Profits Celebrity Endorsements

In June 2001, Candie's launched The Candie's Foundation, a non profit organization, with the mission to educate America's youth about the devastating consequences of teenage pregnancy while educating and challenging America's youth to make healthy decisions about sex. Celebrities that have participated in the campaigns include Beyonce, Ciara, Jenny McCarthy, Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff, Ashlee Simpson, Usher, Rachel Bilson, and Fall Out Boy amongst many others.

Since its creation in 2001, millions of teenagers across the country have been exposed to the Candie's Foundation ads. Teamed up with national media outlets and teen pregnancy organizations, the ads have made more than 500 million media impressions in all major teen media outlets.
Since its inception in 2001, Candie’s Foundation ads have been seen by millions of teens across America.
• Print: Seventeen, Vibe, The Source, Blender, Teen Vogue, J14, Elle, InStyle, and Cosmopolitan
• Broadcast: MTV, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC Family, and the CW
• Online: AOL, MTV, The-N, MyYearbook.com, Seventeen.com, Black Planet.com, and perezhilton.com

Celebrity Participants
Celebrities that have participated in the campaigns include Vanessa Hudgens, Bristol Palin, Hayden Panettiere, Beyoncé, Ciara, Jenny McCarthy, Vanessa Minnillo, Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff, Ashlee Simpson, Usher, Rachel Bilson, as well as Teddy Geiger.




Campaign Messages
The overall message of our campaigns is ”Pause Before You Play”: pause to think about your future; pause to think about consequences; pause to evaluate your relationship; pause to delay sex; pause to get a condom; pause to ask “why now?” (Candie's Foundation).
Specific messages of our campaigns have included:

• I Never Thought I Would Be a Statistic
• Not Really the Way You Pictured Your First Crib
• Not What You Had in Mind for Your First Set of Wheels
• You Think Being in School Sucks?
• And you thought your parents were controlling?
• Be Sexy: It Doesn’t Mean You Have to Have Sex
• Be Smart: Don’t Give Up Your Education
• Be Smart: You Are Too Young to Start

Was the campaign effective?

Was it money well spent, after all?

Via CandiesFoundation.org:

In January 2011, the Candie's Foundation commissioned YPulse, a youth media research firm, to conduct a survey with 1,000 14-19 year-olds throughout the United States to compare impact and resonance of celebrity-driven teen pregnancy prevention PSAs with non-celebrity PSAs. Teens viewed four different video PSAs. The two Candie's Foundation PSAs featured Bristol Palin and Jenny McCarthy. The two comparison PSAs were produced by a national teen pregnancy prevention organization and featured non-famous teens. All four PSAs have received comparable national media air time. The survey found that teens viewing the celebrity ads were more likely to think about consequences of getting pregnant as a teen, abstain from having sex, and practice safe sex and pregnancy prevention than teens viewing the control group PSA's. According to the Candies Foundation's independent study, their ads proved to be anywhere from 38 to 57 percent more effective, more memorable, and more powerful than any others.

“Our approach is unique: all of our ads use celebrities that teens can relate to, in a style that speaks to teens on their own terms. We go beyond raising awareness; our goal is to influence teen culture” (Candie's Foundation).

The Candies Foundation spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to feature celebrities in their advertisements. Bristol Pain, one of their main spokeswomen, was reportedly paid $262,000 to speak out against teen pregnancy, using her own experience as warning.




Although her work has had a positive effect on creating awareness about teen pregnancy, is a message really worth $262,500 of non-profit funding?

Because this particular campaign is targeted toward teenagers, a strategic approach was necessary to create a message that resonates with a younger audience. The truth is that teenagers get the safe sex message around the clock from parents, schools, and advertisements. By using celebrities that teenagers look up to and admire makes the ads more powerful.

With the exception of Bristol Palin, all of the other celebrities featured in the campaign seem a little out of place considering they aren't teen parents. If the audience were anyone other teenagers, I'd say that the audience would see right through the holes in the campaign. The purpose of the campaign, however, is to raise awareness and they have successfully achieved that.





Sources:

http://marketingadvice.biz/2011/07/27/the-candies-foundation-scaring-teens-away-from-pregnancy/

http://www.examiner.com/sex-education-in-national/candies-foundation-teen-pregnancy-psas-with-celebs-like-bristol-palin-effective

http://www.candiesfoundation.org/index.html

What Consumes Really Want

Is it enough to have a celebrity’s face on an advertisement to sell a product? Ashton Kutcher is the featured spokesperson for Nikon. Taylor Swift is the new Cover Girl, and Sarah Jessica Parker is face of Garnier. But I can’t help but wonder if these celebrities actually use the products. It is hard for me to believe that celebrities like Jessica Alba or Halle Barry use Revlon makeup over fancier department store cosmetics like Chanel or Dior. According to Forbes, consumers are less likely to buy a product if they believe the celebrity endorsing the product is unauthentic.

Consumers want truth, and authenticity is the key to capturing the heart of today’s consumers (McNicholas). Most ad campaigns don’t care enough to take this factor into account. They throw the hottest celeb of the moment into their ads, not realizing that we are seeing past the gimmick.

PepsiCo Gatorade and FRS energy drinks has chosen the authentic route. PepsiCo’s marketing director Kate Denton said that if they approach a celebrity or are approached by a celeb, the first thing they ask is if they use the product. If they don’t drink Gatorade or use the products, she tells them to go and use the product for a while and then come back to talk. Gatorade’s new G-series Fit products aren’t advertised by the most famous athletes. Instead, they are using up-and-coming athletes who used the products long before being approached by Gatorade.

The new G-Series Fit products aren’t actually new. They’ve been around for a while, but were only used by elite athletes. Only now are they being marketed toward the public. FRS energy drinks were what football player Tim Tebow contributes much of his success to at the NFL Combine before being drafted.

FRS’ VP of Marketing Deepak Masand said their ad campaign started from a creative perspective, not the celebrity endorser like many campaigns. They began by creating a brand point of view, and gave it a very personal, human-element. The goal was to create a campaign that consumers related to.




This perspective made Tim Tebow the perfect fit for the campaign. He used his own real-life struggle toward the NFL to promote the product. What makes this campaign successful is that it is very genuine. You don’t doubt that Tebow actually uses the product. It has an authentic, yet inspiring feel that consumers will appreciate rather than throwing a celeb that we’ve seen in a dozen other campaigns.

Consumers want authenticity.





Tim Tebow's commercial for FRS.


Works Cited

McNicholas, Kim. "Say Goodbye To 'Fake' Celebrity Endorsements! - Forbes." Forbes. 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. .

Celebrity Endorsements--Worth the Cost?

A recent article in Ad Age said that recent studies have shown that hundreds brands have seen a 20% increase after beginning an endorsement deal. Some companies have seen a .25% increase the day the deal was announced.

The article explores the question of whether using celebrities to endorse a brand or product is worth the cost. We receive more than 3,000 commercial images a day--150 images reach our subconscious mind and 30 reach our unconscious. Therefore one the main goals of an advertising campaign is to cut through all of the clutter--find an ad that reaches the conscious mind of the consumer.

It is the belief that celebrities do just that. They stand out. It's people we admire, look up to, and try to emulate. We listen to their music and watch their movies. It's the idea of, "If they use this product, then I should too." So, there are benefits to using a celebrity to push a product. However, the article stated that the decision to use a celebrity as a spokesperson in the ad should be treated like a marriage in a way. It should add something and create a certain amount of benefits for the brand.

You have to choose the right person. They need to maintain the image that the product or brand is trying to reflect. For example, a wrinkle cream ad campaign for Revlon shouldn't hire someone young like Dakota Fanning to promote the product. Sure, the ad would stand out, but it wouldn't add any validity to the ad's message.


The marriage of the celebrity endorser and the ad campaign should have an "added creature comforts that make the partnership invaluable" (Crutchfield). Celebrity spokespeople are most beneficial if they do the following:

-They should have the opportunity to create new markets or tap into anactivation base of fans.Ex) Patrick Dempsey men's perfume for Avon



-It should be able to create a "brand halo," meaning it entices consumers to learn more about the brand.

-The ability to promote a new brand attribute that might be hard to attain otherwise that is unique, relevant and sustainable. For example, Nike was only able to see an extremely quick success rate and growth of their golf line by using Tiger Woods, the #1 golfer in the world.


-Also, a collaboration that can impact the business model of the partnership is also important criteria that can make a celebrity endorsement more successful for a brand. Sean Combs taking a 50/50 ownership of Ciroc vodka company is an example.

-Finally, if the use of a celebrity to advertise a product can innovate the product its offering, then the partnership can become invaluable. Look at the success of Totes' line of umbrellas endorsed my pop artist Rihanna. After Rihanna's famous performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards of her song "Umbrella," she helped design Totes' newest line sparking huge sales.



Overall, using a celebrity has many benefits including the ability to inspire, enlighten, and entertain consumers. It is a valuable way to market to consumers, but choosing the right celebrity to represent a brand might be the most critical part of the marketing process.

Celebrity Endorsements and Social Media

Word-of-mouth is considered the most powerful, effective form of marketing. Sure, a celebrity endorsements draw attention, but the ultimate goal should be to get the brand or the new product into conversion. Marketing's most powerful media is recommendation, afterall.

An article in Ad Age touches on this very topic, and explores the power of social networking. Think of the social networking sites you're already apart of--Facebook and twitter for example. If someone posts a status or tweets about an amazing product that has changed their life or their new favorite restaurant, chances are you're going to be curious, maybe even a little intrigued. For example, just the other day I "checked into" Moonshine, my favorite restaurant in Austin on Facebook. Immediately, my friends started commenting about how much they loved it too and discussion began about their favorite dishes and what people should try. Just a simple post on my Facebook profile sparked discussion, and undoubtedly pushed someone to look up the restaurant or even try it.

Now imagine a celebrity tweeting about their favorite restaurant, or a new shoe they've fallen in love with. Their following is enormous. Take rap artist Drake, who boasts 3.7 million followers or Kim Kardashian, a reality TV star, who has about 10,000 followers. The whole purpose of "following" someone on Twitter is because you want to hear what they have to say. Their sphere of influence is huge, and this form of promotion costs nothing for a marketing campaign.




However, celebrity endorsements are often inhibited by constraints and contractual limitations. I believe it is critical for companies to utilize social networking as an additional platform for celeb endorsements and brand advocacy. According to Ad Age, 95% of social-media users agree and believe companies should have a presence in social media.

Social media enables consumers to adopt new behaviors and is the best way to get brand names, products, and services into people's conversations. It is a critical strategy that CMO's need to incorporate into their marketing campaigns because social media is the most effective way for consumers to "recommend" products to the greatest amount of people.




Works Cited:

Crutchfield, Dean. "Celebrity Endorsements Still Push Product." Ad Age. Crain Communications, 22 Sept. 2010. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. .

Impact of Celebrity Endorsements on a Brand-Intro

The use of celebrities as spokespeople for a particular brand has become increasingly common. It is rare to open a magazine and see the face of an actual model advertising mascara or lipstick. Instead, you see Drew Barrymore, Halle Barry or another famous celebrity as the face of the leading cosmetic brands. Famous actors, musicians and athletes are even dominating TV commercials. As celebrities begin to dominate advertisements, I am led to wonder how effective is this selling technique. Do famous celebs really maximize advertising effectiveness?

The purpose of this blog is to explore this very notion. What is the impact of celebrity endorsements on a brand? What is the cost to enlist a star in your branding campaign? How do consumers respond to these ads? What are the pros and cons to celebrity endorsements? How does the success of a branding campaign with the use of a celebrity compare to those that do not?

There's no doubt that the use of celebrities to advertise does have its advantages. First and foremost, one of the most important task for marketers and advertisers is to create an ad that breaks through the clutter. Consumers are dominated by an excessive amount of advertising--in newspapers, magazines, on television, on billboards as we're driving and on the radio. Consumers are also becoming better at tuning out many advertisements. One of the benefits of celebrity advertising is that it cuts through the clutter. In an age where celebs are almost worshipped, using a star's attention-grabbing power help catch the attention of a brand. The right star for an ad can even communicate a message without elaborate story telling.




However, there is a negative of using celebrities to represent a brand. Getting a big-named star to be the face of a brand's product comes at a price--a very high price. Then, marketers must consider the possibility of the spokesperson neglecting to maintain the "proper image" that is expected of a certain brand. Consider Tiger Wood's endorsements in the midst of his cheating scandal. Celebrity overexposure and bad press both can undermine how the authenticity of the message is perceived by consumers.


Tag Heuer dropped Tiger Woods from their ad campaign right after the scandal was exposed.


Works Cited:
Daboll, Peter. "Celebrities in Advertising Are Almost Always a Big Waste of Money." Ad Age. Crain Communications, 12 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2011. .

Sliburyte, Laimona. "How celebrities can be used in advertising to the best advantage?." World Academy of Science, Engineering & Technology 58.(2009): 934-939. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.