Using a celebrity to endorse a product in a marketing campaign was a tried and tested advertising strategy once upon a time. But there are plenty of us who question every day if Halle Berry is always seen out with a full face of makeup, if Ricky Ponting’s cricket career was in part due to the vitamins he took and whether Katy Perry is really acne free due to the skin care products she uses.
The advent of the Internet and social media means it is a lot easier for us to check up on those celebrities to see if they actually do support the products they’re often paid a fortune to promote and as a result – this has led to a shift in the way many brands now work with celebrities.
Nowadays companies are far more likely to enter into a brand partnership with a celebrity. This brand partnership sees the chosen celebrity incorporating the product into their everyday life (and career). As well as having more longevity, this type of campaign seems to resonate with its savvy target market.
Celebrity endorsement campaigns can take a couple of different forms:
- Fictional (but credible) narratives
- Testimonials
Fictional Narrative
In this advertisement, there is no need for a narrator to run you through the technical features of the headphones because what you have is a powerful endorsement of the product, as the ad shows how the NBA player would use the product whilst conveying all the features and benefits throughout the storyline. Its success relies on being totally relatable to the audience and engages them in the product.
Testimonials
This is where celebrities get to tell their story in a more direct manner, where you get to learn exactly how they use a product or how something has successfully worked for them in their life. In Australia, a great example of this is Jenny Craig where celebrities share how their weight problems have plagued them hurting their confidence (and career). As the audience gains insight into their weight loss journey, you can guarantee that they’re going to be interested to learn more about it.
This trend of celebrity endorsements in marketing changes the level of brand awareness, creating a higher level of credibility and trust between the brand and its target market.
