Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
American’s are bombarded with advertisements non-stop – nearly every minute of everyday. And with so much out there, companies need to be smart and savvy to get their consumer’s attention…
Shock and awe imagery. Ear catching music. Capitalizing on market trends. Overtly inappropriate materials. And of course, celebrity endorsements.
A recent study done by Adweek/Harris Interactive, shows that just 4 percent of those polled are more likely to make a purchase, simply based on a celebrity endorsement.
Based on this study, one could ask why so many companies continue to spend billions of dollars on celebrity endorsements?
Some companies, for example CoverGirl, look to highly influential celebrities to capture their target consumer’s attention. To CoverGirl, Taylor Swift does more for than just grab the attention of young consumers. Taylor Swift, from a small town America, relates to the NatureLuxe target audience. NatureLuxe is designed to replace heavy, traditionally-used synthetics with carefully-chosen natural alternatives — at an affordable price. The mission of this line is not to create that ‘no-makeup’ look, but instead, a more polished finish.
And that polished look is exactly what the Taylor Swift fan wants; Youthful but polished. Quality that won’t break the bank.
These consumers want something that is lightweight, naturally beautiful, and has a girl next door feel, everything that Taylor Swift represents. In this case, Swift is doing more then just saying she uses CoverGirl NatureLuxe, she’s making the product relatable. Swift is giving NatureLuxe a face and a personality.
On the same note, celebrity endorsements can be detrimental to the brand.
Famous golf celebrity, Tiger Woods is a prime example of how sometime celebrity endorsements can actually do more harm than good. After Tiger’s private life went astray in late 2009, Accenture dropped Wood’s very successful sponsorship. Accenture, which paid Woods an estimated $10 million to $15 million a year, leveraged the Woods in their “Go on, be a Tiger” campaign. The campaign was positioned on Wood’s claim to fame – competitiveness, focus, the ability to judge things well and the ability to act appropriately.”
Accenture took a well-advised gamble on Woods…they couldn’t have known the tagline “be a Tiger,” would take on a life of its own amidst the scandal. Game over.
So why are big name brand like Accenture and CoverGirl willing to take a gamble on celebrity endorsement?
At the end of the day, endorsements are all about exposure and access to celebrity fan-base and notoriety. They’re about leveraging pop culture noise to the benefit of the brand.
Sometimes the noise is good
Sometimes the noise is bad.
Sometimes it doesn’t matter.
For some brands, being a part of the conversation is all that matters. If they have to use a celebrity to get there, then so be it. Either way, it’s a gamble.
Tags: Insights, Intern, LaBarge Partners
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