If Usein Bolt Can Trust Puma, I Can Too

After reading Shayla Hardy’s blog post “ Using Celebrities in Ads is Not fulfilling Expected Return”, I have discovered that unlike Shayla, I believe that celebrity endorsement is sometimes still a successful mode of advertising and promoting products depending on the circumstances. Shayla states that, “[Celebrity endorsement] is a pricy option and is limited in terms of adding value to the product and ultimately winning over the consumer.” For certain products I agree with Shayla in that celebrities can not sway one’s opinion on whether something is for them or not. For instance, I do not believe that if Kanye West were holding a Microsoft computer, I would feel inclined to switch from my Mac to a Microsoft. Psychologically I do not relate Kanye West to computers and thus there is no meaningful connection. However, when the celebrity has a reputation of knowledge for the product he or she is endorsing, it helps legitimize their influence and the product itself. For instance, I believe that if a professional track star, such as Usain Bolt, were to endorse a pair of performance enhancing running shoes, I would believe that they are in fact a great product given the knowledge he has about running shoes, and thus legitimizing the product’s advertised capabilities.

In Shayla’s blog, she continues on to talk about the ineffectiveness of Venessa Hudgens endorsing Neutrogena facial cleansers. I agree with Shayla that Ms Hudgens does not influence my decision on which facial cleanser to use. However, if someone who is renowned for their flawless and glowing skin, such as Jennifer Lopez, were to support a skin product, I would be greatly influenced by the endorsement, as I would believe that if someone who cares as much for their skin as Lopez trusts the product, it must be a worthwhile purchase. In my experience working in retail at a children’s European clothing boutique, I have witnessed first hand the effect of celebrity endorsement from a sales perspective. My coworkers and myself posted photos of Surri Cruise (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter) throughout the store, wearing dresses and shoes we provided. Given Surri’s reputation for a classic, high end and fashionable sense of style, those articles of clothing were quickly purchased by our customers.

Overall I agree with Shayla that celebrity endorsements have become ineffective when marketers use pointless popular icons to boost sales. However, I also disagree with Shayla because I believe celebrity endorsement can lead to increased sales when the celebrity and the product have a meaningful and obvious correlation. I believe that celebrity endorsement can still have a major impact on today’s population, so long as the celebrity is backed by a reputation of knowledge and expertise.