Recently, I have read an interesting blog from Ries’ Pieces and I would like to comment it. From Laura’s prospective, celebrity endorsement only works if the celebrity matches the brand. She thinks that the idea of Tiger Woods endorsing the Buick brand is totally unreasonable. Since no one could ever image that Tiger Woods would drive around in Buick, the endorsement is a failure and a waste of time. The Buick/ Tiger Woods example tells us that companies should use right models to sponsor their brands.
Superstar branding is now becoming a new way of advertising, and it is used to satisfy people’s psychological needs. Since people have different psychological traits or character, they also have different tastes of dressing. Some people described themselves as outgoing or sports type, so they are more willing to buy casual clothes brands .In order to attract these consumers, companies should build a clear brand image so that people will know that it suits them best. In addition to great slogan, celebrity branding is considered as one of the most effective ways. As the textbook says, “a consumer might have various reference groups, including family, friends, or famous people the consumer would like to emulate.” Consumers can emulate famous people to develop and maintain their self-image.
It should be pointed out that celebrity endorsement only works if consumers have a strong belief that the celebrities would like to buy the products. Otherwise, consumers won’t be massively influenced by the endorsement.
The company could sign a contract with celebrities and they can show in the public or attend events for promotion. However, the celebrities do not need to be too well-known because people may get tired of seeing their faces all over the place. As Laura says in her blog, if the company always changes its celebrity, people may not trust the brand. Consistency is a key here. Usually, most brands consider a contract of 5 years.
At last but not least, only those powerful companies could afford celebrity endorsement as they have enough money support. So, it is not a good idea for a new company to do so.
