The field of consumer behavior is the study of individuals, groups/organizations, and processes. Although numerous factors affect the purchase decision process, the correct use of Celebrity has a great influence on consumers.
Marketers pay celebrities millions in the hope that they will bring magic to the brands they endorse and make them more attractive and successful. The effectiveness of using a celebrity to endorse a company’s product can generally be enhanced by matching the celebrity’s image to the product’s personality and the actual or desired concept of the target market. There is a high correlation between the appearance, knowledge, taste, credibility and credibility of advertising and purchase intentions.
The theory behind the use of celebrity is that featuring stars in advertising has special cultural significance, born from the unique way they have constructed an image through various forms of media. By associating celebrities with the product, these special meanings are conveyed to the products or brands. In a competitive marketplace, a famous face can give a brand added appeal and help it stand out. Celebrities have particular configurations of meanings that cannot be found elsewhere.
Sports celebrities are often popular national teams and endorsers of everything from clothing to vehicles. For example, Nike used basketball star Michael Jordan as a spokesperson since 1985 and the Air Jordan line was still being sold. In December 2000, Venus Williams signed the most lucrative endorsement deal ever for a female athlete when she accepted a three-year contract with the Reebok international worth $40 million.
Another popular industry to get celebrity endorsements from is the music industry. One of the famous singer Britney Spears was singing in the Pepsi commercials in 2005. Adnan Sami went through the same process in the Asian market for the Pepsi ad. Similarly, companies often use actors, actresses, and supermodels to promote their products.
However, in addition to the exorbitant costs, there are risks and dangers associated with the use of celebrities in advertising. The best plan can still backfire. Pepsi hired Madonna for several million dollars to feature her in the Pepsi campaign. Then controversy over the religious imagery in Madonna’s “Prayer” video led to the threat of a consumer boycott and Pepsi lost $10 million. Cybill Shepherd’s ad for the beef industry fell through when she publicly admitted that she rarely ate red meat. These examples are just a few of the problems with celebrity endorsements. Unfortunately, there are hidden dangers when wearing celebrities. The consumer appeal of a celebrity can fade if the celebrity disappears from the media spotlight before their contract is up.
If so many dangers abound, why turn to the famous? Many advertisers feel that celebrities make an ad more effective. The use of the celebrity has been shown to lead to higher ad recall. For example, in early 2001, Revlon stopped using celebrity models and hired relatively unknown people for its ad campaigns, thinking that women wanted models with whom they could more easily identify. In November 2001, they reversed this decision and began hiring celebrities such as Julianne Moore and Halle Berry, after losing 10.6 percent of the cosmetics market share over the previous year.
The above examples reflect the importance of celebrities in product association and its effects. Marketers must understand each other before the selection of celebrities. For example, a makeup company may target both younger and older women, and the aspirational celebrity chosen for younger women may not be aspirational for older women.
Consumers who have used brand associations to build their own identity may be more loyal to brands and less likely to switch to competing brands in response to price cuts, special displays, bundling tactics, and coupons.
To assess the effectiveness of a celebrity endorsement, all three elements must be considered: celebrity image, brand image, and consumer aspirations.
Celebrities can be used to reduce conflict between nations or a country. Adnan Sami lives in India and Annie in Pakistan; both appeared together in the Pepsi commercial. Pepsi introduced this ad in the Pakistani and Indian markets. This type of ads shows the good relationship between countries or nations.
The correct use of Celebrity plays a vital role for the success of the brand along with its advertising in the target market. Celebrity selection requires detailed study to predict its effects on the target market. Companies must go through the full vetting process prior to celebrity selection for their desired product association, especially in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) celebrity selection, which becomes more critical.
[Article by Abdullah Nazir]