Celebrity Branding: Stars Endorsing Products

Celebrities all over the world use their fame and status in promoting certain products. This is called celebrity branding, an advertising method that uses the services of stars to promote a brand or a product. Millions of dollars are invested in this type of advertising method, considering how the talent fees of celebrities can be quite expensive. Despite the sky-rocketing costs, however, celebrity branding is a sure way to get people to try the product or service being marketed.

There are several approaches to celebrity branding. One is simply letting the celebrity appear on commercials and attend events promoting the merchandise. Another is creating a product line with brand names bearing their own names. The most common product lines using such method are perfumes and clothing lines. Most A-list celebrities have given their names to a particular brand at one point in time. One example is Jennifer Lopez who started her own clothing line that she herself endorses carrying clothes she personally designed.

Celebrities immensely influence the purchasing behavior of consumers. Marketing experts, as such, analyze the lifestyle of stars to ensure that they endorse products attuned and relevant to their lifestyle. Their appeal, fame, and even fashion sense are examined thoroughly to assign them an appropriate product brand. Some principles taken into account are blocking, CS-exposure, overshadowing, and repetition, among others. This was done to Miss World Aishwarya Rai from India. Famous for her beautiful eyes, she was picked to endorse an eye donation project.
On the other hand, some stars have very distinct voices that end up being used in voice-over in commercials. They lend their voices to sway customers into buying the product.

In recent times, more than 20 percent of advertisers utilize celebrity branding, leaving stars tied to several products over a period of time. A celebrity who projects different personalities from time to time stirs the interest of consumers. These identities, however, should not conflict with each other to avoid confusing the public. For instance, David Beckham, former captain of an English soccer team, sported a bald look on an advertising campaign for Gillette and consequently wore heavy jewelry on a Police advertisement.

Another way of celebrity endorsing is creating a logo or icon that features the celebrity’s name. This icon can be conveniently flashed anytime and anywhere to hopefully spark instant brand recognition. This logo, moreover, should reflect the identity of the celebrity. One such example is Jennifer Lopez who created a JLO logo using unique, stylish fonts. Such logo was used in every campaign for her perfume and clothing lines. Another advantage of using a logo is that it is not as expensive as displaying an image of the celebrity. Also, the logo is designed to still be appealing to consumers even if the celebrity has lost her reputation, provided that the logo itself carries the attitude, style, and personality of the celebrity.

Advertiser can choose to use celebrities to promote their products. They should be wary, however, of the biggest drawback when they choose this path – the cost.