I see many film stars and cricketers appearing in ads. And everyone says that using such celebrities is good. Can you explain why exactly this is so good?
Well, first of all, it is not always good. There are times it can be a waste of money; and there are times – though rare – when it can actually be counter-productive.
But let us first see how celebrity endorsement can help.
Firstly, a celebrity can ensure that the ads for the brand get noticed. In an environment of huge advertising clutter, the use of a well-known celebrity makes the audience at least look at the ad a little bit longer.
For instance, I am sure you will at least pause and look at a new ad if it features Amitabh Bachchan or Sachin Tendulkar or Parineeti Chopra. Right?
Absolutely! So the first advantage is that the ad gets noticed. And secondly…?
Building trust
The second benefit that a celebrity confers on a brand is trust. Consumers take it for granted that a celebrity will not endorse a brand lightly and would have checked the truthfulness of the brand’s claims, the credibility of the company etc. before agreeing to endorse it. This belief was probably why so many Indian consumers were disturbed some years ago when there was some controversy about aerated soft drinks which were being endorsed by celebrities of tremendous standing at a national level.
In recent times, one brand that has really benefited in this particular fashion is Micromax. It was earlier considered by many consumers to be of lower price and hence lower quality as well. But the brand has used Dhoni and Hugh Jackman so well that now it is seen a good quality value for money player. And that is primarily because the consumer thinks that these celebrities would not endorse a low quality brand.
However, it should be kept in mind trust can be created only if the right celebrity is used – someone with excellent stature, and a very clean image.
And – in your opinion – is Dhoni better or Hugh Jackman?
Oh, I am not going to be drawn into that. The point is that it doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what the target consumers of Micromax think. It matters whom they trust, not whom I trust.
Likeability
We need to be very strict in ensuring that consumer opinion is what drives the decision, not our personal perceptions. And do remember that likeability is a huge part of trust. The most liked celebrities are the most trusted as well.
Ok, but I am also a consumer, am I not?
Sure, and so we need your opinion plus that of many, many more like you. We should not be swayed by a few people’s perceptions. Ok?
Right, I do see that. Hmm…ok…what are the other benefits..?
Thirdly, a celebrity often “lends” the qualities associated with him/her to the brand being endorsed.
Hence the use of Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar for Boost (“energy”, “health”) and the time honoured tradition of using beautiful actresses for Lux.
Is there a way to evaluate which celebrities would help and are more suitable?
Yes there is. We just have to ask consumers.
We would first need to define the target consumers in terms of demographic segment, lifestyle etc.
Then we would need to specify exactly what qualities we want our brand to stand for.
And then we can ask a random sample of the target consumers about the various celebrities we are evaluating.
Adding value
The celebrities who score high on the following parameters – easily recognised, very likeable and trusted, and stand clearly for qualities we want to associate with our brand are the ones who will add value to brands when they are used as endorsers.
You mentioned earlier that sometimes using celebrities can prove to be counter-productive. Can you explain that?
Yes. Using a celebrity can go wrong if the person used stands for different qualities from what we want for the brand. To take a simplistic example, using Dravid for a brand of bikes that promises high speed would probably work against the brand.
Because Dravid is all about solidity and durability, and not about mad dashes?
Exactly.
The second kind of problem could be if the celebrity is caught up in some scandal; the negative image could rub off to some extent on the brand as well.
Having said that, using the right celebrity is a good way to build the brand provided the budget permits.
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