Business

Saturday September 5, 2009

Pros and cons of using icons


USING a celebrity as a spokesperson is highly effective but it depends on the target audience, says Celcom (M) Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly.

Shazalli says teens and those in their 20s are most receptive towards celebrity endorsements as they are more inclined to follow the latest trends and ‘in’ happenings.

“The cons of applying this strategy include third party effects of the celebrity endorsements; parents of teens have in the past had issues with certain celebrities endorsing brands due to the image they project,” he says.

Celcom’s advertisement with Maya Karin as spokesperson.

For example, Britney Spears appearing in Rolling Stone with her bra exposed received immense negative feedback from parents as they considered it inappropriate for a 17-year-old to be so exposed.

Shazalli says celebrities that run into controversies are increasingly using it to their advantage, even using humour as an aid to get back positive responses from the public these days.

However, there are brands that resort to dropping celebrities altogether once they are found involved in negative press or controversies such as Michael Phelps being dropped by Kelloggs Co after pictures of him smoking marijuana emerge.

For Celcom, when the company used English Premier League superstars to launch the Power campaign, the brand achieved recognition and gained brand preference share in a short period.

Additionally, Celcom uses local celebrities, namely Maya Karin, Aaron Aziz and Fahrin Ahmad, to launch the new prepaid brand for the Malay segment.

“When we tested an ad campaign featuring images of popular local actors or actresses, the study found an increase in unaided brand awareness over a period of six months,” Shazalli says.

He says the result highlights the ability of endorsement ads to fundamentally “register” with consumers, and brand favourability, demonstrating how positive association about artistes carry over to the brand.

“Brands are becoming increasingly aware of the power (and value) of celebrities in endorsing their products, especially due to the recent economic downturn,” he says.

As one of the world’s leading global sports brands, adidas has a long history of being associated with inspirational iconic athletes and trendsetting celebrities.

The use of inspirational personalities to represent adidas is a practice that continues to benefit the adidas brand, as it enables its key products to resonate stronger with its target audience.

“Our selection process is very stringent for celebrity endorsement and we are careful to form partnerships with those whom we feel best able to represent the brand values of adidas,” adidas Malaysia brand manager Jessica Lim says.

Lim says the relationship is also very much based on partnership; there were many occasions where adidas and athletes came together for a common objective to develop equipment and sportswear to enhance performance.

Its most prominent partners include David Beckham, Kevin Garnett, Estelle, Missy Elliott and Fernando Verdasco.

She says having an inspirational personality as the face of a campaign does help cultivate a bigger connect with consumers and lends a certain personality to the product being marketed.

“adidas will continue to invest in working with athletes and celebrities to enhance our product offering, working towards bringing the brand to the next level even during the crisis,” she says.

L’Oreal Paris marketing manager Nathalie Souny says celebrity endorsements do work for L’Oreal and consumers do look up to their beauty regime and tips on how to stay gorgeous on and off the camera.

“Celebrity endorsements not only help to raise awareness of new brands and new products; but also help to create a closer connection and affinity with the consumers,” she adds. As an example of this kind of advertising, Souny points out that Garnier Skin Naturals, which is a skincare brand that was launched in 2007.

The brand features local actress Fasha Sandha as its spokesperson and she has helped to create an immediate awareness and connection to the local audience.

Souny says the growing popularity of Fasha as an actress made her the perfect match for a new emerging popular brand targeting the masses.

Meanwhile, for Men Expert, L’Oreal’s new men’s skincare range, the company has identified Aaron Aziz as a new up-and-coming artiste. Souny says his outgoing, multi-talented, versatile and approachable personality made him the right choice for the brand.

“The latest TV commercial shoot was created based on his personality and lifestyle to create genuine affinity with our consumers and his fans,” she says.

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