Celebrity Ads That Sell
Around the world, television advertisers use celebrities or stars in a bid to win consumers' attention, interest, and favorable attitudes toward their brands. Advertisers have employed famous athletes, actors, musicians, and even political figures.
Does it really work? Sometimes it does: successful celebrity campaigns are famous. Sometimes it doesn't: David Ogilvy reported many years ago that, in his experience, "Testimonials by celebrities... are below average in their ability to change brand preference. Viewers guess that the celebrity has been bought, and they are right. Viewers have a way of remembering the celebrity but forgetting the product."
Our experience confirms Ogilvy's opinions. We find that ads featuring celebrities are no more likely to succeed than other creative strategies, and they risk failure due to the problems he cites. Yet, our research also illuminates the factors that differentiate success from failure and can guide advertisers to use celebrities more effectively.
Making the Most of Name Recognition
Pretest scores from North America, Latin America, and Europe show that, on average, celebrity ads score below norm on key measures of persuasion and branded communication (related recall). While celebrities may generate higher levels of attention among viewers, the impression is not always strongly linked to the advertised brand.
Average Score for Celebrity Ads
The risk, as Ogilvy said, is that the star may overshadow the product and the message. The obvious solution is to make sure that the ad and the celebrity are focused on the brand or product. A less obvious finding is that successful celebrity ads clearly identify both the brand and the star. If the celebrity is not identified in the ad itself, viewers may be distracted with their own questions ("Who is that? Is it really _____?"). Even when the star is well known, ads that identify the celebrity in both audio copy and on the screen demonstrate greater persuasiveness and branded recall than ads that rely on the star's recognition alone. Having paid for the name, the advertiser is well advised to include it in the message.
Average Score Celebrity Identified in Ad?
Credibility and Relevance Are Critical
Another finding from our research is that celebrity ads often achieve lower ratings not only for believability, as Ogilvy suggested, but for relevance and differentiation as well. Relevance and credibility depend on how the message and the product fit with the star's persona, and how these elements are related in the ad. In the simplest form, the ad may associate the brand with a star's image (either as a public person, or in a familiar role) as a direct or implied endorsement. Classic examples would be a glamorous actress or model for beauty products, or a debonair movie star for a whiskey. The message becomes more powerful when the celebrity endorsement carries "expert" authority or relevance for the brand, such as an athlete for sportswear or equipment, a famous chef for a food product, or a racecar driver for tires or motor oil.
Average Score for Celebrity Ads
Choosing and Using Celebrities for Effective Ads
While the findings described here come from television ad research, the principles apply to celebrities in any medium. These principles also appear to work across countries, but a given celebrity campaign may not, so international campaigns present additional challenges. A few stars transcend cultural boundaries: Pepsi is reported to have increased its global market share with TV campaigns first featuring Michael Jackson and, later, the Spice Girls, each contributing to an image of youthful vitality and universal popularity for the brand. Even a star that is internationally famous may have a different image or reputation in different countries, so advertisers must evaluate the familiarity, popularity, image, and fit of their star in each market.
By definition, celebrities are people well known among the general public, but advertisers should consider how well their star is known, how favorably they are regarded, and what image they project among the target audience. What image or associations will the celebrity impart to the brand? Will the ad message be reinforced, or even credible, in light of these associations? Research can answer each of these questions before the advertiser commits their budget or the reputation of their brand to the celebrity endorsement.
