Is your celebrity selling someone else’s brand?

Swastima Khadka is one of he most popular celebrities when it comes to endorsement?

Can you name the brand that Swastima Khadka is the brand ambassador of? How many can you remember?

Let me give you some cues

Are those the only ones that she endorses?

If I say which bank she endorses?

Which beverage she endorses? Which bike she endorses? Which Cement company she endorses?

Which cosmetic brand she endorses?

Is Your Celebrity Selling Someone Else’s brand? Where Nepalese brands are going wrong with celebrities.

The fascination to hire celebrities for the promotion of the brand is common among various business houses. Several brands compete for the same celebrity. But in the rush to secure star power for promotions, we hire them without putting much thought to it and fail to maximise the impact of their use. So, the question arises: should we hire celebrities?

Without doubt celebrities play a very important role in brand building. They can be your brand asset. But you have to ensure that they are your brand asset distinctively. That is more people should associate your brand with the celebrity than the competitors’ brand. In this context Jenni Romaniuk in her book ‘Distinctive brand assets’ provides two metrics:

Fame: the percentage of category buyers’ brain where the brand has the salient link to the brand asset. (Celebrity in this case)

Uniqueness: Brand’s level of owner of the asset versus competitor brands.

But who exactly is a Celebrity?

A genuine celebrity has a clearly defined personality and reputation; they are known to be extremely good at something beyond appearing in advertising, and it is their outstanding skill in their chosen field of endeavour which has brought them into the public eye and made them an object of veneration and respect. (Pringle and Binet, 2005).

Why do we hire celebrities?

Few reasons why we use celebrities in our communication:

1. Celebrity has an image or attitude. We want to transfer that image to our brand.
2. People love and admire celebrities for various reasons. We want that admiration to rub off on our brand. We want this emotional connection to be linked to our brand.
3. Celebrities are in most cases famous and attractive. It is easy for the brand to gain the attention. Familiar faces generate trust.
4. Celebrities facilitate the ad and brand recall.
5. They can also influence the ad or the brand attitude favourably.

What are the risks of using celebrities?

1. We cannot control the celebrities in their real life. Salman Khan and his famous case is exemplar in where the celebrities can go wrong. In our context Paul Shal, Sandeep Lamichane and in a recent case Sandeep Chetri are the example where the celebrities can go wrong.
2. Celebrities don’t come cheap. The more famous the celebrity, the more expensive he/she is. It is difficult to estimate whether a brand is going to get its return on that investment.
3. You cannot hire celebrity exclusively. So, you have to share the celebrity with other brands not necessary in the same category. This can result in the clutter. Your brand may not get the attention that you want in this clutter.
4. Celebrities do have a power to suck the attention and overshadow the brand itself, phenomena popularly known as Vampire effect.

Where do we go wrong in using celebrities in Nepal?

One major reason we hire celebrities is fame. Hiring someone just because he is getting viral on the social media can prove to be catastrophe. Once a baba became viral on social media and several brands rushed to hire him. Similarly in a recent case, a person doing some memory tricks became famous and a college hired him. Both of them were not great examples of celebrity endorsements. These people were not even celebrities.

Second area where we get it wrong is the area of fit. Let’s take an example of a bank hiring Depak Raj and Deepashri. The bank must try to find out what value they bring to the bank in terms of their personalities. Hiring them only for their popularity might not give the desired branding results. Better example of the usage of celebrity comes from Sanima Bank’s use of Mah Jodi. They are respected and trusted celebrities in the society and the bank tried to bring that image to the bank.

Third aspect is the facets or the ways in which a celebrity can be used. A celebrity can be your customer. In case of automobile the celebrity may be using your car brand. Can you make this relationship more formal and take advantage of it. If the celebrity is an actor, can he promote your brand in the movie that he is acting in, often called as product placement. Celebrity can be used to give voice to your brand. Bhushan Dahal is a prime example of that. These days celebrities own the brand. In this case, they seriously promote the brand. Dhoni promotes the brand in which he has stakes.

Fourth area where brands make mistake in, is changing the celebrities frequently in the ad. Even before the customers start registering the association and acknowledging the fit, the brand brings new celebrity. NIC Asia has used Manisha Koirala, Daya Hang Rai, Bhushan Dahal Keki Adhikari and more recently Rajesh Hamal.

Let’s not forget the most important aspect, the cost. We need to measure was the celebrity worth the investment. In general, the data suggests that a celebrity campaign, if used correctly can outweigh the costs. On the contrary they can be a big dent on your wallet.

What the research tells us?

Celebrity ads sometimes perform better, worse, or similarly to non-celebrity ads, regardless of the celebrity’s profession. Moreover, using a celebrity alone does not guarantee the success. If not used correctly celebrities might not be as effective as other brand elements such as logo or characters. (Tanaka, Nguyen and Romaniuk, 2015) Characters have contributed immensely to the brand equity. Ramesh and Suresh have taken the story telling of ‘Five Star’ to all together a different level. Airtel girl is another such example.

Brands can cut through the clutter by creating a character out celebrity. Everyone can remember Saugat Malla as Haku Kale in the movie Loot.

The brand should also not ignore the sleeper effect in the advertising. Celebrity endorsements work mainly because of familiar face. But a normal face becomes familiar after repeated exposure of the advertisements.

To summarize:

Turning celebrities into characters that can become synonymous with your brand and enhance recall and connection.

When choosing a celebrity, focus on alignment with your brand’s values and messaging rather than solely pursuing fame.

Be consistent with your celebrity. Frequent changes in celebrity endorsements can hinder the formation of a strong association between the celebrity and your brand.

Acknowledge that other creative elements, such as color, slogan, and music, can also significantly impact advertising success.

Brands should focus on creating memorable characters or associations that can stand the test of time, fostering stronger consumer connections.

It is essential to remember that success is not guaranteed solely by the presence of a celebrity, and brands should explore a holistic approach to create impactful and enduring advertising campaigns.

🌟 Is your celebrity selling someone else’s brand🌟

Businesses rush to hire celebrities for their brand promotions? 🤔 But hold on, there’s more to this story than meets the eye!

🚀 It’s a known fact that celebrities wield incredible influence in brand building. Yet, the real magic lies in harnessing their power in a unique way.

💡 Jenni Romaniuk’s ingenious metrics, Fame and Uniqueness, it’s not just about visibility; it’s about standing out from the crowd.

🎬 What makes a genuine celebrity, you ask? Think personality, reputation, skill, and respect (Pringle and Binet, 2005).

🔍 Dive deeper into why we hire celebrities in the first place: transferring image, forging emotional connections, inspiring trust, boosting ad recall, and even shaping brand attitudes.

⚠️ But let’s face it – there are risks too. Lack of control, hefty costs, sharing the spotlight, and the famous “Vampire effect.”

Nepal’s experiences have been intriguing: from chasing social media virality to missing the fit and potential facets of use.

💰 While costs matter, don’t forget the alignment of values for impactful endorsements.

🧐 Research unveils a mixed bag of results – celebrity ads perform diversely. What truly shines?

💤 Character-driven celebrity endorsements that elevate brand storytelling.

💤 Remember the sleeper effect – familiarity is born from repeated exposure.

🎭 We’re spilling the beans on turning celebrities into brand characters, aligning values, and nurturing consistency. Get ready to discover a holistic approach to advertising success!

#CelebrityEndorsements #BrandMagic #UnlockingImpact #AdvertisingStrategies