Celebrity Endorsement: Showing Smartly, Using Wisely

The picture above is the photo of Madonna for Louis Vuitton's Fall/Winter 2009-2010 ad campaign. The Queen of music world joined hands with fashion empire, which sounds an irresistible combination.

As matter of fact, it is a common PR strategy which is called celebrity endorsement. Why PR love celebrity? In our Consumer PR course, Trevor Morris claimed several points:

•Attracts media coverage

•Creates a buzz

•Can draw loyal celebrity fan base to product/service

•Implied or real endorsement

•Can be used to impress retailers and stockists 

In Fashion Marketing this book, the author puts forward what should entertainers do for brands:entertainers are often employed as spokespersons for fashion products. They often:

 •be seen in public a certain number of times wearing the product


 •publically state his or her commitment to the product


 •wear the productt to prominent events such as runway shows.


 And it also occurs to me that celebrities also participate in big events such as Oscar or British Awards to show designers' collections. Please read the recent article in Financial Times: Hollywood pay lists in below.

But the problem is the PR tactic is too obvious, which also involves money issues. Besides, once the scandals of celebrities come out, the brand reputation will be ruined along with the celebrities' reputation. Therefore, choose smartly and pay smartly, for PR's sake.


Reference:


Bickle, M.C (2011), Fashion Marketing-Theory, Principles and Practice, New York Fairchild Books


Morris, Trevor, 2012, Consumer PR module, University of Westminster


Financial Times, 2012, Hollywood Pay Lists:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a67a61c0-5c87-11e1-8f1f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1oBhq3Kcz