There are many ways to promote a brand, and one of the most common among them is through celebrity endorsements. This strategy is not something new. As a matter of fact, It has been practiced since the invention of motion picture.
Today, we are in the information age. Still, modern technology has not been able to make this strategy obsolete as many companies continue to resort to celebrity endorsements.
Of course, there are also companies that have already changed their direction. Probably, they have strong reasons to do so. Nonetheless, celebrity endorsement can be good or bad depending on the situation. To help you figure it out, here are the lists of its pros and cons:
List of Pros of Celebrity Endorsements
1. Popularity
The major reason why many companies use this strategy is to ride on the popularity of their celebrity endorsers. Even a product that has never been heard of can become an instant celebrity, too.
2. Name Recall
When a popular celebrity endorses a particular brand, people can easily recall the brand name every time they see or even think of that celebrity. It’s like thinking of Nike whenever you think of Michael Jordan.
3. Build Trust
Although it does not follow that a brand that is endorsed by a celebrity will surely have an increased trust rating, it helps to remove people’s apprehension of an unknown brand. You don’t need to believe in whatever a celebrity says, but you will surely consider buying what he or she once mentioned than to buy what a sales person keeps telling you, let alone the celebrity keeps mentioning it.
4. Educate Consumers
If you get a celebrity endorser for your product, you won’t find it hard to explain to the public what your product is all about. Your endorser can easily package the information in his or her own language which many people have already been accustomed to.
List of Cons of Celebrity Endorsements
1. Expensive
The major concern of many companies in getting a celebrity endorser is that it is very expensive. This is why a celebrity can easily become a multimillionaire in just a short span of time. However, only big companies can afford to invest in this marketing strategy. Smaller businesses may have less chance of competing in this aspect.
2. Controversy
Celebrities are public figure. They are not like your employees who are trained to follow a company standard, hence there are times that celebrities are caught in some controversies which can greatly affect your brand. Whether a controversy involving your celebrity endorser is true or not, your brand will somehow get dragged by it.