“Hello. Yes I am Van Damme. My pants froze, and froze hard. So tight. Even thinking about it takes me back… Have you ever seen a man-penguin walk after an intense mating season? Have you? …Even that was nothing compared to the ice-cold refreshment of a Coors Light…”
I’m sure anyone who has been watching television of late will recognise the rather entertaining script above, but more about that later, as for now we discuss the perils of celebrity endorsement…
Seeing our favourite celebrities championing well-known products is nothing new to our screens and in the past the launch of a product wouldn’t go ahead without the gleaming white smile of a TV or Film Star permanently placed behind the thing that company wished to sell. Celebrities have been used to sell products for many brands for many years, from insurance and coffee to make up and washing powder. Whether obviously connected or not, brands have been known to attempt to connect a star to their product, in a vain effort to stir up profits and increase sales.
When allocating the personality to embody a brand, companies have hired those that best represent ideals held by their products and their audience. Many campaigns have run successfully for years and can seem untouchable. Others have gone down the pan, after seeming fake or unbelievable. Even positive approbation can soon turn drastically wrong when the real world begins to interfere. With the lives of celebrities constantly under the scrutiny of the press, exacerbated by a seemingly unquenchable thirst for gossip held by a large proportion of the general public, there is little they can do that isn’t rumoured, speculated and eventually reported on. Which can often reflect badly on all those associated. As much as companies might wish it so, they can’t be in complete control of their endorser, frequently resulting in the occurrence of unwanted circumstances.
When Iceland employed the “I’m a Celebrity” winner Kerry Katona for their “Mum’s shop at Iceland” campaign, the frozen food store booked her to appear in a number of adverts portraying that message. For awhile all seemed to be running smoothly, the adverts were successful and were, in general, well received (if not a little irritating). After awhile rumours mumured and soon came constant headlines shouting of Katona’s numerous addictions to illegal substances. So as not to be seen to condone this kind of behavior, Iceland dumped the celebrity who no longer fitted their image, and went on to employ others for their still successful campaign. Iceland escaped relatively unscathed from their particular celebrity debacle, but there are other brands who have been badly damaged when celebrity endorsements turn sour.
In the late 1980s Anheuser-Busch beer brand used the iconic “After Midnight” album cover by Eric Clapton to advertise their Michelob beer in a cool and refreshing manner. Lyrics of the song fitted within the theme of the relatively cheap beer and all seemed to be going well. In an interview awhile after the advertisements aired, Eric admitted to battling with alcoholism and the brewery was partially blamed for the demise.
L’Oreal have recently been heavily criticised by the public and the UK government for portraying unrealistic images of the celebrities endorsing their brand and supposedly showing the effects of the products. The photos, of Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington, which were extremely airbrushed were deemed as misleading and socially irresponsible due to their excessive post-production modification.
As the inherent risk of celebrity endorsement rears its ugly head on increasingly frequent occasions (particularly prevalent with those association themselves with sporting stars) brands have veered away from using celebrities constantly in the public eye, to models and actors generally unknown to the public. Following the unwanted drama surrounding the implementation of excessive image manipulation, L’Oreal have changed tactics and have decided to elect an unknown actor to front their latest campaign for Men Expert. A character with the sobriquet “The Expert” set to run across various social media outlets shows the man in humorous situations that illustrate the best way to tie a tie, pick a lock or take a profile picture. With the recent appointment of Hugh Laurie as ambassador for the brand, the shift away from celebrity advocacy may have come as a direct result of increased scrutiny over the credibility of adverts and the celebrities used within.
Whilst taking heed of the warning of endorsements gone bad, dismissing the use of celebrities within advertisement campaigns isn’t necessarily the best move. The most recent Coors Light advert featuring “The Muscles from Brussels” John-Claude Van Damme, has been extremely popular. Playing to the stereotypical hard-man image Van Damme already embodies, and pairing it with an injection of outrageous comedic anecdotes means that the advert has been popular with viewers and successful for the American beer company.
Although the consumer animal of today has rapidly changed from what it was when advertising began, often claiming a completely indifferent to the use of celebrities in advertisements, it doesn’t mean they should be ignored. If you can make light the product and image of the celebrity, creating a truly entertaining 30 seconds, then this can be as successful as a your appropriate celebrity, illustrating benefits of your product.