There is no doubt that celebrities (movie, TV, music, sports, etc.) possess a certain flair, an appeal and that "star quality" power that affects people.
There are times, though, where it seems that companies do not consider if the person endorsing a product or service can actually make a positive impact in sales of that particular item.
Perhaps the mindset of the executives, or the marketing firm who sold the concept in the first place, is to simply have their brand tied to a celebrity - any well-known celebrity.
It would seem that a company in choosing a celeb to promote their wares would at least try to match what that talent is known for or at least to something that is loosely associated
The school of thought that says "if that celebrity is endorsing that product it must be good" only goes so far. Sometimes, not at all. There needs to be some form of connect for it to really work.
A few examples of not-so-good:
The character played by Pauley Perrette on NCIS (Abby Sciuto) is priceless. Pauley has that absolutely nailed. Why Expedia believes that Pauley can influence decisions for travel is beyond thought as she does not have anything to do with travel or the services that Expedia offers.
Another would be State Farm featuring LeBron James in a horribly scripted insurance commercial. LeBron is certainly a super-great NBA star but there is a disconnect for him to be hawking car insurance (especially playing the world's smallest violin). Where the "bright idea" originated to have him doing the ad is beyond imagination.
One has to wonder at the market researchers who placed Eminem in a Lipton Brisk commercial. Perhaps those who really love the star will try Brisk, but the manner in which the commercial was produced leaves a lot to be desired and could alienate potential consumers.
As much as this blogger appreciates the athletic prowess of NBA All-Star All- Everything Michael Jordan is he really someone who makes a difference in the brand of tee-shirts and underwear that men purchase? Seems a bit of a stretch.
There are more, to be sure. The above, however, are perhaps examples of the some of the worst match-ups of celebrities "selling" on the small screen.
All this blogger can see is that having random celebrities in many TV spots adds an additional expense to the cost of the product or service. Because we all know, celebs do not do this for free.
As a final note, AdvertisingAge Magazine found that twenty percent of celeb TV ads in 2010 actually diminished the ads effectiveness and yet a 2011 report shows even more celebs appearing in TV ads. Go figure.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
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