One of the most under-utilized strategies in non profit fundraising is the celebrity endorsement.
Filed under Business by on Nov 18th, 2010. 
The public is paying dearly for our cult of the worthless and personality.
It has become clear for many years that what one sees with advertising and media clutter. is expressly not what one gets. And the fact of the matter, certainly with the case of Advertising and Marketing, is that generally there is just too much of it out there for anybody’s good. We suppose that in our society commercial information (preferably truthful) is essential But since so much of what the advertising and marketing people tell us is only half the truth or, at times, none of the truth, some of us do start to wonder why we bother with it all. Hence the huge and growing waste…of money, after all huge sums of money are spent on totally meaningless advertising/marketing programmes! Waste of Media…so much so that we now live in an over-informed society surrounded by a glut of commercial clutter.
Unaccountable Marketing and Advertising is starting to smell like the banks who have bought us to rack and ruin by deceiving the public. And our countries are hanging on to solvency by their fingernails, and our country-folk, after the epic of deceit that was the Politicians and the Banks, at least they see now through these attempts at manipulation! They are tired of the whole wretched mess that our business people have created – they want simply to have effective corporations without all the unnecessary BS.
The injudiciousness of the Marketing world by still proceeding to produce all this utter banal advertising and marketing programmes at a time of stringency is unbelievable!
None of this utterly useless Advertising and Marketing leads to us to being any better off! It does not promote growth or recovery. It does not educate our children, in fact quite the contrary!
It has been clear for many years that what one sees with Corporations is expressly not what one gets! With their smooth grained advertising people together with their smooth grained spivs, the PR people, they do not help people live with any more dignity in fact they do not add one iota to the improvement of life because this pursuit of the superficial, these cynical acts of waste and charlatanry, nauseates the average customer more than almost anything else imaginable. They most certainly see the shallowness together with the worthlessness of the whole international Marketing and Advertising scene!
With their failure to work as evidenced by the very recent Financial Crisis shows that Marketing has no sense of convection about it at all.
It is time that the Advertising Agencies reinvented themselves, they must stop producing evidence that all they are self-regarding incompetents embarked upon huge and wasteful acts of profligacy – and with no accountability!
Yes, our countries are in a mess, they still are and all this Advertising, Marketing, Spin and Celebrity will not get us out of this mess.
By: Paul Ashby
About the Author:
Highly experienced & adept at creating accountable marketing/advertising “Events” in new and existing media, both domestically and internationally. Highly experienced in creating and writing interactive products for B2B as well as Event development and launch. Experienced in creating sales and communication strategies for vendors including a detailed understanding of software and services in multiple industries such as banking, FMCG, Insurance and Automotive industries among others.Core Competencies:
Team Development. Communication. Marketing & Sales. Research & Accountability. Proposal Development. Writing. Client Relationship. Direct Marketing. Analysis. Game Playing.
Books: Television Killed Advertising.
Contact: paul.ashby@yahoo.com
http://interactivetelevisionorinteractivetv.blogspot.com
Read more on Our Obsession With Advertising, Marketing, Spin and Celebrity Is Failing the Country!…
Filed under Business by on Nov 16th, 2010.
Celebrity endorsements often help in soaring sales for product companies. This holds true for every product in every industry. In the fashion and beauty industry, celebrity endorsements have a snowball effect on product sales.
Did you know that the sales of L’Oreal’s Elnett soared because it was advertised by Cheryl Cole! The Girls Aloud singer boosted the product’s sales in the UK by 14 per cent last year. Cheryl also advertises L’Oreal’s Diamond Hold and Shine spray and the Elvive range of shampoos and conditioners for which sales are also up 14 per cent.
Women are definitely getting more adventurous and are customizing their hairstyles and color. They aspire to get the ‘red carpet’ styles at home and hence try to copy celebrity hairstyles. When these celebrities endorse specific hair products, they sell like hotcakes.
There’s nothing wrong in endorsing any product, until it benefits the masses. However the ads featuring celebrities are misleading at times and can cause concern amongst consumers.
This year itself, one of L’Oreal’s shampoo commercials featuring Cheryl Cole was scrutinized as it seemed misleading. Viewers were upset and many questioned whether Cheryl Cole’s hair extensions were worth it?
The obvious question is – Should celebrities endorse hair products?
The answer is yes, they should. However, celebrities should be careful in the way the product is positioned amongst consumers. Fans try to copy their favorite stars in every way possible, so celebrities should ensure that they are not sending any ambiguous message to their fans/consumers.
If you are unsure whether a product endorsed by a celebrity is right for you, then it is best to consult your stylist. Get involved in a consultation session with your stylist/colorist. Ask them about which hair products to apply, which hairstyling scissors to use, etc.
The benefit of doing this is that they will guide you in the right way so that you can copy a celebrity look and yet stay away from any side effects.
By: Grant Romundt
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Filed under Business by on Sep 2nd, 2010.
Magazines give a lot of detailed information on celebrity weddings and as a wedding planner, when you read these descriptions, think about how you can modify their expensive wedding planning ideas and make them budget friendly and usable for some of the weddings that you plan.
Here are ideas from 8 celebrity weddings that you can use:
1) From the wedding of Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie to actor Josh Duhamel
When using a black and white color scheme, carry it out in the invitations and the attire of the wedding party. Accent a white wedding dress with black and white brooches. Dress bridesmaids in black and have them carry bouquets of gardenias and white roses.
2) From the wedding of singer Natasha Bedingfield to Matt Robinson
For an outdoor wedding, sprinkle rose petals on the ground instead of using an aisle runner. And, if the bride doesn’t want a traditional wedding cake, just have a dessert bar with a variety of pastries.
3) From the wedding of American Idol judge, Kara DioGuardi, to Mike McCuddy
Use cream, white and natural beige as wedding theme colors at the reception. You don’t need a lot of color in your decor because guests usually add a lot of color by wearing bright clothes to weddings.
4) From the wedding of reality television celebrity, Khloe Kardashian, to Lakers basketball player, Lamar Odom
Place a “candy station” of gummy bears, M&M’s, ring pops, candy necklaces and chocolate bars in clear glass jars and glasses at the reception. Give wedding favors of organic cupcakes frosted and decorated in the colors of the groom’s favorite sports team.
5) From chef, author and reality television star Bethenny Frankel’s wedding to Jason Hoppy
Highlight the wedding dress by using a white bouquet with ribbons that match the wedding color scheme, rather than a bouquet of flowers in the scheme’s colors. Colored flowers can distract from beauty of the wedding gown itself.
6) From singer Carrie Underwood’s wedding to Ottawa Senators hockey player, Mike Fisher
Design an elegant and girlie wall-to-wall pink reception ballroom. Have a cupcake tower for a wedding cake. If the bride or groom enjoy hockey, instead of using escort cards, give guests hockey pucks with their table assignments printed on them.
7) From MTV VJ, LaLa Vazquez’s wedding to Denver Nuggets basketball star, Carmelo Anthony
For a red-themed wedding, use save-the-date cards that look like Valentines and send them out for Valentine’s Day, if the timing is appropriate. Carry out the red theme with a red velvet wedding cake frosted with red buttercream and decorated with gold details.
From Chelsea Clinton’s wedding to Marc Mezvinsky
For an elegant, understated wedding, use a plain white aisle runner and a canopy made of branches, leaves and flowers. If gift baskets are given to guests, fill them with locally purchased specialties to show them what the area has to offer.
Brides love reading about celebrity weddings and pick up details from them so keep up with the latest news and you will be able to help them incorporate the ideas into their weddings.
By: Sharon Hill
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Filed under Business by on Sep 1st, 2010.
One of the commonly viewed advertisements today is called Celebrity Branding advertising. We see popular and talented artists endorsing different products in television shows, programs, special events and commercials. Branded clothes, perfumes, make-up, sports gear, and the likes are making good in the market. All of these items carry the signature names of movie stars, models, actors and actresses like Jennifer Lopez, and others.
Customers have the flexibility adjusting to products that are offered in the market especially if it is new. More so, if they find out that the products are represented and endorsed by famous personalities, they become eager and excited to purchase them either for personal use or for gift giving purposes. Through further studies and research of brand specialists, they assign top personalities who can represent a specific product based on different aspects like their personality, occupation, physical attributes or even their capacity to effectively deliver to consumers the real essence of the product or charitable project. Miss India Aishwarya Rai crowned Miss World possesses stunning and expressive eyes and she effectively campaigned for an eye donation big event. Voice over method of advertising taps celebrities with distinct voices that captivate and attract more customers. Advertising is always full of creative ideas and strategies that really work.
As of this time, almost 20% advertisers make use of the celebrity endorsed promotional method. Once a famous personality signs a contract with advertisers, many products and brands will definitely boost in the market. Product endorsers are experts in projecting the image of the product and company to buying viewers. Different products with a single popular endorser can even effectively shift from one personality to another just to be able to relate the significance and function of a specific product to interested consumers. Many have actually done this like David Beckham in endorsing Gillette and Passion.
Another Celebrity Advertising method is through the use of Celebrity logos or graphic images that can totally represent a well known figure such as actors, models, and more. Even simple initials like Jennifer Lopez’ fashion brand logo JLO. The product brand JLO enables different products related to Jennifer Lopez appear branded and highly regarded because of Jennifer’s stardom. Their popularity as well as their talent is enough to draw a big crowd of consumers even in their absence. Any product that will be represented by superstars’ logos, initials and designs will somehow carry out the advertising purpose.
Big names in the business industry really set up a budget for celebrity branding method in advertising their products and services. Nothing can compensate the load of customers that will be magnetized by superstars. Popular and credible personalities can create business tycoons out of a single product. One of the successful ad agencies that created an exclusive ad company that focused on celebrity endorsement is Davie Brown Entertainment. They exquisitely screened celebrities to represent their products and designed ads that would co-relate to their chosen endorser. Their rigid strategy is a proof that they are selective and meticulous when it comes to customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction spells out business success.
By: Frederick Hail
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Read more on Celebrity Branding – Capitalizing on A Star’s Popularity…
Filed under Business by on Sep 1st, 2010.
Throughout advertising history, there have been a myriad of celebrity spokespeople pitching everything from cereal to cellular phones. I’m sure you can all think of a few celebrity pitchmen and women both past and present: Bill Cosby for Jello, Joan Cusack for U.S. Cellular, Sam Waterston (of Law and Order fame) for Ameri-trade, and more recently William Shatner for Priceline.com come to mind.
At a glance these spokespeople would seem like obvious fits, but for advertisers the selection process is much more complex. Studies suggest that celebrity ads garner higher awareness than non-celebrity ads. And while I don’t doubt that awareness may increase, it’s imperative as marketers that we choose a representative who can carry the brand message and be a persuadable force to your consumer. That’s why I’ve outlined 3 simple strategies for choosing an effective spokesperson.
1. Identify the Brand Personality
What do I mean by “brand personality?” At our firm we define your brand as your unique claim of distinction. Your brand personality then, would be characteristics that define that claim. For example, the Volvo name is synonymous with safety, security and confidence. By attributing human characteristics to the brand, we identify key traits to look for in an effective spokesperson.
2. Determine Celebrity Credibility
In the end, the goal of any brand and its communications strategy is to influence purchase behavior. That’s why the credibility of a given spokesperson plays a crucial role in convincing an audience to select your particular brand. Your message becomes more powerful and believable when an endorsement carries some perceived authority.
While expertise certainly contributes to credibility of the spokesperson, I think traits such as likability, persuasiveness, and physical characteristics should also be considered while making your selection. One good example that comes to mind is Dennis Hopper for Ameriprise Financial. The “Dreams Don’t Retire” campaign talks about how Ameriprise is redefining financial planning, and encourages baby-boomers to achieve their retirement dreams. As a symbol of the revolutionary spirit of his generation, Hopper is the perfect choice to address baby-boomers about redefining their financial planning.
3. Remain Relevant to Your Target Demographic
When choosing a spokesperson, you must identify someone who will appeal to the demographics of your target audience.
In a recent example, Suddenlink Communications, a national cable, Internet and home phone service provider, wanted to gear their brand messaging towards a younger, more tech-savvy segment of their audience (Adults 18-34). Our firm proposed nationally recognized comedian, Mike Birbiglia, as their spokesperson. As a regular on Comedy Central, Birbiglia has a strong following on college comedy circuits and effectively markets his act through the Internet and social networking sites such as YouTube and Facebook. The campaign became a huge success for Suddenlink. With Birbiglia, their brand message suddenly became relevant to their target audience, and the results proved it.
Celebrity Spokespeople and Brands can be good for each other
In the end, pairing the right spokesperson with the right brand can amplify your marketing communications. A good candidate should be based on the relevance and believability they bring and whether they can be a persuasive force in getting the consumer to consider purchasing the product or service.
By: Tim Leon
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Filed under Business by on Jul 4th, 2010.