In previous articles, I have talked about a type of approach to creating restaurant videos, which I refer to as the greatness by association technique. In this technique or template, the restaurant is touted via its association with something great. One video, for example, featured a couple on a serious romantic date at a featured restaurant. The video content implied that the restaurant was a quality establishment because it was used for a quality date. Another video featured film star Dennis Weaver visiting a pizza parlor, and eating their food.

Advertising agencies that specialize in celebrity endorsements for product promotion have given a lot of thought to the question of exactly how effective such endorsements are. Efforts have even been made to quantify the effect. And in China, celebrity endorsements have proven to be very effective.

Experts have elucidated powerful pluses and negatives that must be taken into consideration, when
a business considers hiring a star to promote their company branding or company products. It is important to avoid absolutes when thinking about using a star. For example, studies have shown there have been just as many mediocre ads with as without celebrities. Big name stars have been used successfully to maintain the image of large brands such as Pepsi. In this situation earlier established popularity can be enhanced. Brands wishing to establish values or shift their image with a celebrity, must be sure the star is not blemished, and that he or she reflects the company’s values. Small and large companies have successfully used unknown personalities whose on stage pressence just happened to fit the product they were touting.

In recent years more and more celebrities have run afoul of the law, and public trust in stars has declined. So a new trend in star use has been to find lesser know stars or spoke persons, who nevertheless have the right personality, look or message for the product they are touting. For example, Subway received a letter from a man who lost over 100 pounds on a diet of 2 subway sandwiches a day. Subway made him a spokesman for their product, and the strategy subsequently boosted sales, and inspired other patrons to send in their stories of how subway sandwiches had helped them lose weight.

Another important consideration is the number of viewers who will not recognize the celebrity, no matter how popular. An important strategy, therefore, is to create commercials that stand on their own, even if the audience fails to recognize the celebrity.
Celebrities won their status through their acting ability and their interesting on stage personality. They should therefore use it effectively when acting in a commercial. One Mother Pita Past Restaurant Commercial featured the late Dennis Weaver as a restaurant patron. Even if you wouldn’t recognize the former star of Gunsmoke, you couldn’t help noticing the way he rolled out the restaurant name and the words panzarella cheese. He was clearly a patron that was savoring the food in a way the audience could relate to.

When a company has used a celebrity endorsement, and finds that it is working, studies show they should stick with the combination, and not flit from celebrity to celebrity. Weight watchers used Sarah Furgeson, the former Duchess of York to endorse their organization, and over a subsequent three year period enrollment increased by 60%.

In summary, celebrity endorsement is a tried and true technique for product promotion, but the actual screen presence and personality of the celebrity needs to be taken into account and integrated into the content of the commercial. Lesser known figures can be just as effective as big names if their personality screen presence, look and message are appropriate for the product they are promoting.

Thanks to Winmax Video for sponsoring this article. Winmax is a video production company specializing in restaurant video corporate video and trade show videos.

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