The Finch Post

The Falling Star of Celebrity Endorsement - Part 4

Can You Hear Me Now, Catherine Zeta-Jones?

If you suffered a heart attack, you’d want an expertly trained Cardiologist at the helm of your recovery, not a glitzy hospital mouthpiece paid to look good while reciting medical references he or she probably doesn’t even understand. The same goes for purchasing products or services. Savvy consumers want to learn about the best and brightest from the best and brightest. Hence, the long-running success of Verizon’s “Can you hear me now?” campaign.

From 2002 to 2011, Verizon aired more than 100 TV spots featuring a bespectacled field tester asking a question familiar to many cell phone users, “Can you hear me now?” Test Man roaming across the country not only visually represented the strength of Verizon’s network, but showcased the spokesperson’s man-on-the-street appeal as well.

In stark contrast to Verizon’s employee endorser, T-Mobile hired starlet Catherine Zeta-Jones to plug the cash-saving benefits of the carrier. With her good looks, fame, and respectability, Zeta-Jones possessed all the hallmarks of a successful spokesperson. The problem, however, was that she lacked a convincing connection to the product she pushed.

In order for celebrity endorsements to be successful, consumers have to buy into the idea that their favorite actor or singer really does use that weight loss program or $5 lipstick. Watching the millionairess promote T-Mobile’s budget-friendly phone plan was as believable as Bill Gates shopping at Shoe Circus (see part 3 of this blog series), it just didn’t ring true.

Today’s audiences demand that A-listers be authentically in sync with the products they sell. This break from our star-struck tradition has celebrities nervous and businesses redefining their criteria for successful spokespeople. Perhaps Verizon should have texted T-Mobile and informed them of the importance of source credibility.

The Falling Star of Celebrity Endorsement - Part 3 of a 4 part series

Part 3: Syntax Error

Long recognized as an industry innovator, Apple Computers placed their unique corporate identity front and center as the star spokesperson of their highly acclaimed “Get a Mac” campaign. The move paid off for Apple and was so successful that in 2010 Adweek declared the series the best advertising campaign of the first decade of the new century.

Featuring then unknown Justin Long as a Mac personified, the advertisements pitted his unflappable wit against the schlubby, corporate, has-been PC played by John Hodgman. The duo entertained viewers for years with their playful exchanges and left Microsoft in desperate need of rebooting their brand.

Who did Microsoft use to champion this ambitious undertaking? A celebrity that’s synonymous with software of course, comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Designed to reintroduce Windows to disenchanted consumers, the ensuing ads got laughs, but for all the wrong reasons.

The first commercial, entitled “Shoe Circus”, showed Seinfeld helping Bill Gates buy shoes at a discount retailer. The second installment of Bill and Jerry’s excellent adventures chronicled the odd couple connecting with “normal people” as unwelcome house guests.

Microsoft tried to play to its strengths, namely the universality of its software, by unveiling a clever new slogan: PC—Perpetually Connected. However, the campaign failed to focus on its biggest selling point: the billions of PC users Gates boasts about bringing together. Shockingly, even with Microsoft’s CEO as Seinfeld’s sidekick, audiences couldn’t connect the comic with computers. 

The titans of tech finally got it right with their “I am a PC” campaign—a counterattack and homage to the “Get a Mac” commercials. Microsoft embraced the stigma Apple placed on the PC, repositioning it as a badge of honor. The renovated advertisements showcased diverse members of the global Microsoft community proudly proclaiming “I am a PC.” By using less celebrity and more reality, Microsoft positioned themselves as boundary breakers and a beloved fixture in billions of lives.

Although the folks at Apple and Microsoft fiercely differentiate themselves on and off the screen, they are both still techies at heart. Staying true to their corporate identity, they sent a clear message to appreciative audiences: we get it. With consumers growing increasingly savvy, credibility will always trump celebrity.

The Falling Star of Celebrity Endorsement - Part 2 of a 4 Part Series

Part 2: Hail to the Geeks

One of the best examples of companies selling their unique corporate culture along with a product or service is The Geek Squad. Formed in 1994 with a flimsy $200 endowment, founder Robert Stephens wanted his company to be more than just another IT consulting and repair service. He was well aware that competitors could deliver equally as effective technical support. He also knew that IT professionals were stymied by stereotype. How did Stephens separate himself from the high-tech herd? Simple: he embraced the qualities that made geeks different and in doing so differentiated The Geek Squad.

To achieve this, the geeks in Stephens’ squad had to BE the brand, eating, sleeping, and dreaming his singular vision. Each “agent” was given a 1950s-inspired geek chic uniform consisting of black pants, short-sleeved white dress shirt, and skinny black tie. To add dimension to the company’s whole retro police detective schtick, Stephens also outfitted his staff with cast-metal badges manufactured by the same company supplying local law enforcement with their bling. 

After looking the part, The Geek Squad had to act the part. One famous case of theatrics involved The Geek Squad staging a SWAT team mission in order to win an account. The farce was so effective that the prospective client actually thought it was a legitimate police operation.    

From custom-designed shoes with a reverse imprint logo on the sole, to die-cut oval shaped business cards offering computer tips, Stephens never missed an opportunity to showcase his brand. An eye for detail, sharp self-awareness, and passion for promotion fueled The Geek Squad’s rocket-like ascent into the hearts and minds of consumers. Like mother always said, “be yourself and people will love you.” 

The Falling Star of Celebrity Endorsement - Part 1 of a 4 part series

Legendary art director, George Lois,  mused that “enlisting a celebrity to sell cat food, an airline, off-track betting, an analgesic, or a lube job would seem to be a delusionary strategy fraught with irrationality. But let’s face it, it’s a star-struck world.”

Sure, it’s a star-struck world, but with exorbitant high costs, bad behavior, and questionable credibility plaguing celebrity endorsements, is it any wonder that businesses are starting to look within to inspire campaigns and develop brands? 

This four-part blog examines the changing face of the spokesperson from gregarious celebrity to unassuming everyman, and how this shift in audience preference allows businesses to bolster their brand by celebrating the people behind their products.

Celebrity Losing its Fizz

 According to recent marketing research, one out of every four advertising campaigns in the US features famous faces. From magazine spreads to Twitter, television commercials to Facebook, the advertising industry is clogged with celebrity and is in desperate need of Draino.

Although most of us believe that our voracious appetite for celebrity is a relatively recent speedbump in social evolution, actors and athletes, musicians and models have been peddling products to eager audiences for centuries.

In ancient Rome, popular gladiators received handsome sums to endorse various products and services. In the 1700s, Josiah Wedgwood capitalized on the popularity of his products with royalty by promoting himself as “Potter to Her Majesty.”

At the height of the Cola Wars, PepsiCo also used ties to aristocracy to promote their carbonated product. The history-making partnership with the King of Pop made Michael Jackson the richest pitchman on planet Earth. With his unmistakable flair, Jackson touted the beverage to his fans as the choice of a new generation, resulting in Pepsi earning $7.7 billion in sales and edging out its competitor as the King of Soda Pop for 1984.

Throughout the ten-year commitment, Jackson earned tens of millions of dollars, while Pepsi enjoyed sole sponsorship of his concerts. Allegations of child abuse in 2003, however, burst the campaign’s bubble, and Jackson was quickly released from his contract.

Pepsi’s ill-fated promotion is one of many examples of star powered endorsements losing their shine. Although hitching an advertising campaign to a Hollywood cash cow can prove beneficial at first, it is wise for businesses to remember that if the spokesperson gets stuck in the mud, then so too does the brand tied to them.

4 of the Most Memorable Marketing Moments of 2011

In a year where the dollar was down and competition was up, businesses had to embrace the idea of thinking outside the box like never before. Since we appreciate good work even when it’s not our own, here are four of our favorite picks for 2011:

Bill(boarding) House

In 2011, Godialing (formerly Adzookie), an agency specializing in ad space on smartphones, introduced the world’s first billboard house. In exchange for converting homes into canvases, where their entire exteriors minus the roofs, windows, and any awnings bore the company’s ad, Godialing agreed to pay owners’ mortgages every month for as long as the houses remained painted. Home sweet smartphone?

Advertising Space

In a novel upselling scenario, KLM launched a viral video to make a case for why passengers should pay for the Dutch airline’s business class seats. The video, which showed a stranger invading people's personal space, highlights how much we value inches between strangers, especially when traveling! The message was clear: Avoid the tight squeezes and close quarters by purchasing a business class ticket, where the airline puts you next to an empty seat. We’re certain that this video was the ticket in helping secure skyrocketing sales for KLM’s business class section.

We’ll Drink to That

Although the launch of their new roast called Tribute Blend occurred in the summer of 2010, we’re including this on our list because Starbucks’ campaign was recognized by the Advertising Specialty Institute in 2011. The new coffee was promoted as part of Starbuck’s rebranding effort celebrating the company’s 40^th anniversary. To brew up additional excitement over the new blend, Starbucks sent out an exclusive email to their Gold Card members one week prior to announcing the new product to the general public. Individuals who responded to the email by purchasing a one-pound bag of Tribute Blend received a ceramic taster cup not available in stores. Only 4,000 of these cups featuring a new logo were produced. In less than 24 hours after the offer went live, the cups were gone. Consumers drank up this promotion, resulting in the most successful limited edition coffee run in Starbucks’ history.

Undeclared Baggage

2011 was a big year for airlines as evidenced by another one making our list with their “Unexpected Luggage” video. On December 24^th, a Spanair flight from Barcelona to Las Palmas arrived close to midnight. The 190 passengers on board were in the air during Christmas Eve. To see to it that those who celebrate Christmas had an opportunity to share in the festivities, Spanair surprised its passengers with wrapped presents delivered on the baggage claim conveyer belt. The feel good viral video helped Spanair’s message take flight, bolstering the airline’s brand as a company that cares about its customers.

What are your favorite picks for the most memorable marketing moments of 2011? Leave us a comment and let us know.