For some brands, like Nike and H&M, writing large checks to prominent figures is a small price to pay for significant exposure and brand alignment with people who have their own powerful brands. But for other brands that are repositioning or transforming their image it can be a very delicate operation.
We all agree with the fact that a celebrity must match up against an advertising objective, but the process of determining that propriety is very ambiguous.
Read more : Best H&M Celebrities and Designers Collaborations Over the Years
♦ Celebrity vs Social Media Stars ?
Celebrity or social media influencer selection involves more than just strategy; indeed, the engagement of a celebrity may demand a significant financial commitment as well. For both reasons, a systematic approach to the selection of an appropriate celebrity is an important practical task. The first interrogation is should we choose a celebrity with a big name recognition or a web influencer with a large online audience?
Each brand as to be aware that beyond the high image recognition and persuasive impact that a celebrity offers, they also carry and work for their own brand.
In many cases, celebrities with significant exposure are themselves brands with their own carefully-crafted images. Their alignment with other brands can help those brands position their products and services with important customer segments.
On the other hand, one of the biggest challenges for social media stars as next-generation celebrity endorser is the fact that many social media personalities have high recognition with certain audiences, but they really don’t have strong brands or name recognition outside of their field.
For example : in Quebec, Jean Francois CD is growing a very large popularity in the youtube sphere but still doesn’t have a strong brand history that people can relate to comparing to a star like Veronique Cloutier or a renowned actress like Jane Fonda.
What it means for brands is that many of the advantages of celebrity relationships, such as strategic lifestyle messaging, probably just can’t be realized with social media standouts. There’s also the issue of longevity.
♦ Celebrity Endorser or Bloggers, When & How ?
- Celebrity Endorsers : In general big figures will bring worldwide recognition, attraction and persuasion. The partnership will transmit personality characteristic, reinforce brand values and lifestyle. Chanel tried to attract men by partnering with A List actor such as Brad Pitt or like more recently Johnny Depp. for Dior A great partnership will usually be use in order to transform a brand image or grow a brand recognition among a certain type of audience.
- Bloggers, on the other hand, will help a brand to grow it’s community online, adjust its web personality and even target newer and sometimes younger audience. A blogger is a great WOM asset, will help build an expertise and convince consumer to buy. That strategy will usually be used when a brand is launching a new service online (e-shop, mobile shop, new app, new exclusive product online, or a website relaunch).
The famous blogger Sincerely Jules partenering with H&M for Autumn fashion 2015
Read more : Rihanna : The Bad Girl Gone Dior
♦ How to make a good selection?
Today “engagement” “audience” and “authenticity” are the cornerstone of every brand strategy. (Infopresse.com)
♦ When partnering with a celebrity
It is important that the collaboration feels genuine.
As an agency you will want to find the most credible and attractive face to represent the brand that is looking for a new positioning. For that you need to understand the image and the story that a celebrity has been developed in a long term perspective. That means evaluate the public and private textual story of the celebrity, like prior and current endorsement contracts, celebrity professional future plans, public activity, public controversy involvement, celebrity brand biography, value and message that are delivered in public and private apparition, etc.
♦ When partnering with a blogger
Transparency, authenticity and relevance will make all the difference.
As an agency or a brand you must assure that the blogger is reflecting your brand ADN but you will also look at his audience engagement. High-profile bloggers are seen as reliable and credible source of information and have a great recommendation impact on readers buying decision.
The key to successful blogger engagement is a great outreach and preparation : take the time to read relevant blog post, evaluate their past collaboration with brands, see if they’re warm to brands and product promotions. They are numerous free tools to measure the quality of the blogger audience engagement. And remember that it’s not always about quantity when it come to influence.
Sources :
Note to brands: social media stars are (probably) not the new celebrity endorsers – econsultancy.com
Five lessons for effective blogger outreach – econsultancy.com
Blogger engagement: the benefits for brands – econsultancy.com
Cannes 2015: les célébrités, des marques payantes – Infopresse.com
Filed under: Beyond Celebrity Branding, Beyond Celebrity Business Tagged: affiliate marketing, blogger and brands, blogger campaign, blogger outreach, Celebrity advertising, Celebrity brand, Celebrity endorsement, Celebrity Endorsing, celebrity partnership, Chanel, featured
