Celebrities as Spokespeople: Use or Not?

When Jenny Craig announced this year they would cease their use of celebrities as their weight-loss spokespeople, we thought it was time to take a look at the pros and cons of the common practice of using television actors, movie stars, singers and athletes in advertising and promotional campaigns.

On the plus side it can generate instant recognition for your product or service and it brings the excitement of that person to your campaign. In addition, if they are heavy social media users, it can bring not just their music or sports fans but also their Twitter followers and Facebook fans. In terms of sheer numbers, there are some clear advantages to this strategy.

On the other hand, celebrities can be hard to manage, unpredictable and their old skeletons and new scandals can be just a deposition away from an image crisis for your campaign. What’s worse is that their behavior and whims are out of your control. Another issue is the actual celebrity – most are not universally loved and it could be because of an unsympathetic role they had in a movie, something read in a tabloid or some other unknown love ‘em/hate ‘em reason. Gwyneth Paltrow, for example was crowned the Most Hated Celebrity by Star magazine and the next week she was People magazine’s Most Beautiful.

Things to consider:

Does the celebrity’s image align with the message you want to convey? Season 1 Survivor winner and tax evading convicted criminal Richard Hatch seemed like a good choice to be the spokesperson for IRSTaxSurvivor.com. It was actually an advantage to have someone with his background pitch their services. Other companies might want a more wholesome representative for which he might be considered.
Is your brand and your message strong enough to have the celebrity complement it rather than take it over? For example, Ashton Kutcher is endorsing a camera – now was that the Canon or the Nikon? Is Cedric the Entertainer in commercials for Bud Light or Miller Lite? (Answers below.) Will people remember the product or the celebrity?
What will you do if there is an issue with the celebrity? Have a plan for a Lance Armstrong, a Paula Deen or a Tiger Woods moment and also for things such as when Weight Watchersspokesperson Charles Barkley called the program a scam when he didn’t realize his microphone was live.

So, Valerie Bertinelli, Mariah Carey and Jason Alexander are out of a job thanks to a change in course from Jenny Craig. Do you think this was a good move or something they will regret? Are you influenced by celebrity endorsements? Please give us your comments while you view the answer to the Ashton/Cedric quiz: