The Creative Side of Endorsements

The Creative Side of Endorsements

Today advertising and marketing is all about gaining attention for your brand.  Of course the intention of using a celebrity in your campaign is meant to do just this.  But, how can you take that celebrity powerhouse and make it into a home run?  The key is that your campaign must be creative and generate that interest. (Creative Side of Endorsements)

Bring on the Quirk

For me personally, the best ads are ones that contain an element of the unexpected or make me laugh.  Making an ad quirky and funny is a great way of reaching your audience so long as this message also aligns with your brand’s image. 

Perhaps you think that adding a bit of quirk is not for your brand, but an element of the unexpected and even a sense of humor can help bring a bit of realness and authenticity to your campaign.  Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, so to speak, and come up with your next biggest and brightest idea.  We just ask that you not make it “Puppy, monkey baby”. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql7uY36-LwA

Although, it has to be admitted, as much as I deplore that commercial, somehow people are still talking about it.   One thing that I will point out is that while this commercial brings the quirk factor in spades, I couldn’t honestly recall what the product was.  I thought perhaps it was Doritos.  (Turns out it is Mountain Dew.)  So a word to the wise, make sure that the quirk doesn’t overpower the product or the celebrity.  This pretty much misses the point on getting attention for your brand.

I think what would have turned “Puppy, monkey, baby” into a campaign that generated more attention for the brand would have been to turn the single commercial into a story.  During the Super Bowl, I was actually expecting additional ads to follow.  When none did, it left me scratching my head and saying to myself, “What exactly was that?” 

Build an opportunity to continue the story into your campaign.  Intrigue the public at large and they will come back wanting more and your brand will stick in their minds.

Hire a Whole Mess of Celebrities to Make “Cameos”

Speaking of quirky, there is nothing more quirky than a whole mess of celebrities making cameos in your ad.  Why just settle for one celebrity when you can have a whole bunch of them? 

Assuming that you budget can handle hiring more than one celebrity, this is a sure attention grabber.  And who knows?  You might just get lucky and the celebs you want to hire may just cut you a deal if they are as intrigued by the idea as you are.  Think something along the lines of “you don’t get the sale you don’t ask for”.

Think of some of your favorite movies, and the brief cameos that your favorite actors make in them.  Part of the appeal of a cameo is that it is often unexpected and the actor takes on an unexpected, and sometimes even a far lesser role than he or she might usually take on.  How about a little unexpected cameo in your next marketing campaign to intrigue your public?

Encourage the Conversation

There’s nothing like getting people talking that can bring your brand to the forefront.  Encourage dialog and communication from your public.  Ending an ad with a cliffhanger is one way of getting your public to respond.  Ask them what they thinks happens next and encourage them to post on your social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. 

Hold a vote. Have two “competing” celebrities vying for attention of the viewer and have people vote on their winner. 

In short, anything that encourages conversation and real dialog between you, your brand and the public gets your message heard more broadly.  You can even contact influencers to flank your celebrity endorsement and get them talking about your message in their own circles. 

Finish it off with press releases and announcements on social media and you could have a formula for a successful campaign.  In short, you every gun in your arsenal from the AK-47 to the cap gun in your kid’s toy chest and have some fun. 

Hold an “Impromptu” Event

Of course if you plan on doing an event with a celebrity, there is going to have to be some planning involved.  But you don’t have to alert the press until just before the event. 

The key is to hold the event in a very public place such as a mall, a park, a downtown rooftop, anywhere where there is likely to be scads of people who just happen across your unexpected event. 

Make sure that you contact the press with just enough time for them to arrive at your event, set up and shoot the footage that you need to make the news, but not much more than that.

Have your caper planned well enough that there are no “technical glitches”, but remember that you are going for the impromptu feel of the appearance.  Capitalize on the novelty of a celebrity making an appearance and make sure that your product is prominent enough in the scene to get some attention.  Be sure and time your event around lunch time or any other high traffic time of the day. 

You might even want to do giveaways to the public that are fortunate enough to attend your event.  This could include anything from a little refreshment to coupons.  You could even give away a handful of “passes” to come hang with the celebrity for a short period of time.  This is a sure fire way of making the rounds on social media outlets as well as news outlets.  It is almost guaranteed that these people will want to tell their friends that they were fortunate enough to happen upon a celebrity event on their lunch hour.

In short, have fun with your marketing and have fun capitalizing on having a celebrity (or a whole mess of them) in your corner.  People like to be entertained and they welcome the opportunity to be amused.

CelebrityCred.com can help you in securing the right celebrity for your brand.  For more information on navigating the waters of celebrity endorsements, contact CelebrityCred.com at 1(888)359-4521 or visit CelebrityCred.com.

What do you think? Let us know.