Celebrities should come with an expiry date: Ad experts

‘Should not be used for star power or glamour quotient alone’

Whether it’s colas, shoes, mobile connections or vehicles, the celebrity who endorses a product becomes the face of the brand. Yet, how vital is the role of a celebrity in engaging with the consumer in a way that translates into sales?

The answer, according to advertising experts, marketers and celebrities themselves, is that – though the latter help in brand recall – they should come with an ‘expiry date’. That is, prolonged use of a celebrity to endorse a brand is not advisable, according to Anisha Motwani, chief marketing officer, Max New York Life.

Motwani was addressing the audience on the second day of the Brand Summit 2010, in Bangalore, via a call-in during a debate on ‘Engaging with Consumers through Celebrities’. The debate saw the participation of a wide-array of speakers, from actor Vivek Oberoi to Hansa Research head Ashok Das. Also present were creative heads Rajeev Raja and Senthil Kumar of DDB Mudra and JWT India respectively, as well as brand experts Harish Bijoor and Suhel Seth and TVS Motor marketing chief H S Goindi.

Motwani highlighted how Max New York Life had hired the services of cricketer Rahul Dravid in 2004 to convey the message of stability and solidity. The association lasted for three years, following which the company has not used celebrity brand ambassadors for its mainline advertising campaigns, though actor Amitabh Bachchan endorses Max Vijay, a product targeted at rural areas.

“We needed somebody credible to speak to an audience. Somebody like an Amitabh Bachchan helps,” she said.

‘No harmful products’
The unanimous view during the discussion was that celebrities should not be used for their star power or glamour quotient alone.

“There must be an idea behind the campaign. A script has to be written, which intelligently uses the celebrity,” said Senthil Kumar, chairman, JWT India Creative Council.

Actor Vivek Oberoi was candid enough to admit during the discussion that he had rejected multiple offers to endorse brands construed to be harmful during the start of his career. “This is a choice I’ve made,” he said. “And I abide by it. No alcohol or cigarette endorsements for me,” said the actor.

Oberoi, in fact, pointed out how he had been associated with an anti-smoking initiative, which won him awards.

‘Execution is what matters’
“Using celebrities is a time-tested formula that helps draw attention to the brand. However, there is no substitute for creativity. The idea should be to get a celebrity who is relevant to your product,” said Oberoi.

Even ad man Prahlad Kakkar – again, through a call-in – said the execution of an ad that used celebrity endorsers was of paramount importance.

The panel’s experts stressed that celebrities go through various cycles of evolution. A successful brand strategy is one that manages to find a point of synergy between the brand and celebrity, they added.

While celebrities like Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan have managed to carry multiple brands on their shoulders, not all have managed to do the same, they said.

Golfer Tiger Woods is a case in point, said Harish Bijoor, chief executive of Harish Bijoor Consults. Woods saw his brand endorsements dry up the moment he fell from his pedestal of grace.

“People have memories of negative issues that surround the celebrity. People don’t forget these things easily,” he said.

Ad man and film maker R Balakrishnan, popularly known as Balki, had a counterpoint to this though.

“Too many endorsements by a single celebrity implies that saturation levels will go up,” he said. “We were fortunate with Abhishek Bachchan for Idea because he wasn’t endorsing too many brands,” he said.