No we are not linking to an auction for a pair of Mr or Mrs Beckham’s own briefs, but referring to the Armani range that the celebrity couple have been advertising so widely. To what extent does celebrity endorsement influence our purchasing decisions? Would you buy a product because David or Victoria Beckham had been paid huge sums to promote it?
It has been argued by retail researchers that we make buying decisions based on perceived want, emotional and psychological need. Marketeers believe consumers derive a halo effect from celebrity endorsements – that in buying a product they are in some way more like, or closer to their idol. They are hoping that the perceived value of the product is increased because the consumer believes it is used by that celebrity.
However, celebrity endorsements are now ubiquitous, even the big supermarket chains have got in on the act with M&S and Morrisons littering their Christmas adverts with so-called celebrities from Stephen Fry and Twiggy to James ‘The Hamster’ Hammond. There is also the question of what constitutes a celebrity endorsement, does a Susanne Shaw brand perfume or Nolan sister popping up in a Morrisons advert really make anyone buy a product?
As with every trend part of the problem is that people jump on the band wagon. As Euromoniter pointed out, the celebrity fragrance market has become over-saturated by the large number of products that have inundated the market.
Some celebrities have a real fit with the company they are promoting and project an image that consumers can buy into. Michael Jordan’s link with Nike is one of the most successful celebrity link ups of all time. Consumers believed that Jordan ‘just did it’ with Nike and his iconic image still appears of Nike clothes long after his retirement from the game.
One firm has taken celebrity endorsement a stage further, My DNA Fragrance claims to make the scents out of DNA taken from the stars’ hair. Fragrances have already been concocted using the DNA of stars including Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Napoleon Bonaparte. Whether they can make a perfume from Cheryl Cole’s hair extensions has yet to be determined!
While brand managers continue to believe that celebrities sell the endorsement trend will show little sign of abating, so don’t be too surprised to see a Jedward Karaoke machine coming to a store near you shortly!
Have you ever bought a product because it was endorsed by a celebrity?