Celebrity endorsement is a classic marketing technique used by many brands, but is it still relevant and effective?
Recent academic research studied celebrity endorsement in the charity sector; it aimed to find out if celebrities were actually effective practice for charities and whether it makes the public more likely to donate or give their time for the cause.
According to recent journal articles by three UK academics, “the ability of celebrity and advocacy to reach people is limited”. The research contradicted the idea that celebrities help raise the profile of charities that they endorse and increase the amount donated. The participants in the research were given a list of seven popular charities but 66 percent couldn't match the celebrities to the causes they represented. Also, over three quarters of participants said that seeing celebrities in charities adverts led them to not responding "in any way".
This isn't to say celebrity endorsement doesn't work, they were some instances in which celebrities were matched and were shown to of had a positive effect. However, this group was a lot smaller than expected with just a few celebrities such as George Clooney, Bono and Joanna Lumley being effective advocators.
Similar research from the international journal of cultural studies, found that in the focus groups "people supported the charities that they supported because of personal connections in their lives and families which made these causes important, not because of the celebrities.”
Although it seems celebrities are not as effective in creating responses for charities, the press coverage and mainstream awareness they raise cannot be argued. Angelina Jolie's tireless campaigning to end violence against women has received much press along with her choice to undergo preventative surgery for breast cancer which has raised awareness and inspired individuals to follow suit.
Celebrity endorsement is most definitely not dead, but it's also not what it once was. Selection of celebrities used is a key factor with a small group being real brand-matchers and having the ability to drive positive responses. Although this research focused on the charity sector, this data can be applied to other industries, particularly the information about "personal connections in their lives and families were more important."
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