How do companies choose A-listers as potential endorsers, and how can you measure A-lister ROI? There are three main considerations here:
- Successful endorsers will be physically attractive and lead an appealingly attractive lifestyle. Attractiveness enhances brand recognition, and unattractiveness will pull the brand down.
- Is the A-lister credible? In other words, is your potential A-lister trustworthy and credible when it comes to being seen as a gifted individual in their field?
- How strong is the ‘meaning transfer’ between the A-lister and the brand? The ultimate success of the partnership between your brand and your chosen A-lister is predicated on lifestyle, identity and personality. The brand must be in sync with the A-lister (and vice versa).
As for measuring the ROI on engaging an expensive celebrity endorser, it’s, as expected, not so black and white. Some marketing scientists argue that stock price and enterprise value are the most sensitive measures of the success or failure of brand endorsements. Results, however, are all over the map (from Nike to Nestle to you name it). As is so often with marketing, gut feel often leads the way. Where art and science collide, decision-making by the numbers is often thrown out the window.