One of the most popular forms of advertising is CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT. It refers to a strategy used by brands which involves well known and famous people who use their fame and reputation to promote a product or service.Many not for profit organizations use celebrity endorsement to raise the awareness of the people regarding a particular issue.
Companies rely on popular sportsmen, actors, singers, social media sensations to promote their product. The reason behind this is that the celebrities have a huge fan following , hence they can easily reach a large number of potential buyers. People trust the celebrities and also trust the product they endorse. In the earlier times, athletes were the main celebrity endorsers but with the passage of time, movie stars also came into the frame. Companies pay crores of rupees to the celebrities for a 2 minute ad. The fact is that this 2 minute ad helps to build the brand image of the company in the market and boost its sales. As a result, company can easily recover the money paid to the celebrity through its increased profit.
If a particular brand uses celebrity endorsement but its competitor does not, the brand enjoys an edge over its competitor. The brand can capture a large market share and dominate the market with the help of celebrity endorsement. Many startups also use celebrity endorsements to establish themselves in the market. Companies feel that the celebrities have a trustworthiness and it is transferred to the product,thereby creating a positive image of the product in the minds of the customers. Since, social media is a great platform for advertising, celebrities use Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat to promote the brands they endorse. In this way the followers of the celebrities become aware of the product and are tempted to buy it. It has a great advantage for brands as it leads to instant brand awareness. People start recognizing the brand as more trustworthy.
Celebrity endorsement helps the brands to attain new customers and retain the existing ones. The fans and followers of celebrities want to try the product which their favorite celebrity is endorsing. Customers believe that if the celebrity says the product is amazing, then it is surely worth trying. The youth look up to the celebrities and aspire to be like them one day. The companies use this emotional aspect to win over the heart of the youth by endorsing their product through a celebrity. For instance, for many youngsters, Virat Kohli is a role model. Companies are quick to recognize this and they are ready to pay hefty amount of money to Virat Kohli to advertise their product. Other popular celebrities who endorse many products are MS Dhoni, Shahrukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Deepika Padukone and many more.
Many brands invite celebrities on events to show the association of the celebrity with the brand. Such type of events are called PR events. The pictures and videos of the events are circulated everywhere and after having a look at them, the people develop a positive connection with the brand. Recently, Katrina Kaif, one of the most popular bollywood actresses attended one such event organized by KALYAN JEWELLERS. For such events as well, the celebrities charge loads of money.
To conclude, celebrities have a great influence on the consumers and their buying decisions. But at the same time, celebrities should make sure that they never promote a product that has a negative impact on the people. They should never promote unhealthy food or drinks as they also have a certain responsibility towards the society. They should use their fame and status for promoting brands that deliver value to the customer.
