07 Mar Using Celebrities To Generate Buzz Is Lazy — And It Doesn’t Work
Those who know me know that I am not a fan of celebrity endorsements to drive brand campaigns. Yes, the celebrity gives you some fake impressions, but it doesn’t actually benefit the brand. In fact, even with the multiple publicity circuit appearances on Entertainment Tonight, the red carpet and elsewhere, only 8% of consumers only trust celebrity endorsements. Which brings me to the train wreck that is Charlie Sheen. I abstained from talking about this but a friend wrote such a wonderful post about it that I had to transfer the spotlight over to him.
In Vinny O’Hare’s post, he talks about the fact that advertisers are running to Mr. Sheen’s antics like attorneys to ambulances. It has been reported that Charlie could earn $1MM through sponsored tweets via ad.ly. It’s sick, it’s perverse and it’s insane that any brand would want to associate itself with Mr. Sheen and the publicity surrounding his meltdown. Mental illness is a serious thing yet the media, providing once again why it lacks credibility on serious issues, can’t help but talk about him while making light of his condition.
Back to Vinny’s post: There are more deserving people out there with integrity that advertisers should consider endorsing. Do they appear on TV every day because of their goofy antics or looks? No, but they have loyal readers, can help drive your brand’s relevancy and can help spread the word about what you’re doing. I can send you a list of bloggers who are hard working, have loyal followings and whose Klout score isn’t a complete farce to the influencer concept. Give his post a read and please contribute.