We have a plethora of Brands available in any category of
products. And there are the brand ambassadors. Many of these ambassadors are
very successful celebrities who have reached their pinnacle of success. And so they
have a good bunch of loyal fan following.
Why do these celebrities endorse products? Or do they
actually endorse products? Is it just another revenue stream for them? If that
is so, we shouldn’t call it endorsement.
So, where does this start? An owner of a brand wants more
publicity for a brand and he approaches a celebrity to promote the product. The
idea being –there should be more visibility for the product. And increase sales
of the product. For the Celebrity – Make hay while the Sun shines!
In which case, is there any accountability with the
Celebrity on the performance or the quality of the product that he “endorses”?
My take on this is that – there should definitely be some
bit of moral accountability if not a responsibility of the product or service. The
goodwill resting with the audience would be more valuable than the Endorsement
fee the Celebrity may be charging.
And most certainly it is also the responsibility of the
Marketeer to understand and match with the importance of this moral accountability
of the Celebrity Vis a Vis the Product.
Yes, there should be “responsible” Marketing, irrespective of whether you are marketeer or a Celebrity Endorser.
