Big risk of using celebrities in PR

A PR Person should be very careful in using celebrities as it is a big risk in the industry

The reputation of the celebrity may hamper the product endorsed or the inconsistency in the professional performance of the celebrity may put the consumer product in great risk in the market.

A PR person should also consider the image of the celebrity and the product it chooses as the image and the brand should not mismatch.

PR person should consider all the aspects and make effective use of the celebrity by making the brand stand out and making an instant awareness of the brand in the consumers mind.

Example of Using Celebrities in PR

Example of Using Celebrities in Consumer PR:

Sharing a love for upscale accessories, mega-mom Angelina Jolie and daughter Zahara, 2, step out in matching mommy-and-me Valentino “Histoire” handbags during a trip to a New York City park. [PEOPLE MAGAZINE]

As the information from the last post was taken from a website www.prinfluences.com which gave a general idea about how celebrities influence consumers through PR.

There is a growing demand of using celebrities in Consumer PR as they influence the purchasing decisions but PR practitioner should think carefully before employing these celebrities as they can be misleading and misunderstood.

Using of celebrities should be done in cases like when a brand has become stagnant and needs to re-generate and refresh its image in the market or to keep the brand in the top of mind recall of the consumers or to justify a stained image in the market. In all these cases using celebrities would make a good impact on the consumers.

Using Celebrities in Consumer PR

For decades celebrities have promoted products through advertising. But it began in the days when consumers actually believed advertising.
In today’s world the real ‘bang for the bucks’ from celebrity endorsement is through PR extensions - getting it picked up by media and now, increasingly extending through the range of new personal media channels (from mobile phones to YouTube).

Here are some points to bear in mind if you are thinking about celebrity marketing through PR

1. Don’t assume that what makes a good celebrity for advertising will work for PR.
2. Make it relevant and believable
3. Establish the boundaries and their area of competence
4. Recognise that media want a performance
5. Who is endorsing who?
6. Do your homework
7. Put the PR in the hands of people who understand brands
8. Think audiences - not just about publicity
9. Prepare, prepare, prepare
10. Do a plan before you sign the contract

At the end of the day the aim of any celebrity endorsement PR program is to not only catch the attention of consumers who might not have otherwise noticed the product, but to support or change perceived attributes or perceptions about the product. That means the single most critical factor is identifying a celebrity that ‘fits’ with your brand.