Celebrity endorsements have changed throughout the years, especially today with the rise of social media and using influencers as brand ambassadors.
Since the dawn of media and entertainment, we've seen several brands use celebrities as their spokesperson and they participate in commercials and billboards where they are seen endorsing the product.
Whether they are effective or not is debatable, but there is no doubt that celebrities are more trustworthy endorsers for most consumers and it's a practice that will never end with the rise of digital media.
Traditional Celebrity Endorsements Back in the Day
It was common for different brands and companies to use famous celebrities as endorsers/ambassadors of their products and have them sign on to a major contract deal to be the faces in billboards and TV/radio commercials.
As Hollywood Branded explained, "advertisers quickly realized the potential of harnessing famous faces to promote their products" and "print media became a bustling marketplace where celebrity images and endorsements were featured prominently."
Athletes were more prone to major celebrity endorsement deals due to their massive popularity among the general population. For example, most '90s kids would remember Michael Jordan's countless endorsements during the peak of his NBA career.
Several A-list movie stars also become endorsers for high-end products due to their beauty and aspirational appeal to general consumers. For the most part, they are effective endorsers due to their worldwide name recognition.
The Rise of Celebrity Influencers
With the rise of social media, it is now more common for celebrities with huge followings to become influencers and have partnerships with different brands to endorse their products to the online population.
A simple post of a celebrity holding the product can reach millions of people worldwide and make them aware of the brand in an instant.
For example, it was reported that rapper Nicki Minaj is one of the highest-paid stars on Instagram as she makes an estimated $1,031,000 per post featuring an endorsement or partnership with a brand.
Several celebrities today also have their own businesses and become endorsers of their products as well. It has become an effective marketing tool since there is immediate trust among the consumers and most of them also have a lot of followings.
While the media landscape may have changed, celebrity endorsement is still a reliable marketing method that brands still use and there is no sign that it will stop anytime soon.
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