A Piece of Celebrity: Celebrity Endorsement Deals

Lady Gaga's fake nail (recovered by a stage crew member) was auctioned off for $13 000 in May 2013

If you don’t have thousands of dollars to buy a celebrity’s chewed gum or if you don’t live in Los Angeles or New York City and can't get a photo or an autograph…how do you get a piece of celebrity?

Well, what do Beyoncé, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Bieber, and Mr. T all have in common? They’re all celebrity spokespeople who endorse certain products.

When we talked about the star system, we talked about how “stars” were created to attract audiences to movies. Actually, the entire studio system and star system were (and are) entirely focused on production: the production of movies, the production of stars, the production of fan magazines, the production of merchandise. When a celebrity’s image is constructed (or developed) by a studio or management team, the celebrity essentially becomes merchandise: every part of the star can be used to sell some product or idea.

In his book ‘Stars’, Morin writes “There is not an inch of her body, not a shred of her soul, not a memory of her life that cannot be thrown on the market”. However, to effectively sell merchandise – whether a car or a lip gloss or a shoe or a celebrity – there needs to be a clear brand. We can say that the celebrity identity created by studios and reinforced by mass media is the celebrity’s brand.

What words comes to mind when we think of Marilyn Monroe as the Blonde Bombshell? Beautiful. Sexy. Smart. Determined. Shy. Insecure. Tragic. These words have all become associated with Marilyn’s image and story. These words make up her brand.

So, if we think of celebrities as merchandise and brands, we’re thinking about them as a combination of an image and a narrative (a set of beliefs/values/behaviours/preferences). It is this image and narrative – the celebrity brand – that are at the root of celebrity endorsements.

But what exactly is a celebrity endorsement?

A celebrity endorsement is when an actor, singer, athlete or other public figure lends their image – and the ideas or values associated with it – to some type of product or service that is not directly connected to their own work. Companies want celebrities involved with their products or services because they believe a celebrity-product connection will:

• attract consumers to their product by drawing attention to it
• persuade consumers to buy their product by infusing it with social value 

(Most products have both a use value and a social value. The use value is the practical function of the product – what it allows you to do. The social value is the intangible function of the product – what it communicates to others about you. Think about the newest iPhone. Its use value includes allowing you to make phone calls, send texts, take photos, etc. Its social value, however, is how it makes you look: cool, current, tech savvy.)

So, when a celebrity endorses a product, they are adding to its social value. The same way a film producer will use the reputation of the star of their movie to attract investors and attract audiences, companies use a celebrity endorser to brand their products and attract consumers.

Some scholars say Audrey Hepburn was the first celebrity to endorse a product. In 1957, Hubert de Givenchy (who dressed Hepburn for Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Charade) convinced her to pose for the advertising campaign for his perfume, L’Interdit. Other scholars argue celebrity endorsements began with Lily Langtry. In 1890, soap manufacturer Pears hired actress Lily Langtry to do a testimonial for their product. Her message? “Since using Pears soap, I have discarded all others.”


   

What other celebrity spokespeople can you think of? Do they influence your shopping habits?