Are Celebrity Endorsements Worth the Trouble?

Yes, they can be if handled carefully. A veteran of the celebrity wars and of cause marketing, Paul Jones, of Alden Keene & Associates, recently provided several cautions for using celebrities. He suggests you consider:

• The cost. Even if a celebrity agrees to promote your cause for free, you still may incur costs such as airline tickets (usually first class), hotel rooms for the celebrity and an entourage, special meals, a limo, and more. Besides these costs you will spend money just to woo the celebrity.
• The fickle nature of celebrity. Fame is fleeting so the celebrity you woo in January may be far less popular by December.
• Matching. How well do the celebrities you are considering match with your cause? Preferably, you will find someone who has a personal interest in what you are doing.
• The possiblity of scandal. The most benign celebrity is open to bad publicity. A celebrity can find himself/herself in hot water without even doing much. What will you do when the headlines about your endorser are all bad...really bad?

Jones suggests that you use celebrities but do so with eyes wide open.

Read Jones comments at Cause-Related Marketing.