Celebrities are Advertisements with a Pulse
Now more than ever, celebrities can shape public opinion. This is possible because in today’s digital age, almost everyone is online. Celebrities are effectively creating a manufactured sense of closeness through social media platforms. When celebrities have more followers, they hold more influence in directing their fans’ focus to match their own agenda. Celebrities can use social media to mold public opinion without even trying. For instance, last month Kylie Jenner tweeted to her 25 million Twitter followers that she doesn’t use Snapchat anymore. Throughout that day, Snapchat’s stock price dropped 6.1%, shrinking the market value by $1.5 billion. Evidently, if celebrities can use social media to control the public’s actions on matters that do not impact their life, it is clear they can push those boundaries to help increase their earning potential.
Today, celebrity influence is so powerful because social media platforms have provided unparalleled for fans to see into their everyday lives. This explains why fans feel an urgency to try and stay updated on what they’re doing, by constantly opening up Instagram, switching to Facebook, checking in on Twitter, to ensure they don’t miss the latest gossip, or trending brand. Whether at a conscious or subconscious level, we are driven to purchase new products when it is being promoted by an individual we look up to. Clearly, stars are using these platforms for advertising purposes. Further, companies are realizing this trend and making full use of it, by ditching traditional advertising techniques, and instead, finding ways to promote their brands using social media. How? Celebrity endorsement. This advertising strategy is so effective because with 2.46 billion social media users in the world, people are spending more time looking down at their phones, rather than looking up at the billboards.
Well-known companies are signing deals with celebrities, to use their social status to bring awareness to their products. Essentially, this enables celebrities to use social media to increase their profit. This art of persuasion is incredibly effective because, simply, celebrities are idolized by their fans. Once a company signs a celebrity to endorse their brand, on average, sales increase by 4%. Businesses pay famous individuals large sums of money, because they expect to have financial returns. And boy, do they ever get them. For instance, Kim Kardashian featured in T-Mobile’s 2015 Super Bowl ad to promote the company’s unlimited data plan. She was paid $4.5 million dollars for the 30 second video, and further, she promoted the commercial over her Instagram and Twitter page. This resulted in the largest ever Super Bowl audience of 114.4 million viewers, therefore demonstrating the power of celebrity endorsements. Note that it says Kim Kardashian, “Famous Person,” because clearly they are just using her fame to sell.
Back in 2014, Sony paid the comedian, Kevin Hart $2 billion to tweet about going to see the movie, “No Good Deed” to his, then, 14.8 million Twitter followers. The film, which was initially created from a budget of $13.2 million, generated $53.8 million in the box office. Kevin Hart’s twitter followers have now risen to 35.1 million, demonstrating how much more powerful this technique can become.
However, interestingly when Kevin Hart was asked to use his social media to promote a movie that he, himself, starred in, “Think Like a Man Too,” he demanded to be paid for the advertising, on top of the $3 million he received for starring in the film. I strongly believe that any time celebrities are promoting a product, they should be paid for it. Period. If Hart’s actions are responsible for the increasing box office draw, then he should, without a doubt, be compensated for that. Remember, that ultimately, being a celebrity sells. Not only will this form of advertising be more effective than traditional advertising, it will further establish a stronger celebrity-fan connection. The beauty of social media is that fans are given a direct link to their favourite actors, which makes them more informed of their latest works. The image below shows Kevin Hart’s Instagram, where he posts about knowing his self-worth when he demanded to be paid for promoting his movie.
As celebrities use their social media for promoting brands, it is revolutionizing advertisements, moving them from billboards to our own personal devices. This change not only catches our attention as advertisements appear whenever we open our phones, but further, these ads actually generate sales.
Ultimately, Celebrity endorsements are effective because celebrities carry a brand of their own. We want to be just like celebrities, and to wear a badge that signifies their approval. We remember when we see celebrity endorsed advertisements, where we subconsciously pair that ad to a certain emotion, typically driving us to make the purchase. Truly, being a celebrity sells. And using social media gives these individuals unprecedented opportunities to increase their profits.
Cailey Bisgould
Citations:
Bradic, Lily. “Celebrity Endorsements on Social Media Are Driving Sales and Winning Over Fans.” Social Media Week, 30 Sept. 2015, https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2015/09/brands-using-celebrity-endorsements/
Gartenberg, Chaim. “Snap Stock Plummets after Kylie Jenner Declares Snapchat Dead.” The Verge, The Verge, 22 Feb. 2018, www.theverge.com/2018/2/22/17040332/snap-stock-price-kylie-jenner-tweet-snapchat-1-billion-market-loss.
Jones, Stacy. “The Most Effective Celebrity Endorsements For Super Bowl 2015.” Hollywood Branded Blog, 4 Feb. 2015, https://blog.hollywoodbranded.com/the-most-effective-celebrity-endorsements-for-super-bowl-2015.
Olenski, Steve. “How Brands Should Use Celebrities For Endorsements.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 July 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2016/07/20/how-brands-should-use-celebrities-for-endorsements/2/#41927a296064.
Wakeman, Gregory. “You Won’t Believe How Much Money Kevin Hart Is Paid To Tweet Things.” CINEMABLEND, CINEMABLEND, 24 Dec. 2014, www.cinemablend.com/new/You-Won-t-Believe-How-Much-Money-Kevin-Hart-Paid-Tweet-Things-68835.html.
