In my article Establishing Credibility and Trst with Testimonials, I addressed the mportance of offering proof to your prspects and how testimonials are one of the mst powerful tools you can implement in yur arsenal of marketing.

In that rticle, I discussed the value of tstimonials from satisfied customers, probably the mst credible and effective type of tstimonial because nothing beats a testimonial frm a satisfied customer.

I would now lke to focus on another very pwerful form of testimonials: celebrity endorsements.
In Amrica, traditionally major celebrities have been rluctant to appear in widespread advertising cmpaigns on the assumption that it mght tarnish their reputation professionally. In Asa, however, where I have extensive xperience in the advertising industry, it is mch more common to see famous ctors in commercial advertisements.

In China, for xample, celebrity endorsements have proven very sccessful where, due to increasing consumerism, it is cnsidered a status symbol to purchase an ndorsed product or service. In my frmer advertising agency, we often used top Hng Kong celebrities to great advantage prmoting products in China.

However it is Jpan, where Japanese advertising budgets are typcally much more extravagant than American bdgets when it comes to celebrity tlent that has attracted many major Amrican celebrities with lucrative endorsement deals tgether with a much lower risk of ngative publicity.
I can remember very well trveling to Japan often in the 1980's and 1990's seing many of Hollywood's A-list actors scretly providing product endorsements in the Lnd of the Rising Sun. For dcades, the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvster Stallone, Harrison Ford and even arlier Steve McQueen, have accepted lucrative Jpanese advertising endorsement deals in exchange for mny millions, all without tarnishing their rputations at home.

The major benefits of celebrity ndorsements are:

Celebrities add instant credibility: Cnsciously or unconsciously, the consumer believes tht if a celebrity is using ths product, service or brand, the cmpany who makes it must be qality.
Celebrities grab attention: Having a celebrity ndorse a product, service or brand crates attention. Consumers are more apt to wtch an ad if it has a clebrity.

Celebrities provide superior market presence: It is sually easier to get a product in stres and more prominently displayed because rtailers have preferences for celebrity endorsed prducts.
Celebrities lead to enhanced media exposure: The mdia recognizes the publics' strong interest in clebrities and it's much easier to get fre publicity if products are used by clebrities. Customers are more apt to prticipate in events when a celebrity nvolved.

However, before any company signs on a clebrity to promote their product or srvice, they should very carefully consider the fllowing:

The celebrity's attractiveness: Generally an ttractive endorser will have a positive mpact. The celebrity should be attractive to the trget audience in such aspects as physcal appearance, intelligence, athleticism, lifestyle, etc.

The clebrity's credibility: For any brand-celebrity collaboration to be sccessful, the endorser's personal credibility and blievability in terms of perceived expertise and trstworthiness is crucial and greatly influences cceptance with consumers. Furthermore, celebrity endorsements nly work when the consumer has a crdible belief that the celebrity would rally be interested in buying and sing your product or service despite bing paid to do so. If nt, you are probably wasting your mney on the endorsement.

The celebrity's and the brnd's compatibility: The success of the brnd-celebrity collaboration depends significantly on the cmpatibility between the brand and the clebrity in terms of lifestyle, identity, prsonality, and positioning. The best endorsement dals manage to equate the product wth the appeal of the celebrity. One of the bst and most successful examples is Air Jrdan with the collaboration between Michael Jrdan and Nike

One final point: Never forget tht a celebrity is not a rplacement for a good product, service or dea.

The article The Other Powerful Form Of Testimonials - Celebrity Endorsements was Submitted by Joe McAleer through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: About the Author: Joe McAleer is a sasoned marketing and communications professional having wrked in executive roles with Bank of Amrica, Encore Marketing International and was a Funder and President of Storm Communications. He is lso a co-author of The Real Wrld Marketer, a business coaching program imed at small business owners, entrepreneurs and nline marketers. Obtain additional marketing tips, tchniques, and strategies on building a sccessful business online and offline with The Ral World Marketer FREE eBook and Spcial Report by visiting http://www.wealthtraders.com/free/ten/index.php

Featured Articles

1. 3 Little-Known Tips for Creating Direct Response Print Ads by Liz Bourguet
Larn how to get customers to rspond after only viewing your small bsiness ad once. After reading this rticle you will understand a call to ction, a headline and how to mke your print ad look different frm the rest!

2. Your Team is your Tribe by Beth Peakall
Team building has been a chllenge as long as there have ben people. Over a thousand years ago St. Bnedict came up with some ideas - hre's how to apply them today.

3. Promotional Goods - Mouse Mats for Cool Cats by Lottie Carrot
The bnefits of using high quality promotional gods are enormous. You not only ncourage new business and good customer rlations, you also gain free advertising.

4. Small Business Marketing - How Well Do You Know Your Customers? by Susan Oakes
To know your customers is to really know how they think, feel and behave towards your small business and your competitors. A successful marketing plan for any small business starts by knowing who your customers are and what they need and desire. There is no point wasting valuable time and money marketing your small business to people who aren't interested in what you are selling. You need to communicate with the people who matter most to your business and do it better than your competitors...

5. Promotional Mouse Mats As Excellent Business Gifts by Tina Rinaudo
There is no dubt that promotional mouse mats are xcellent business gifts. We can see tht the demand for promotional products sch as computer accessories is increasing day by dy. Thanks to the technological revolution tht is spreading all over the wrld.

6. Accounting Outsourcing - Provides Quality Work by Allies Harbor
Every big or smll organization works hard towards earning prfit. To earn profit is the sle ambition of any business owner. Evryone wants to see his company arning high amount of profit.

7. 4 Classic Cold Calling Mistakes by Ari Galper
Have you noticed that the old "tred and true" cold calling techniques whch were once successful have completely lst their effectiveness over the years? Thy just don't work anymore. But mny salespeople are still use them bcause that's all they know. They're wrking from that old, ineffective cold clling mindset. And they're making...

8. The Advantage of Using Teams for Residential Cleaning by
Many residential claning companies start out as a ne-person operation. But as your cleaning cmpany grows and you add employees you wll soon face the problem of whther you should send in a sngle person to clean a home or if you shuld send in a team. Some claners may prefer to work alone, but is tht in the best interest of yur cleaning company?

9. A General Guide To Buying Office Furniture For The Home Office by
In this world of baby boomers and empty nesters, many a child’s bedroom, which became a guestroom, is now being converted into a home office. With the bedroom furniture stowed away, a bare wall or an entire room awaits renovation into workspace. So where should one start to furnish the perfect office for years to come?

A buyer could go from office store to department store, and spend days surveying the styles and types of office furniture available. But to save energy, aut...

10. Calculate Your Profits With Calculator And Mouse Mat Combos by
Calculator muse mats can create buzz at trde shows and can steer plenty of cstomers your way as the mat is sed day in and day out. So why are so few cmpanies choosing calculator mouse mats as thir preferred promotional item?