Dubai: They say if you put a face to a name, you're more likely to remember it. What happens if you put a face to a brand though?
The answer is: it will sell better, especially if it's a name like George Clooney or Justin Timberlake.
Celebrity endorsements of brands have never gone out of fashion, and probably never will, according to the companies that sponsor them.
For beauty and cosmetics brands such as Revlon, using celebrities as a marketing strategy has always been the way to go.
Sibylle Arnold, Revlon's marketing manager in Dubai, told Gulf News that having a celebrity's face for Revlon is essential in advertising. "We wouldn't change what has been working for 20 years. It's our strategy," she said.
Although Arnold admits that not every brand needs a celebrity, she says it makes sense for brands such as Revlon to have one. "It has to be rele-vant. At the end of the day, consumers are clever and know what's good for them," she said. "If there's a face for every brand out there, then that would be a disaster."
Relevant
However, there are many cases where the relationship isn't relevant and deals are still made. For example, Turkish actor Kivanc Tatlitog, also known as Muhanad from the hit TV series Noor filmed a TV commercial for Turkish Airlines and was recently in Dubai to promote it. One would think a Turkish actor would probably fly with a Turkish airline, but would George Clooney and Kevin Costner, both of whom have appeared in the airline's TV commercials? Tatlitog's popularity has grown so much in the Middle East that he was even approached by an Egyptian ceramics company to film their TV commercial. While the actor is far from interested in ceramics, the commercial is airing on TV channels today.
Another good example is Justin Timberlake and his endorsement of Giv-enchy's new women's perfume ‘Play for Her'. The famous pop star was in Dubai last week as part of a tour for the launch of the perfume.
David Learman, managing director of Creative Intelligence, brand consultants, told Gulf News; "Even if we think there's no relationship between the brand and the endorsers, it's usually very well thought [out]. [The image] is extremely well managed.
"If you look at the audience for Timberlake, it's predominantly female, and the makers of the perfume have studied [it] very well."
Alain Lorenzo, chief executive officer of Givenchy, told Gulf News that a celebrity is an "accelerator" for grabbing attention. "So if you have a celebrity who talks about the exact story you're trying to tell, then it's great. Otherwise [it's] better not to have a celebrity at all."
While closing such deals means spending big amounts of money, figures of how much it takes to get these celebrities on board remains confidential. "It's very hard to put a figure on it," Learman said. Nobody wants to disclose just how much they're paying or getting paid, he added. "The deal is not insignificant, but it's not extortionate," said Lorenzo about Givenchy's deal with Timberlake. "Justin didn't do it for the money because frankly he doesn't need it."
Investment
Learman stresses that celebrity endorsement of a product is always worth investing in once you've got the right person. "It is an expensive but easy option for companies," he said. "Everyone has heard of David Beckham. People think that he uses the brand he endorses and they want to be like David Beckham."
The main concern in this equation is finding the right endorser with a high profile and integrity, because celebrity endorsements can go very wrong. Learman added: "It's like a marriage. You have to have the same set of values and you need to maintain a trusting relationship. Once it's broken, it'll have an impact on one party or the other."
Scandal
"For instance Tiger Woods lost a whole lot of his sponsorship following his scandal," Learman said. "His values don't reflect the values of the brand."
In the Middle East, popular Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram has been the face of Coca-Cola for several years. She's filmed commercials for the region and recently sang the Arabic version of this year's Fifa World Cup anthem. But no one really knows how much the young star is getting to support Coca-Cola.
"I can't give you any figures," said Antoine Tayyar, Public Affairs and Communications Director for Coca-Cola Middle East. "But it's not the highest investment ever. Everything is studied in such a way that it has to be beneficial for both parties," he said.
"It's a win-win situation for everybody. It has to be."
