Celebrities are a vital part of
the modern world. They are admired, followed and featured in almost every part
of our lives. We can’t go a day without seeing a famous face plastered
somewhere, so it makes sense that companies are using them to endorse their
products. With Adverts costing millions (Beyoncé’s Pepsi endorsement cost $50
million) are no longer the only way for brands to get their products out there,
social media is a useful Public Relations tool to utilize to advertise a product to millions with less effort than traditional mediums of PR.
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| Beyonce with her Pepsi Campaign |
Since the launch of social media
sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram celebrities have been showing off
their lives to their millions of followers. Kim Kardashian has over 27 million followers
on Instagram alone, is the most followed person on it and is reportedly paid over $8000 a tweet when
promoting companies.
Pregnancy lips.... @EOS to the rescue! LOL http://t.co/1da6CWjOW9
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 28, 2013
Social media is a vital part of the 21st century, and companies are
using it to help sell their products by using celebrity’s status to
advertise products.
One way is by sending free
samples of the products to celebrities in the hopes that they will feature them
in a tweet or image, or even be spotted on the street wearing their item which
fans will then circulate on social media. An example of someone who advertises
products sent to them by companies is Zoella, one of the biggest YouTubers in
the world. With nearly 8 million subscribers to her YouTube channel she is able
to advertise products in both her videos and on social media where she also has
millions of followers.
So if a
company can get her to advertise their product for free they have gained free
publicity, and expect their sales to go up.
For a price companies can get
celebrities to advertise their products. This can cost thousands but it
is still a cheaper alternative to traditional advertising campaigns. Vine
star Ben Phillips get's paid around £12000 per vine to advertise companies
brands. He is given free rein on how to present the products (to his 1.3 million followers) and with
the videos being shared around other social media sites it makes this is a durable, accessible public relations tool. The rise of social media celebrities is at an all-time high, and companies love to use them to advertise
their products!
Celebrities are also encouraged to approach companies for endorsment with the guarantee
that they will give the company publicity. When the singer Sophie Ellis Bextor, wanted a new hot tub she
contacted Danz Spas, a relatively unknown East Midlands business. Building a
business relationship with her meant that she endorsed and promoted the company
while getting a substantial discount for a new hot tub herself.
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| Sophie Ellis Bextor with one of the endorsed spas |
Having celebrity endorsement promoted the company and helped them see their annual turnover go above £1 million.
This shows just how much influence
celebrities have on the public, which is why having them advertise companies
and products over social media is great PR for both the celebrity and the
companies.
