The Tiger Woods saga aside, these days celebrity spokespersons are considered a winning option, and are getting more popular among brands and organizations. “We’re seeing more and more interest in spokespersons with our clients,” says Courtney Leddy, director of client services for Ketchum’s Sports & Entertainment division.
Leddy says even the third-party endorsers, which are usually the more economical choice, are being eschewed by companies as they come to the realization that the right celebrity can drive better awareness.
Taking into account the current interest in and scrutiny of celebrities and their ties to brands, PR News looked into what is involved in securing the right spokesperson for an organization.
First rule: If an organization is interested in tapping the popularity of a celebrity spokesperson, don’t go about it lightly, says Leddy, adding that the excitement and anticipation of working with a well-known personality sometimes clouds the reality. The vetting process, and the resulting relationship with the spokesperson, can be a complex and sometimes frustrating affair.
Rule No. 2: Make it worthwhile for the celebrity; for a nonprofit organization, that’s critical. A case in point is Boys and Girls Clubs of America. “Create a platform for the spokesperson to generate some ROI for them,” says Frank Sanchez, BGCA’s VP of corporate and partner relationships. One of their spokespersons, actor Mario Lopez, has a passion for fitness. BGCA started an anti-obesity campaign targeting its 4 million members featuring Lopez. “We’re able to align his passion with our organization, which provides value to his own brand,” says Sanchez.
WHO MAKES THE LIST?
If the spokesperson is chosen wisely, through careful processes, says Leddy, possible conflicts can be kept to a minimum. At Ketchum, it starts with a basic questionnaire—a relatively new tactic. “Clients often come to us and have little idea of who and what they want in a spokesperson,” says Leddy. The 10-question document runs from the simple—gender, age range, budget—to goals and objectives.
For BGCA’s Sanchez, the process is quite different, as the organization uses its 4,000 clubs around the country as a kind of talent referral service.
Lopez, for example, was a Boys Club member growing up, and so was the organizations’ national spokesperson, actor Denzel Washington. Washington, says Sanchez, is a unique case, having been a BGCA spokesperson for 15 years. “He’s an incredible ambassador for us,” says Sanchez, adding that Washington has a tremendous trust factor with their audience.
His long tenure also has another benefit: “It shows publicists and managers that we can successfully handle celebrities,” says Sanchez. Here are Sanchez’s four steps to achieving such success:
1. Assess and understand a celebrity’s passion. If the passion aligns with the mission, it’s the beginning of good relationship. For example, spokesperson Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimmer, is on a mission to teach kids how to swim—a perfect fit with the organization.
2. Determine what ROI the organization can bring to the celebrity. It’s not always money—it can be brand value and awareness as well.
3. Have one person be the contact to the celebrity: They don’t want to hear from a committee.
4. If you’re meticulous with a celebrity’s time, then they are more likely to give your organization more time.
Ketchum’s selection process is comprehensive. In paring down a list of candidates to five to 10 names (ranked in recommended order), Leddy’s team researches their current projects and backgrounds. “Some clients are lenient about past transgressions of potential candidates,” she says. But others have ideas of what to shy away from—baseball players are a case in point, thanks to the risk of a steroid scandal.
Other research may include checking the popularity quotients of candidates through research firms. Ketchum, says Leddy, uses E-Score, which maintains a database of 5,000 entertainers, athletes and newsmakers. Others use the services of Marketing Evaluation’s Q Scores ( see sidebar for their latest rankings).
ART OF THE DEAL
Obviously, spokesperson prices may vary, depending on whether it’s a one-day appearance (for which A-listers can command $250,000) or a long-term effort. Prices may go down, says Leddy, if there’s not a branded message, or if it’s for a philanthropic cause. But nonprofits beware—just because the work is for a cause doesn’t mean a fee will be nominal or waived. “It’s a business,” and most celebrities look at it as such, says Leddy. BGCA’s Sanchez supports his celebrities with airfare, housing and meals for appearances, but says, “At times they will leverage their own relationships to cover costs.”
Leddy says negotiations generally are smooth, but it can take awhile to get a consensus among the spokesperson’s agent, publicist and manager. “It’s easy to think that agents just wait for the offer letters to come in, and it’s an automatic ‘yes,’ but that almost never happens‚ so patience is critical,” she says. Leddy’s other key considerations for a successful spokesperson picking process include:
• PR and marketing must be on the same page as far as spokesperson objectives go.
• You can’t ask too many questions about the candidates.
• Appoint a final decision maker. “Some people run names by their spouses at home,” says Leddy. “It doesn’t help the process.”
• Have second- or even a third-choice candidate in mind, in case things don’t work out.
PHILANTHROPY AND CAUSE
There are options for cash-starved organizations with a cause looking for a spokesperson. One is iPhilanthropy, a New York based cause marketing agency that matches up philanthropists with causes, and vice versa.
To iPhilanthropy founding partner Bruce Richman, it is all about matching a celebrity’s passion with the right project. “It’s about how can our clients make the most impact, and where and how do they want to make a difference,” says Richman, who has brokered cause deals with Nicole Richie, Donna Karan, NBA star Paul Pierce and many others. With extensive research and relationship building, “an organization can get so much value from a spokesperson,” he says. PRN
CONTACT:
Courtney Leddy, [email protected]; Frank Sanchez, [email protected]; Bruce Richman, [email protected]; Steven Levitt, [email protected].
Great feedback and helpful suggestions. I don’t work with high profile celebrities, but I do work with well known experts in my industry, so this info was very applicable and helpful