The FRED Principle
This concept is seen as the foundation of a successful endorser selection.
F is for Familiarity. The target market must be aware of the person, and perceive him or her as empathetic, credible, sincere and trustworthy.
R is for Relevance.
There should be a meaningful link between the advertised brand and the celebrity endorser, and more important, between the celebrity endorser and the defined target market.
The audience must be able to identify with the person. If consumers can immediately associate with an endorser, they will feel more predisposed to accepting, buying and preferring the brand to competition.
E is for Esteem. Consumers must have the utmost respect and confidence for the celebrity. Amitabh Bachhan & Tendulkar have these. So do Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Kapil Dev among others. The public respect them because of their distinguished careers and unassailable salesmanship.
D is for Differentiation. The target consumers must see the endorser as a cut above the rest. If there is no perceived disparity among celebrities, then the strategy will not work.
Michael Jordan is an example of an international celebrity that rises above the clutter. This proves to be a huge contributory factor to his effectiveness as an endorser.
The Fred concept is not a guarantee to success, but it can serve as a guideline when selecting a spokesperson. Each organization and its objectives are different, and should be evaluated on an individual basis.
When it doesn’t work
In the last decade or so, there has been a spurt in the use of celebrity endorsements. And with it, there has been an increase in the number of instances of brands failing to take off in spite of the biggest and brightest stars endorsing it and consequently leading to speculation about the soundness of celebrity endorsements as a communication strategy.
Many celebrity endorsements fail because they identify a celebrity they like in an emotive and un-researched manner, and then try to create advertising to force-fit the celebrity into the creative concept.
Often, the finished advertising is at best contrived, and often, simply laughable. In the end, the brand suffers from a mismatched concept and celebrity, and millions of dollars are flushed away There are several reasons why celebrity endorsements fail to produce the desired effect, and each of them has to more to do with the core communication strategy and less with the celebrity’s pull.
Celebrities cannot really be blamed if their endorsements fail to push up the brand sales. Indeed, for it is important to recognize that celebrities can create interest - whether that interest converts into sales depends on various factors such as brand-celebrity disconnect, improper positioning, clutter of celebrities, or even product life-cycle.
As advertisers pour crores of rupees every year into celebrity advertising, the question arises… is it worth all the money and the headaches of coordinating stars and managing their tantrums.
Think of Sachin Tendulkar. He means Pepsi in soft drinks, Boost in malted beverages, MRF in tyres, Fiat Palio in cars, TVS Victor in two-wheelers, Colgate Total in toothpastes, Britannia in biscuits, Visa in credit cards, Airtel in mobile services and Band-aid. Clearly, an overload of brands and categories associated with one star. (Business Standard, 2003.)
This concept is seen as the foundation of a successful endorser selection.
F is for Familiarity. The target market must be aware of the person, and perceive him or her as empathetic, credible, sincere and trustworthy.
R is for Relevance.
There should be a meaningful link between the advertised brand and the celebrity endorser, and more important, between the celebrity endorser and the defined target market.
The audience must be able to identify with the person. If consumers can immediately associate with an endorser, they will feel more predisposed to accepting, buying and preferring the brand to competition.
E is for Esteem. Consumers must have the utmost respect and confidence for the celebrity. Amitabh Bachhan & Tendulkar have these. So do Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Kapil Dev among others. The public respect them because of their distinguished careers and unassailable salesmanship.
D is for Differentiation. The target consumers must see the endorser as a cut above the rest. If there is no perceived disparity among celebrities, then the strategy will not work.
Michael Jordan is an example of an international celebrity that rises above the clutter. This proves to be a huge contributory factor to his effectiveness as an endorser.
The Fred concept is not a guarantee to success, but it can serve as a guideline when selecting a spokesperson. Each organization and its objectives are different, and should be evaluated on an individual basis.
When it doesn’t work
In the last decade or so, there has been a spurt in the use of celebrity endorsements. And with it, there has been an increase in the number of instances of brands failing to take off in spite of the biggest and brightest stars endorsing it and consequently leading to speculation about the soundness of celebrity endorsements as a communication strategy.
Many celebrity endorsements fail because they identify a celebrity they like in an emotive and un-researched manner, and then try to create advertising to force-fit the celebrity into the creative concept.
Often, the finished advertising is at best contrived, and often, simply laughable. In the end, the brand suffers from a mismatched concept and celebrity, and millions of dollars are flushed away There are several reasons why celebrity endorsements fail to produce the desired effect, and each of them has to more to do with the core communication strategy and less with the celebrity’s pull.
Celebrities cannot really be blamed if their endorsements fail to push up the brand sales. Indeed, for it is important to recognize that celebrities can create interest - whether that interest converts into sales depends on various factors such as brand-celebrity disconnect, improper positioning, clutter of celebrities, or even product life-cycle.
As advertisers pour crores of rupees every year into celebrity advertising, the question arises… is it worth all the money and the headaches of coordinating stars and managing their tantrums.
Think of Sachin Tendulkar. He means Pepsi in soft drinks, Boost in malted beverages, MRF in tyres, Fiat Palio in cars, TVS Victor in two-wheelers, Colgate Total in toothpastes, Britannia in biscuits, Visa in credit cards, Airtel in mobile services and Band-aid. Clearly, an overload of brands and categories associated with one star. (Business Standard, 2003.)