Hiring a celebrity to appear in your video is a proven way of building immediate trust and reputation. It can give your brand that boost that will help you achieve your goals faster!
Let’s compare!
Take a look at this ad for a Motorcycle Accident Law Firm using a nice-looking spokesperson with a trust-worthy face.
And let’s compare it to the exact same ad featuring Erik Estrada, a celebrity who is best known for his portrayal of Officer Frank “Ponch” Poncherello on the hit TV show “CHiPs” which followed the daily lives of two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers
The second ad produces an immediate sense of trust because Erik Estrada’s association with law enforcement and motorcycles in the public eye gives him a level of credibility and trustworthiness that can be transferred to the law firm he represents.
Celebrity vs brand ambassadors
Celebrity endorsements differ from a Brand Ambassador who signs with your brand exclusively and promotes your products full time. Your Celebrity endorsement partner may share a few Instagram posts and call it a day. So why would anyone prefer a Celebrity endorsement over a Celebrity Ambassador? What should you keep in mind while aiming for that rocket boost with a celebrity endorsement?
The first thing to keep in mind is that the social media boom has revolutionized the world of endorsements. We have gone from celebrities sharing their endorsements on Television, Radio and Print to seeing more and more posts on Social Media platforms such as Instagram, Tik Tok, etc.
Hiring a celebrity needs some clarity for the following points:
1. Know your budget
You should have a tight spending chart before thinking of hiring a celebrity for your marketing campaign. Whether it’s for you or your client, you should have a clear budget plan excluding all your service charges.
Now that you have a figure, stick to it no matter what the circumstances. We will discuss costs associated with hiring a celebrity later in this article.
2. Filter your possibilities
Forget the notion that anyone with a huge fan base would do. Getting a random celebrity who is in the limelight may seldom work but it is vital to find a well-known personality who connects with your target audience.
Instead of taking chances, thorough research and narrow down celebrities who sync with your brand, mission, and can express a genuine passion towards it. While this might seem to be daunting, it’s worth the effort.
If you do not have the time or resources to research the celebrity pool yourself, feel free to contact us to see what celebrities we have worked with. Once retained, one of our Casting Directors will prepare a list of celebrities who would be a good match for your brand and budget!
3. Know your audience inside out
Can you imagine the popular show host Larry King endorsing the latest pair of Nikes? Or Justin Bieber endorsing law firm that specializes in accidents? Well, that might actually work… but you get the point! Pick celebrities that your target audience would immediately trust and be excited about because that sense of excitement and trust will pass on to your brand.
4. How big of an audience do you want to reach?
While it might seem obvious to hire a celebrity with the greatest amount of followers, studies in fact show that choosing smaller influencers with a higher engagement rate is more cost-effective and will yield a higher ROI.
Market Research indicates that 82% of social media sales come from micr0-influencers. So if you have a large budget, rather than spending it all on one mega influencer, it is recommended to spread it across multiple micro-influencers with a higher engagement from their followers.
Popular commercials that have featured well-known celebrities:
1. Levi’s featuring a young Brad Pitt
To quote a review on this commercial on YouTube, I was at the movies when this ad was shown. I can’t remember the movie I watched, but I remember this ad.
2. When Dwayne Johnson teamed up with Apple for promoting Siri
Dwayne Johnson, popularly known as The Rock was the highest paid actor in Hollywood during 2016. It was then Apple decided to team up with him to promote their voice assistant Siri & the commercial was quick to gain traction within a few days after it was launched.
3. Tata motors commercial starring Lionel Messi
When Tata motors launched its much-awaited and much-delayed hatchback ‘Tiago” in 2016, they brought in Lionel Messi as part of a big budget multi-media launch. And of course, the ad was successful in causing a stir in the market.
4. Old Spice commercial starring Terry Crews
The Old Spice commercial starring Terry Crews is a classic example of a company actually understanding comedy and knows what sells best. These commercials with Terry Crews in it are often considered to be a timeless classic in the world of commercials.
How much will it cost Hiring a Celebrity?
Once upon a time, movie stars, TV actors and athletes made up the bulk of the term “Celebrity,” but social media has added a new member to that camp that charges a lot less money to endorse a brand. Social Media users with just a few thousand followers have become celebrities in their own rite and stretched the limits of budget for marketers. So let’s break it down!
Cost of hiring a Social Media Celebrity or Influencer
In the case of Instagram influencers, the cost varies depending on the number of followers. The five main categories are – nano, micro, mid, macro and mega.
Here are the average costs for 1 Instagram Post in 2021.
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- Micro (10-100k followers) $100-$500
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- Mid (100-500k followers) $500-$5k
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- Macro (500k-1m followers) $5k-$10k
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- Mega (1m+ followers) $10,000+
Cost of hiring a Celebrity for a Commercial
Pricing varies from $5,000 to more than a Million dollars depending on the Celebrity you have chosen and the type of project.
Some Celebrities will agree to receive the Screen Actors Guild daily minimum which is $1,056 or $3,564 for the week if the project is something they are TRULY passionate about.
We have filmed Anti-Bullying PSAs for Stomp out Bullying with Celebrities who took time to film with us at no cost since this was a cause they cared deeply about.
How to pay your Celebrity
Per hour
The pay per hour structure is commonplace these days. Your celebrity will often times expect lodging and transportation to and from the filming location and they will agree to a number of hours on set. While most celebrities will be very easy going and not mind staying extra to complete some shots, their agents or managers will push to wrap up on time.
Per action
This is a more dynamic way of your celebrity charging you. Paying a celebrity to post one story can cost you way less than paying for an ongoing presence on social media.
Commission rate
Some celebrities will also opt for back-end participation. This means that in addition to a reduced upfront rate for their time, the celebrity will be willing to do a joint venture where they receive profits from the campaign they are involved with and from the sales generated as a result of their involvement.
These conversations happen after an initial run with the celebrity. Once the celebrity has worked with you and gets along with your team and believes in your product, you can offer them a joint partnership where they will receive a percentage of sales in exchange for a long-term and more full-time commitment and a reduced rate.
Equity
Most of the small and medium companies won’t be listed in the stock market. But being a startup your celebrity can ask for a stake in your business for a term in exchange for their services
HIRE A CELEBRITY
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