Event Management Articles, Event Management Tips

Using Celebrity Association With An Event As An Effective Marketing Strategy

Published on: January 22, 2013

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Celebrities brandishing products has been a common phenomenon in the brand advertising industry but this method is also frequently used to propagate events. Associating celebrities to popularize events is seen as an effective marketing strategy by a lot of people. However, how worthwhile is spending exalted amounts of money to get celebrities to an event is debatable. Thus understanding the needs of an event is imperative to weigh the investment in a celebrity.

Social Relevance

The point to keep in mind while looking out for a celebrity to promote your event is social relevance. The celebrity should be able to convey the agenda of the event. Moreover the prospective attendees of the event should connect with the celebrity in order to be drawn and to participate. Celebrity marketing works wonderfully in events such as big parties and store launches. However in corporate events, it is observed that celebrity association is not much of a help.

How Much It Cost?

Getting a celebrity to promote your event can be a costly affair but if thoughtfully planned out and executed, it can work supportively towards drawing people to the event. It is important to remember that the chosen celebrity should be able to contribute towards your end. For example, getting a movie actor to promote a sports event is not the best of ideas. The audience will get attracted to the event if they can relate the cause of the event to the celebrity. However, it should be in analyzed that the investment is worth the returns.

Media Interest

For most events, celebrity marketing works out to be an extremely effective strategy as it attracts the paparazzi towards it. The event receives the interest of the news channels and print media to a greater extent. The consequent visibility creates excitement and curiosity amongst the prospective attendees. The strategy of celebrity marketing can also be viewed as a long term benefit as it also opens avenues for a lasting association with the celebrity.

Should You Do It?

Inviting a celebrity to participate in an event requires added efforts from the event company. Extra efforts are needed in areas of security and hospitality. Also completely relying on a celebrity’s popularity to market an event is not a good idea as the public images and following of popular stars change frequently. Therefore celebrity marketing calls for a lot of investment but it can turn out to be worth the effort if the strategy is skillfully planned and executed.