The ZenithOptimedia insight team shows how partnering with celebrities can sometimes do more harm than good…
Advertising research often involves asking consumers what motivates them and then adapting campaigns accordingly. It seems a valid approach. However, it’s based on the premise that what consumers say and do are the same thing. Unfortunately, the two things are often at odds.
Consider sponsorship. ZenithOptimedia interviewed 1,503 nationally representative consumers to find out how influential it was. Only 5% and 6% of respondents, respectively, said TV and celebrity sponsorships had a strong influence on their purchases.
However, their actual behaviour told a different story.
Relying on observed rather than claimed data
In order to probe the genuine effect of sponsorships we created a fake brand called Black Sheep Vodka, supposedly launching in the UK soon. We then showed three groups of consumers, images and information about the product. The control group heard nothing else. The test groups heard that the vodka was either sponsoring a TV programme or partnering with a major celebrity. We then questioned all the groups about their feelings towards the product.
Let’s look at the TV results first. The group who heard about the sponsorship were 11% more likely to find the vodka appealing and they were prepared to pay 18% more than the control group.
Even those who said that sponsorship had no impact at all were equally influenced by the sponsorship message.
Celebrity partnerships work differently to TV ones
In contrast, the celebrity sponsorship data was more nuanced. On a total level there was no significant difference in the appeal of Black Sheep Vodka between those who thought the brand had a celebrity partnership and the control group. At first glance the claimed data, which suggested sponsorship was ineffective, looked accurate.
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However, when we interrogated the data the divisiveness of celebrity sponsorships became apparent. If a respondent liked the celebrity in question Black Sheep Vodka became 22% more appealing, whereas if they disliked them it became 30% less appealing. Significant shifts.
This is in marked contrast to TV sponsorships where the uplift in the appeal was the same, regardless of the respondents’ interest in the programme.
The marketing application
The findings suggest caution when investing in celebrity partnerships as they evoke more extreme reactions than TV sponsorships. Careful research is needed. Brands should gain in-depth understanding of their target audiences’ feelings about a potential celebrity tie-up before committing – otherwise their investment could do more harm than good.
The results also show the need to avoid relying on claimed data alone. An overly literal reliance on customer claims could lead brands to make serious mistakes. The ideal approach is to corroborate claimed data with behavioural data – such as by using the test and control method outlined above.
Written by Richard Shotton and Jenny Riddell.
