When talking about brands and brand ambassadors, one cannot help but think of all the famous soap brands. What began way back in the 1930s is now a lucrative alternate career for film stars and sports personalities. And talking of celebrity endorsements, how one can leave out celebrities, who even at 60-plus are brand faces of over 10 brands. But there are many brands in the market that have made it equally big on their own steam, without resorting to celebrity endorsements. So, does a brand really need a brand ambassador? Let us look into the factors the brand managers need consider before signing on a celebrity.

The brand comes first: A celebrity cannot be a substitute for the brand. A brand is built around an idea or an USP. A brand ambassador only helps propel ahead that idea. He helps the brand get the top-of-the-mind recall and adds interest value to the communication, often by being a clutter breaker.

Celebrities don’t come at a low cost, therefore their use must be warranted and justified. The communication should be such that the celebrity’s presence in the advertisement should be contextual. Or else, it will appear as if the celebrity is delivering yet another movie dialogue.

Weave a story around the brand and get your brand ambassador to become a part of that story. Sadly, the exact opposite happens in most cases. The story is weaved around the celebrity and the brand just participates in the advertisement in a manner that if you substitute that brand with one from the competition, the consumer will not even realise the difference.

Limitations with respect to the inherent product flaws: A consumer purchases a brand for the benefit it offers, not merely because a celebrity endorses the product. At best, the celebrity’s endorsement can lead to a first-time purchase on a trial.

If the product or the brand has inherent flaws, a brand ambassador can hardly be of any help. On the contrary, a celebrity’s presence can aggravate the situation by creating a negative buzz around the brand and more consumers will discover the flaws of the brand much earlier.

The brand-celebrity disconnect: Much thought should be given before deciding on a brand ambassador. The ambassador should embody the attributes of the brand. The qualities of a brand ambassador should be in sync with the brand’s values and positioning.

Brand promiscuity: The greater the number of brands that a celebrity endorses, the lesser is the impact on the consumers’ mind.

Here in our country, we have often seen a known and famous face endorsing a plethora of brands. This leads to over-exposure of the brand ambassador and, consequently, the interest level of the target audience drops. The brand doesn’t get noticed and the whole effort goes waste.

Who is bigger: the celebrity or the brand? Many times, it happens that people remember the celebrity and not the brand he or she endorses. The brand ambassador overshadows the brand with his/her overwhelming presence. Also, when a brand ambassador with a larger than life image, endorses a brand, which he or she is not likely to use personally, it sounds unconvincing and unbelievable to the target audience and words against the brand.

Celebrity oops!: Celebrities are human beings, and are likely to make mistakes. And if the celebrity gets involved in a controversy, the brands he or she endorses could take a beating. The bigger the celebrity, the greater is the attention. There are a number of examples, both Indian and international, where scandals and scams involving celebrity endorsers caused immense embarrassment to the brands they endorsed.

The way out: a brand ambassador is not a new idea. But the right celebrity will help a brand by creating differentiation from the competition. He generates high brand recall value and improves brand salience. As an example, Tata AIG Life has Harsha Bhogle as its brand ambassador. Tata AIG brand stands for anticipating consumer needs and delivering innovative insurance solutions. Bhogle has a perfect fit with the brand. He anticipated that live cricket telecast would indeed have a mass fan following in the country.

Despite having a management degree and a job in the corporate sector, he chose to innovate and take a plunge into the emerging, live commentating opportunity. With the tenacity, innovation and inherent talent, he rose to the top. Tata AIG and Harsha have a perfect fit in values and brand essence.

Must remember: a brand should create an identity for itself and not just depend on a celebrity. One could look at hedging the risks by having more than one brand ambassador as strategy A celebrity should not be roped in simply because the competition has one, or to counter the competitor’s celebrity power. It could lead to needless mudslinging in which sometimes even the celebrities get caught.

A brand mascot is often a safer option as the company has a control over it, but it takes a lot more effort, time and perseverance to achieve success A celebrity’s association with a social cause can do wonders. Celebrities promoting the pulse polio campaign had parents lining up at polio vaccine administration booths all over the country. Some celebrities have been instrumental in eliminating the social stigma against HIV/AIDS patients.

The idea of a brand ambassador does often work. The brand ambassador should have attributes that are not only a perfect fit with the brand but should also enhance the image of the brand.

A celebrity’s association with the brand should not only help push up the sales graph within a planned time frame, it should also lead to building a strong equity and recall for the brand.