Selling yourself

Dear All,

I’m still a bit dazed and confused by the sight of a famous ex-cricketer (the wonderful Wasim Akram) in a (Pakistani) TV ad in which he exhorts the wonders and efficacy of a particular brand of detergent. Dazed because it didn’t seem altogether appropriate for a sporting legend to be selling washing powder. Confused because I’m not sure that I should really be making such a judgement.

But why would one find it disquieting that a cricketing legend should be selling laundry detergent rather than say, sports ware? Possibly because while you might believe that Akram had actually used a particular brand of sport shoe or clothing, or a particular brand of bat or helmet, it’s a stretch of the imagination to imagine him sorting whites from coloureds, doing laundry and then actually making notes as to the comparative price and performance of different brands of detergent. Yet there he is in the ad vociferously telling a housewife that his preferred brand is the best…

So obviously one aspect of celebrity endorsement is credibility, but are there other factors to consider too including the perception of something being ‘appropriate’? Because what determines appropriate?

From the celebrity personalty’s perspective, their decisions regarding endorsements and ads are based on both their own brand management (and revenue considerations, i.e. what does it pay vs what its reputational cost might be. But should there be additional guidelines as to what is or is not recommended.

In the UK, sports stars have long been associated with various non-sports advertising -- most notably footballer and commentator Gary Linekar who has, for decades, been the face launching the sale of thousands of crisp packets i.e Walkers crisps. Similarly Ian Botham and Alan Lamb have been associated with a brand of gravy. But it is worth noting that in both cases the tone of the advertising campaign has been humourous: Linekar in the Walkers campaign has had a funny persona, he has been shown as a comedic version of himself who is very obviously part of a fiction. Similarly linking Botham (‘Beefy’) and Lamb (‘Lamby’) to gravy that would traditionally accompany beef or lamb roast dinners was also a bit of fun, and the association was a pun around their names rather than the illusion that this was their preferred gravy…

But of course you could argue that all endorsements are non-serious anyway and are basically just a way for people to cash in on their celebrity while they are still able to -- and if you look around at all the celebs selling perfume and designer brands you would certainly think so. Manufacturers and designers want to increase sales so they sell dreams and aspirations to consumers. We notice a brand of underwear because a well endowed David Beckham is photographed in it, we buy an expensive coffee brewing system because a suave George Clooney recommends it, we buy a particular eyeliner because we want to look like Cheryl Cole etc etc.

Still, as a consumer I’d like to see celebrities being selective about their ad work. I dread the day when my favourite sports personality, the lovely and elegant tennis player and gentleman-warrior Roger Federer starts endorsing laundry detergent or household cleaners or tea bags. And I do know several Pakistani celebrities who, despite the lure of big bucks, still refuse to attach their image to selling tea or mobile phones or soap or shampoo (remember Saif and Katrina’s shampoo selling phase? How awkward was that?). So it seems there is a line one can draw…

Best wishes