The spokesperson has been a staple of advertising campaigns since well, the beginning of advertising.
Why? Because it's effective of course
From the celebrity (Michael Jordan and Nike) to the Average Joe (Hello Flo!) who represents a persona, we tend to trust recommendations, especially from those we like or admire.
But if you're looking to utilize a spokesperson in your next campaign, make sure you choose wisely. We all remember the "Can You Hear Me Now"- guy from the Verizon Wireless campaign who touted the superiority of their network for years. But the tables turned on Verizon when he reappeared in a campaign for their rival, Sprint. What once was an iconic campaign became an embarrassing liability.
Spokespeople are effective and we have and will continue to use them for our clients and there's always a few rules we follow:
- Have a contract with your spokesperson
- Make sure your agreement lays out a non-compete for a number years past when you think you'll stop using the spokesperson
- Be aware of what other commercials they could show up in, protect yourself by outlining industries that would be detrimental to your brand and prohibiting them. Remember, regardless of how effective they are at the time, they won't be your spokesperson forever. Plan ahead to protect your brand.