The Impact of Image

Warm Up Write down 10 points describing your image of yourself. Write 10 points describing someone in the class that Ms. Eagar paired you with

Warm Up Do you assume that the images you have of celebrities are realistic images?

Warm Up Do you think that when celebrities endorse products, they are voicing their real opinions?

Case Study: The Circus Reinvented Cirque du Soleil was started by French Canadian street performers in 1984 At the time, the circus was stagnant It concentrates on human feats of acrobatics and dance using dexterity, and grace It does not have speech, but instead communicates through tonal songs What started as 73 people, now has more than 4000 employees

Case Study: The Circus Reinvented Cirque’s employees and artists represent over 40 nationalities and speak 25 different languages Since 1984, touring shows have visited over 250 cities around the world Close to 100 million spectators have seen a show since 1984 In 2010, it will present 20 different shows around the world There are also permanent shows including 7 in Las Vegas, 2 in New York, 1 in Orlando, 1 in Tokyo, and 1 in Macau

Case Study: The Circus Reinvented pxhttp:// px On page 315 & How has the Cirque du Soleil supported such growth? 2.Why might the Cirque du Soleil have an international cast? 3.What kind of sponsorship might Cirque du Soliel attract? 4.Why would the Cirque du Soleil require a large headquarters facility? 5.What are some possible merchandising and sponsorship possibilities for the Montreal troupe?

The Impact of Image People are curious about celebrities, thus making them subject to public scrutiny The media feeds the public’s fascination with images of these celebrities through media Image is a mental picture or concept of something or someone Slander, false and damaging statements that can affect a person’s public image may be portrayed by the media Celebrities in the public eye constantly consider how they look, what they say, and what they wear

The Impact of Image The public images of celebrities can make the difference between success (i.e. positive image) and failure (i.e. negative image) Would you like to go through your day being scrutinized on what you wear, eat or say, and commented on publicly? To capture or recapture public recognition, many celebrities change or enhance their images to appeal to different markets Can you think of examples?

Selling the Image Merchandising is the variety of promotional activities and materials that complement and support the advertising effort Marketers develop merchandising strategies that involve packaging, displaying and publicity of a product, theme, or personality Merchandising can be direct (e.g. Justin Bieber toy) or indirect (e.g. His image on towels) Merchandising can be tie-ins (e.g. McDonald toys that tie-in with Disney movies)

Selling the Image Merchandising is a multibillion dollar industry that has made huge profits for motion pictures Successful merchandising can earn as much money as box-office revenue Motion picture industry research shows that there is a five-year period to make money through merchandising

Endorsements Endorsements are a type of support where the person in the commercial is acting as himself or himself, and not as a character and giving their approval on certain products It is any type of advertising done by a person who reflects his or her own opinions, beliefs, findings, and experiences that are separate from those associated with the product’s company They can be complex and risky when celebrities actions are scrutinized or they become involved and endorse political issues and groups

Endorsements Endorsers should be legitimate user of the product/service and be allowed to provide his/her opinion without being told what to say by the company When a company seeks endorsement of its product, it wants a well-known person who represents its product to have a favourable image Personal characteristics need to be considered to appeal to a market Turn to page 318 to see Figure 14.1 to see the guidelines by which to identify endorsements

Sponsorships Sponsorship occurs when a company supports an event, activity, or organization by providing money or other resources that are of value to the event In exchange, the sponsor is typically provided some type of advertising at the event It is one of the most crucial aspects in sports and entertainment marketing because it is one of the most popular methods that companies use in promotion

Sponsorships cont. Sponsorships may be needed to cover the costs of musicians on tours (i.e., sets, transportations, arenas, rentals, lights, concessions, programs, shirts, security, food, hotel, support staff, taxes) as ticket sales do not generate enough revenue Companies that sponsor music concerts may ask for advertising space on the stage, concessions, T-shirts, and event programs To ensure that the money was well spent, companies analyze how many times fans see the sponsor’s name at an event, how much sales increase for their product after the concert, etc.

Why Sponsor? Return is the amount of profit that is given back to the sponsor for the sponsor’s initial investment or sponsorship For the company sponsoring a music concert, the return may be the sales increase for the company, or increased name recognition A sponsoring company wants to make an investment in a person or group that is best suited to represent the company but may not use the product

Sponsorship Risks Sponsorships does have risk and can have damaging outcomes Companies do not want to be associated with a person who has a poor quality performance, poor public image, whose popularity is decreasing or is in legal trouble Many governments pass laws forbidding wealthy tobacco and alcohol companies from advertising at events appealing to children and teens Why do you think government passed these laws?

Failed Celebrity Endorsements Top 13 Despite the potential benefits from celebrity endorsements, they increase a marketer’s risk Brands should be cautious when employing celebrities to ensure the brand promise is believable and that the endorsements has the intended effect.

Risks Associated with Celebrity Endorsement Negative Publicity –If the celebrity is strongly associated with the brand, negative publicity will be transferred to the brand Overshadowing –The risk of consumers focusing on the celebrity and not on the brand Overexposure –The risk of consumer confusion when the celebrity chooses to endorse several different products simultaneously

Risks Associated with Celebrity Endorsement Overuse –If a brand uses many different celebrities to appeal to different market segments, the multiplicity of endorsers might blur the brand image Extinction –If a brand gets significant exposure without use of the endorsed celebrity, benefit of the endorsement will lessen over time, leading to lower ROI Financial Risk –The decision for hiring an expensive endorser may not be always feasible is there is a poor brand fit

Solutions Clear brand promise and brand personality The communication objectives for the campaign should be frozen Focus must be on the synergy between the brand and the celebrity image Establish explicitly what the celebrity is going to communicate

EXIT TICKET How can a company ensure that their endorser projects the right brand image? Does a “rogue” endorser have any impact on whether or not you purchase a particular brand? Why or why not?