Impact of Celebrities in Advertisements.

You have heard or seen them in advertisements, be it on TV, radio or the print media. Music, Sports and movie celebrities form an important part in ads. They enable the message to stand out among clutter and noise that typify many markets. They link a brand with the target audience. Also, consumers tend to associate the brand with the celebrities' high performance in their various industires. One of the international ads that caught my eye was the Gillette shaver, which featured Thiery Henry, a footballer, shaving his beards. Back here in Kenya, we have dozens, among them the Kiwi shoe polish ad featuring David Rudisha, an athlete; UAP insuarance ad which features McDonald Mariga, a kenyan footballer based in Italy; and the Airtel ad which features Amani, a musician. However, the use of celebrities in ads has some drawbacks. First, there is a danger that the receiver remembers the celebrity but not the message or the brand. Second, should the celebrity be involved in any mischief, the target audience will change their attitude and interest towards the brand. Therefore, as companies think of introducing celebrities in ads, they should weigh in factors, since they have an impact, positive/negative, to the brand.