Public Relations Firm Leader Rita Tateel on Celebrity Endorsements

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How PR firms book celebrities for special event appearances, making a paid celebrity endorsement authentic, and the impact of social media on the culture of celebrity with Rita Tateel,  president of The Celebrity Source, at the 2009 Public Relations Society of America International Conference.   

PR Celebrity Endorsement Insights

00:54 – Past projects Schwartzman & Associates did with The Celebrity Source include securing High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale for the Girls’ Day San Diego and Hayden Panettiere for GenCon Indianapolis, two special events.  

01:41 –Achieving measurable business objectives through celebrity appearances and the most commonly asked questions public relations practitioners have when investigating the possibility of booking a celebrity for a special event or product launch.  

02:01 – Choosing celebrities based on a target audience and why a one-size-fits-all strategy never works.  

02:56 – Matching celebrities to product launch campaigns based on key messages to authenticate the endorsement.  

03:38 – Celebrities may be a great way to get people’s attention, but can they ever be more influential than one’s online social network?  

04:40 – How the clothing line Von Dutch was launched based on a few well-placed celebrities who were seen wearing those baseball caps and t-shirts, scoring influential brand recognition.   

05:35 – Can celebrities influence consumers on more than just lifestyle brands?  Do consumers trust celebrities when considering purchases, like health care, financial services, or political candidates?  

07:35 – How the world of celebrity endorsements has changed in the age of social media and transparency.  

8:12 – Joe Jaffe’s prediction that Twitter is a bubble waiting to burst, the Edelman Trust Barometer ranking on the influence of celebrities and whether or not the emergence of micro-celebrities who find fame with a smaller audience online will change the way we regard pop culture celebrities.  

09:50 – How Twitter is enabling pop culture celebrities to directly engage their fans, build a more passionate audience base and establish greater influence than disengaged celebrities.  

10:36 – Does the fact that a celebrity is paid promotional endorsement cancel out any credibility?  

11:24 – Using celebrity endorsements for corporate cause-related marketing initiatives.  

12:43 – Does Twitter and social media make it more difficult to keep a celebrity on message?  

13:23 – How to effectively brief a celebrity on your key messages prior to a special event appearance.  

14:01 – At what point do you monitor social media influencers? Before, during or after a celebrity appearance?  

15:23 – How to maximize the impact of a celebrity appearance and the most common mistakes organizations make when book a celebrity for public relations event.  

17:29 — End