When it comes to marketing B2B services, the combination of Gremlins and one of the country’s highest profile businessmen isn’t an obvious pairing.
However, this is the tactic BT Business has taken with its latest B2B ads. This mega Internet and communications solutions provider has paired the nostalgic factor of furry mogwais with the current appeal of Dragon Peter Jones, and the ads have so far enjoyed a favourable reaction.
But it does prompt the questions: is celebrity endorsement an effective tool in B2B branding? And has this age of ‘celebrity as brand’ changed the dynamic between business brands and their paid endorsers?
When celebrity endorsement works
Successful brands are often ones that have managed to create a tone, an identity and a personality. Something that elevates them above a raft of commoditised offerings, and a crowded market. There are a number of ways of creating this identity, but one of the quickest ways of endowing your brand with a personality is by bringing on board a ready-made one.
With its latest campaign, BT Business is reaching out to enterprises that are put off by the idea that big fish BT is the dominant business Internet provider. Your average owner-run business possibly doesn’t see the national business model of BT sitting harmoniously alongside its own, and BT has been canny enough to recognise this. So, Jones is brought in to establish a link. BT wants to be seen as flexible and innovative, as opposed to stolid and unwieldy – and Jones is used to bridge that gap.
Despite constant assertions that the world is getting smaller, there are still cultural divides to cross. Whilst management consultancy or office design may mean different things to different people, Michael Jackson is Michael Jackson whether you are in London, New York or New Delhi. At the risk of sounding like I’m advocating Michael Jackson as an ambassador for management consultancy (I’m not), the point is that well-known faces can act as vehicles by which brands can leapfrog cultural boundaries. Consider, for example, the names HP used to support its ‘The computer is personal again’ campaign. Uber-celebs such as Jay-Z and Gwen Stefani, were leveraged to make a campaign, principally aimed at SMEs, work on a global level.
When it doesn’t…
So when it works, celebrity endorsement can support a brand’s identity, help it transcend boundaries and bless it with appealing associations. But when it doesn’t, the effects can be disastrous. BT Business has selected a face who is an icon of professionalism, aligning itself with how the brand would like itself to be perceived.
But what if it had decided to go with someone with more edge, let’s say, a young rock star, to give the brand some bite, some street-cred and piggyback on some hip qualities? All very well until the hot young brand property is seen falling out of a Soho bar, looking short of their handbag, marbles and dignity. And overnight, your brand isn’t the cool choice for young professionals, but is embarrassingly unreliable and the centre of a scandal. Not ideal.
If B2B brands are tempted to get into bed with a celebrity, they must ensure they have carried out due diligence and determined how future-proof that name is. Does the celeb’s profile match the brand aspirations? Will the celeb view the partnership as a one-night stand or a long-term commitment? Is the celeb’s conduct likely to call the brand’s integrity into question? Have you considered a pre-nup?
A marriage of mutual convenience
When brands do decide to wheel in a famous face, we’re witnessing a huge change in the way these tie-ups operate. Today, it’s undeniable that celebrities such as Peter Jones are brands in their own right, overseeing a number of branded offers (in Jones’ case, a book and a TV show).
The era of brands borrowing a snippet of the celeb’s limelight is dead. Now, celebrities want to know what the brand will do for them. Don’t think for one minute that Jones’ people had their eyes purely on the pay cheque. No, they’re also aware of what the association with a national institution like BT could do for the Peter Jones brand in the wider business community.
So what does this mean for you? It means that if you are looking at leveraging a famous face, you must accept it is a partnership, an exercise in co-branding. Just as you are looking to bolster your own brand with a high-profile tie-up, the people you consider will also want a piece of your brand equity. Tread carefully. The opportunities are wide and varied, but the pitfalls can unleash a number of gremlins upon your carefully-built business brand.
