Celebrity Endorsement

Celebrity Endorsement
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Celebrities are individuals that are widely recognized in society consequently commanding a degree of attention from the public and media. Companies, therefore, find celebrities as the perfect source of publicity in advertising their products. In the 1760s, a British entrepreneur, Josiah Wedgewood came up with an idea of creating a tea set for Queen Charlotte. This would prove to be the first type of celebrity because as soon as people got wind of the tea set, they immediately called it “Queensware”. The term gave life to a brand that people started to associate with elegant designs and sophistication. By doing this, Josiah managed to set himself apart from the competition and managed to monetize significantly on a well-endorsed image. Since then celebrity endorsements have exploded and instrumental to the rise and fall of some of the world’s biggest corporations. This essay is an analysis of celebrities’ input in an advertisement by looking at the recent collaboration between the world’s largest restaurant chain, McDonald and music superstar Travis Scott.
It’s fair to say this is a collaboration that no one saw coming however through a closer look, it is not surprising. This is a great example of the magnitude of impact a melding of merchandising minds can have on the advertisement of products. McDonald's has been a mainstay corporation since its founding in 1940 achieving success and branching out across the world. For a company of such magnitude, a case can be made that it does not necessarily need any endorsement from anyone. However, as it seeks to maximize its sales in 2020, only an endorsement from an equivalent big-tent cultural relevance such as Travis Scott can suffice. Travis is one of the popular music figures of this generation garnering him a combined 45 million followers across social media platforms. It is therefore very rare that the 29-year-old does something without garnering reactions from his fanbase. Starting on September 4th, the month-long partnership allowed fans of the music superstar to experience the “Travis Scott meal” and merchandise at franchises across the country. The enormity of this deal is compounded by the fact that Travis is the second celebrity to get his own McDonald meal after basketball superstar Michael Jordan. As such, the successful outcome of this deal was almost guaranteed.
A Taiwanese study shows that consumers are more convinced by-products that have been endorsed by celebrities. The human brain will recognize celebrities’ opinions as that of someone close therefore, the consumer places a higher value on the products the celebrity is endorsing. As celebrities vouch for a product, it not only increases awareness but also has a psychological effect on the purchase decision-making process of the consumers. "Travis is a true McDonald's fan having grown up visiting our restaurants in Houston," said McDonald's U.S. Chief Marketing Officer, Morgan Flatley CITATION Eye20 \l 1033 (News, 2020). By reading the above statement, fans of Travis Scott will feel a level of familiarity and sympathy towards the brand. Subconsciously, they will believe that purchasing the products and merchandise will get them closer to emulating Scott’s desired traits and attract similar people and level of success in their lives. The University of Arkansas’ collaboration with the Manchester Business School in London produced a study that found that consumers (ages 18-24) actively form their identities and appearance based on celebrities CITATION Zoo16 \l 1033 (Zoovu, 2016). Travis Scott has a young fanbase who idolizes his artistic authenticity and how he packages it in his albums, merchandise, and live shows. McDonald's is therefore assured that his young fans wi...