While many senior executives continue to talk about the "voice of the customer," few demonstrate their commitment to this concept by spending time with customers. Many continue to use their intuition or `golden gut' in their attempt to provide superior customer value. Unfortunately, `senior executive intuition' is rarely attuned to the needs of their customers. While the competitive environment continues to intensify, executives have cut back on the time devoted to customers just when it should be increasing. This article discusses the need for senior executives to spend time with customers and provides examples of the benefits that this approach will provide.

In this article, the authors aim to develop a scale along which celebrity endorsers' personalities could be measured and matched with that of a brand. The Principal Component Factor Analysis has been employed to develop the scale. The examples of Coke and Pepsi, and their endorsers have been studied to elaborate the use of the scale, which can also be used by practicing managers to invest in an appropriate celebrity endorser. The selection of a spokesperson or celebrity for a particular product or brand is a recurring and difficult problem in advertising practice. A good deal of effort and expense is often devoted in building an association between the product and the celebrity. Consider for example, Amitabh Bachchan for Reid & Taylor, Shah Rukh Khan for Pepsi, Amir Khan for Coke, etc.

It is because of his popularity and particular image of his personality that an effective celebrity may enhance the overall impact of a product’s advertising campaign. On the other hand, an ineffective celebrity (one who is somehow inappropriate for the specific product) may negate the overall impact of the product’s advertising campaign. Hence, it
would not be worth the additional money and energy to secure his/ her services. Thus, the question that arises is, can the characteristics which affect the perceived relationship between one class of objects (celebrities) and a different class of objects (brands) be systematically examined to obtain insights into appropriate combinations for advertising and branding purposes.

Research by the advertising agency Universal McCann indicates that on average, more than 35% of Asians would use a product if they saw a celebrity using it (Hargrave, 2003). Endorsements normally take several forms. Film star Amitabh Bachchan became the spokesperson for and is associated with the television show Kaun Banega Crorepati(KBC). Film star Shahrukh Khan appears in the Pepsi advertisement and Aamir Khan in the Coca-Cola advertisement. Former Miss India Aishwarya Rai gets onto outdoor media and hoardings for Lux soap, as did Dimple Kapadia for Crowning Glory in the 1980s; and some companies adopt a brand ambassador who is meant to represent a brand as does Fardeen Khan for Provogue apparel. Film stars also subtly promote brands by using them in the course of a film, without actually telling the audience to go out and buy a particular product. Consequently, companies must have deep pockets to be able to afford the best available celebrities.

IUP Journal of Brand Management, Brand-Celebrity Conformance, Jagrook Dawra and Kanupriya Katyal, celebrity endorsers, advertisement, product, television, advertising campaign.