Celebrities can do wonders if image-connect and mental-connect can be made properly. Consumers can be blown away if endorsed by the right celebrity. Selection of a celebrity requires in-depth understanding of the consumer mindset. At the outset, a detailed profiling of the brand has to be made and positioning strategy has to be outlined. Target consumers have to be identified and extensive research has to be carried out to understand consumers' minds and of course what they stand for. If we can profile the brand and understand what consumers stand for, celebrity selection can be made easy. This article attempts to find out the process through which one has to select a celebrity to endorse a brand. All celebrities are brand-specific and consumer-specific. So, a generalized selection of a celebrity for all brands irrespective of the brands' profile and what the consumer stands for may lead to nothingness.

Celebrity endorsement is an easy route to connect with the consumers. It all depends on the level of popularity of that particular celebrity to help connect with them. Celebrities may come from different walks of life. They may be a film stars, sportspersons, or simply social workers like Medha Patkar and Arundhati Roy. Different celebrities have different profiles and they have different kinds of appeal to a specific target audience. A very popular cricketer may not be able to entice every customer but the cricket buffs. Similar is the case with movie stars or a footballers.

Gone are the days when companies used to follow AIDA or AIDCA to convince a customer to buy a product. Some companies used to take a lot of time to create awareness before finally pulling consumers to the retail outlet. The procedure was very lengthy. Today, companies want magic from day one. A strong celebrity can help consumers to connect with the brand and finally take him to the retail outlet. That celebrity can reduce the time for a consumer to roll over from awareness level to action level. Secondly, brand life cycle for every brand has been shortened, hence `Awareness to Action' time has to be shortened. It is very important that before a superior brand is launched, the current brand has to break even before making a profit. Again it is important to understand that the job of a celebrity is very specific and related to a particular product and consumer segment. A celebrity has certain characteristics that are transferred to a brand to develop brand value. Some consumers who are strongly connected with a particular celebrity may like to buy that particular brand because they believe in that particular brand value.

Advertising Express Magazine, Celebrity, Consumer Segments, Celebrity Endorsement, Retail Outlets, Indian Celebrities, Inspirational Commitment, Celeb-Characteristics, Brand Communication, Brand Marketing, Brand-Connect, Brand Values.