Blinc Opinion - Celebrity Endorsement | Blinc International
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Blinc Opinion – Celebrity Endorsement

10 Aug Blinc Opinion – Celebrity Endorsement

Startup Smart Article

Author: Michelle Hammond

blinc_logo_smallA problem that every new business struggles with is brand recognition. Pitted against large, established corporations with gargantuan marketing budgets, start-ups have to battle under a cloak of near-anonymity.

So how can you alter this imbalance? One quick-fire way to boost market awareness is to use a well-known celebrity to promote your brand.

Signing up a celebrity to spruik your business is no mean feat, but the added media interest and branding power can provide long-lasting benefits for years to come.

Brian Levine knows what it takes to get a celebrity to endorse a business, and the huge effect this can have, be it positive or negative.

Along with Australian Olympian Kieren Perkins, Levine heads up Blinc International, a celebrity broker and sponsorship agency based in Sydney.

Blinc International has brokered many successful celebrity endorsement deals, including Jennifer Hawkins for Myer, Rebecca Gibney for Nintendo and Hayley Lewis for Nivea.

According to Levine, celebrity endorsement is not out of reach for small businesses, but they need to think carefully before they position their brand in this way.

“I think celebrity endorsement is achievable for small businesses,” he says.

“Particularly in the retail sphere, when you’re talking about products being delisted from the shelves of Woolies, Coles and IGA, products now need a voice from the shelf and a marketing plan.”

“When you’re sitting in front of the buyers at Coles and Woolies, and they have their own ranges, you need to be shouting loud and proud as to why you should be remaining on the shelf.”

“Celebrities are being used more and more [as a result].”

That’s not to say there aren’t drawbacks. On the contrary, getting involved with a celebrity can be risky business, as one entrepreneur found out.

To see the full article, please head to www.startupsmart.com.au/sales-and-marketing/how-to-sprinkle-your-business-with-stardust/201205016147.html



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