How #Endorser Credibility affects #Brand Image!

It has happened before and it has happened once again. Snapdeal getting hit after the Aamir Khan episode comes as no surprise.

The reputation of a brand’s endorsement is extricably linked to the reputation of the brand he endorses.

Bad Press is not Good

Remember Tiger Woods? His image and reputation made him one of the most powerful marketing tools for a number of organisations that included Nike, American Express, Gillette, Accenture, Tag Heuer, Buick, EA Sports and Gatorade. however this all changed in November 2009 when news broke that Tiger Woods had cheated on his wife.  This was just the start of ‘The Tiger Woods’ scandal, the scandal that would go on to ruin Tiger Woods reputation and his squeaky clean public image. Most of the brands that Woods endorsed, either didn’t renew their contracts or dropped Woods from the advertising. Among them were Nike, Gatorade and of course Gilette who decided that it was not the best a man can get!

It comes as no surprise then, that the Snapdeal app declined to a 1 rating on Google Play after their brand ambassador Aamir Khan was blamed for irresponsible comments on the intolerance issue.

Bansal, the co-founder and CEO of India's largest online marketplace Flipkart tweeted."This is a flawed logic. Brands don't buy into brand ambassadors personal opinions. @snapdeal shouldn't face this,"

Really?  But are we expecting consumers to behave rationally and are we expecting that we can somehow guide their thinking?  Celebrities are a demon that marketing companies create, not consumers.

Then came a comment from the company itself hurrying to distance itself from their beloved brand ambassador. "Snapdeal is neither connected nor plays a role in comments made by Aamir Khan in his personal capacity…’

In personal branding as in life, the little things matter.  Every move you make and everything you put into your brand affects your brand.  You are constantly judged on the perception that you create.

The celebrity endorsing your brand has almost become a thermometer for the brand.  If the celebrity develops a cold, so does your brand.  It is that infectious. And if your endorser has an extra clean squeaky image, God help you, because the impact of the negative reputation of your endorser is going to effect your brand even more. And certainly Aamir does have a holier than thou, righteous image.  So I don't envy the  positions of the brands endorsed by Aamir. 

Some good advice for marketers:

Find a good match

Create strong long term brand properties which are differentiated, so that your brand doesn’t have to rely on endorsers and endorsements alone.

Make sure you are not getting an ambassador to just build awareness. A famous celebrity may build quick awareness but is not necessarily going make your brand famous or live forever. 

What is the personality fit between the ambassador and your brand?  Will the brand lend as much meaning to the ambassador as the ambassador lends meaning to the brand?

Does the creative execution really have a fit with the ambassador?  Or is the ambassador going to say something inane that anybody could have said and that has no special meaning or value for your brand?  Remember, the consumer is not a fool however much you like seeing your own ad on TV.

Are you thinking of an ambassador for your brand only because you are celebrity obsessed?

Because a brand ambassador is not always an agent of change for your brand, he can also become a spectacle. 

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Prabhakar Mundkur is an independent brand & marketing consultant.  He has experience across a wide range of categories from fmcg, healthcare, technology, durables to corporate brand strategy.  

Contact me on Twitter