No matter what part of the world you’re from, the phrase ‘celebrity endorsement’ or ‘brand ambassador’ reminds you of a distinct face, Tiger Woods for Nike, Bollywood heartthrob Shahrukh Khan for Pepsi, and countless others. But a trend now a tactic, hiring a celebrity endorser for promoting brands started centuries ago.
Out of all the intellectual ideas, creativity, and abstract thoughts, the human element turns out to be the most impactful. What was once the Roman Gladiators’ role in donning a particular gunsmith’s weapon is now more well-sought. The whole Middle East adopted the tactic with open arms and every other billboard down the Sheikh Zayed Road now has a star on it.
But it’s not just about putting a face to the brand – especially in real estate. Being timeless attention grabbers, they bring forth a lot of thought. It’s not an easy streak and things can go south in no time (Maria Sharapova, Kevin Spacey, Johnny Depp, or Amber Heard – to name a few).
You must have seen enough celebrities selling apartments, villas, and lifestyles in the UAE. If you’re planning to get a celebrity endorser for your real estate brand too, here’s a handy guide to help you out. PRO TIP: It doesn’t (always) have to be your favorite actor, athlete, or Morgan Freeman.
Factors to consider when hiring a celebrity endorser
Real estate developers and brokers often fall back on a famous face, but the question is – why? The likeness to a particular person isn’t enough for people to splash their hard-earned cash. But the values they behold need some corroborating with the property. Keeping that in mind, here’s the holy trinity of real estate celebrity endorsement to consider:
Let’s delve into the details.
Your endorser decides your brand and project vibe.
As an enterprise, your real estate company can’t be just a conceptual idea. Au contraire, it can’t just be a collage of what your developments look like. As an entity, your company’s ethos emanates your developments’ vibe, which is why there are two ways to go about it. Most projects are linked to a particular ambassador.
You must have seen the Spanish football coach Pep Guardiola endorsing Aldar Properties and comedian Kevin Hart promoting Yas Island (he is the CIO of Yas Island, guess CIO is). It’s because these developments resemble the values of their respective ambassadors.
TL;DR take: You can hire an endorser for your enterprise as a whole, or just a particular project or community. But it should resemble your brand’s values and ethos.
Every celebrity has a dossier that helps you sell the idea
A person’s core values and key messaging define what you think of them – and who follows them in the first place. Take Morgan Freeman, for instance, who’s the symbol of celebrity activism and standing up for a cause. If he moves forth to endorse a sustainable community in Dubai, it’ll ensure his seal of approval on the sustainability levels.
Similarly, Ana De Armas can promote a chain of branded residences as she’s the symbol of style, while up-and-coming local athletes like Amna Al Qubaisi can appeal to younger audiences. These three factors can appeal to a celebrity’s particular followers:
Attractiveness: A certain David Beckham or Rihanna can appeal to their target audience’s aspirations to live in a stylish community.
Credibility: Names like Shahrukh Khan, Leonardo Di Caprio, or Huda Kattan are often resonated with their values of integrity, sustainability, and strife.
Life path: We all know the struggles of Kris Fade, Lewis Hamilton, and Malala Yusufzai, their rise to fame, and their life principles that leave a mark.
TL;DR take: Your celebrity endorser’s followership will sell your product, which is why putting out a ‘famous face’ whose followership doesn’t round up your target audience makes no sense.
The brand-endorser mix rounds up your brand ambassador
Once the two sides are done with, just tally them out. Your ambassador’s background in the target market, their personality, and your project round up to the perfect endorser. Ensure that this relationship must be for the long run since these partnerships don’t die out in a single day.
A brand is KNOWN for its relationship with a celebrity, just like Nike, Accenture, and PGA themselves were known because Tiger Woods was their poster boy. But it can backfire and cost millions – or more because…
News flash: You can’t control human behavior
Even if you pay them in buckets of gold.
Tiger Woods cost the companies he endorsed over $12 billion after he was slapped with charges on the personal life front. Surprisingly, this is very common, with the latest being Kanye West and Adidas debacle. Keep an eye out for the past behavior of an influencer or celebrity you hire to endorse your brand, from the content they post on social media to the type of work they did in the past.
If you see any defunct patterns, stay ready with a plan B and someone up-and-coming. A fresh face always lights up the market, provided that they’re known just as well amongst your target audience.
Most crucially, remember that the brand or your project is the real priority. While it can be a community where Kevin Hart lives, it can’t be a brand that only endorses the property that he owns. Your project, company, or brokerage should always be a priority to the endorser.
TL;DR take: Humans explode and have the potential as endorsers to take your company’s image to the ground. Be wary of their behavior.
To conclude, hiring a celebrity endorser is a bold move
And a winning one.
What seems like a promotion gimmick has the potential to take your development, community, and enterprise to the masses. Not only will it get you in the good books of the ones who actually can afford your projects, but it will also unlock amazing PR among everyone seeing that person besides your brand’s colors.
Now that you’re all set to hire your real estate celebrity brand endorser, we can’t wait to see it on the big boards! Or we can do you one better and plan the campaign ourselves. Drop us a message and we’ll get back to you asap. Happy branding!
