Celebrity Sells
October 28th, 2009 by admin | Filed under Celebrity Divorces.
Review
“…fascinating and witty reading…” — Hot Stars, 3 April 2004″…the phenomenon, ironically Celebrity Sells, will make unpalatable reading for companies that have spent millions re-branding themselves around famous face…” (Independent on Sunday, 26 October 2003) “…fascinating and witty reading…” ( Hot Stars, 3 April 2004) “… Pringle knows his stuff.” (Daily Telegraph, 6 April 2004) “This book is designed as a practical guide for practitioners…” (Sunday Business Post , 9 May 2004) “This book looks at stars and advertising- and has some fab facts.” (New Woman, June 2004) “… packed to the rafters with facts, … would recommend this book to anyone, whether t [Read More...]
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Hamish Pringle has written a thoughtful, crisply-paced book exploring the power of celebrity and how that power can be harnessed in marketing. The book focuses on the U.K. - thus, many of its case studies and celebrities will be unknown to those who haven’t spent time in England - but its core message transcends national borders. Even those who have often had to deal with celebrities will still learn ample lessons, while those who have never dipped their toes in the celebrity marketing pool will find this essential reading. It is a textbook for avoiding many pitfalls of star marketing. We recommend this useful, insightful book to marketers and executives who are considering their first foray into the celebrity arena or re-thinking their use of celebrity marketing.
Hamish Pringle has done a great job. ‘Celebrity Sells’ is a good read. It’s also an invaluable guide to what to do, and what to avoid. He has had the good sense to tap into the first hand knowledge of some authoritative experts. These interviews give real insights into what made Dudley Moore and Prunella Scales (Tesco), Maureen Lipman (BT), Rowan Atkinson (Barclaycard), and the One2One campaigns the huge successes they were. I also found his pitfalls section very illuminating (noting how overexposure can be a particular problem). Pringle draws interesting conclusions from the increasing incidence of celebrities among IPA Effectiveness Award winners. I guess that old adfolk like me have always known that the first target market for any campaign is always the client, and nearly 20 years experience running pitches has proved it beyond doubt. It’s intriguing to get the inside track on the special relationship clients (both as companies and people) have with the celebs their agencies have hired. But Pringle gives us ten priceless rules for how the agency can best manage those relationships. The examples given are what makes this book particularly rewarding. Some must have been no-brainers. But who could ever have predicted George Foreman would sell as many grills as Dyson has made vacuum cleaners?
I confess to having a vested interest in Hamish Pringle’s writing–I was his co author on the highly successful Brand Spirit: How Cause Related Marketing Builds Brands. He followed that up with a collaboration with someone in consultancy–Brand Manners and now Celebrity Sells. His genial and affable style, accessible to media and communications experts and lay people alike, is built on a firm foundation of careful analysis and case studies. He also captures the zeitgeist–explaining what it is about the ‘celebrification’ of culture in the early 21st century that strikes a chord with consumers. I can’t wait for his next book!