Ever thought of giving a product sample to a celeb? We live in a celebrity-obsessed culture; so when our favourite star is photographed with a new product, we take notice.
A celebrity seen with your product will provide a perceived endorsement presence that can have an instantaneous impact on your sales and consumer awareness. This is every business owner’s PR dream.
All you need is one picture of them holding, using or wearing your product and it could become an overnight sensation.
This is all well and good, but how do you get your product sample in their hands?
Obviously, it doesn’t hurt to know a celebrity, but short of finding out that Tom Cruise is your long-lost brother, what can you do?
Follow these steps:
1. Find the right celebrity: Identify a wish-list of celebrities and prioritise them in terms of an A, B and C list. Then do your research. Is there a connection between a particular celebrity and your brand that makes them a good fit?
Charity can be an effective way to get your product sample into a celeb’s hands. For example, a handbag designer could approach a star by offering to make a handbag named after the person and donating some of the profits to the celeb’s favourite charity.
2. Be polite: You’ll have to go through a lot of gatekeepers before you product sample reaches your hero. From the team of publicists, to the PA; so it pays to be nice to everybody. In fact, it won’t hurt you to grease their palms with product samples too. It won’t cost you anything and could mean thousands in sales if your product actually reaches the celebrity.
3. Be prepared: When a celebrity is photographed using your product, it could mean thousands of orders, or nothing. Be prepared for a surge in business, while erring on the modest side when it comes to the amount of product you keep in stock. If you get stuck with large quantities of unsold inventory, your celebrity strategy could end up costing you big time.
4. Other avenues: There are other ways to get your product sample into the hand of a celebrity. Is there an up-and-coming film or TV show that you could get your product featured on? Pitch to the show’s costume, props or set departments, depending on the type of product you have.
Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442 or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.
