Celebrity endorsements and partnerships have quickly become a go-to marketing strategy for brands both large and small. But some recent press has business owners and brands second-guessing their celebrity marketing strategy. A valuable endorsement can pique the interest of current and potential users or customers, partners and investors — even if they are not a fan of that particular celebrity. It’s up to you to quickly capitalize on this newfound interest, but doors will certainly open quite a bit easier. Beyond PR, integrate your celebrity into your current marketing strategy — and especially your branding. Fitness startup DietBet has used niche celebrities, like fitness guru Drew Manning, to build credibility amongst its audience. “In our case, we were looking for people who can help inspire people lose weight. Drew certainly inspires people,” said Matt Daniel, DietBet’s VP of Business Development, when I spoke with him about the campaign. Actually, Drew’s “Diet Bet” was the most successful the company has run yet. They also used reality stars Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd of “Big Brother” fame to reach and capture an audience they normally would have trouble obtaining. “I don’t think we would’ve captured those users without them,” said Daniel. The celebrity may not drive a ton of traffic to your site via social media, but you can use this connection to craft an exciting story about your brand — and thereby attracting the attention of bloggers and even reporters. Offer them exclusive celebrity interviews to certain blogs, run contests around your brand and the celebrity, create short videos with the celebrity using and talking about the product, and release original photos of the celebrity with your product. All of this content appeals to three important groups: bloggers, the celeb’s fans and your potential customers. Make sure your sales funnel is fine-tuned before you launch a content marketing effort so you can turn these potential customers into sales, conversions, or whatever other metric you may be striving for. Case in point: Jessica Alba might be one of the most devoted celebrities in the startup world for her work with The Honest Co.. A quick Google search of “Jessic Alba and The Honest Company” will yield you pages upon pages of articles, interviews and content ranging from smaller “mommy blogs” all the way up to top-tier magazines. Alba and partner Brian Lee were even invited to take the stage at TechCrunch’s Disrupt SF in 2012. Of course, having Brian Lee as a keynote is appealing at any tech conference, but getting Alba on the stage is what really made waves. Alba’s name has no doubt created a multitude of press that The Honest Co. would have had trouble garnering without her.

4. Appearances Include…

5. Interviewed By…

6. Media Trained and Camera Savvy

9. 4th Annual Hollywood Music in Media
Awards

12. Involved in Charities
Signing Guitars for
Autism Speaks Endorsing Simply
Smiles
Shooting a Video Promo
for the David Lynch
Foundation

17. Celebrity Endorsement Details
• Product marketers can yield rapid and stable results by using Anand
Bhatt’s name, image, and/or likeness in any and all advertising
• Anand’s social media and traditional media visibility can also be
leveraged by having the celebrity discuss and mention products and
messages online, in interviews, and during appearances in an
organic and streamlined fashion.
• Anand’s fan base is international, with most fans concentrated in
the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
• Anand has exceptional influence amongst his fans and followers. He
can deliver your desired message via interviews with the press, as
well as social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, IMDB,
LinkedIn, and more.
• His fan demographics are 70% female, ages 22-45.