Car advertising is huge.
Pick up any magazine and you’ll notice full page print ads. Watch TV and you’ll see big budget commercials.
But how much of this advertising features celebrity ambassadors? If “I can’t think of any” is your response than you’re spot on.
There’s a reason why car brands don’t use celebrities in above the line advertising. Market research has shown that celebrity car ambassadors don’t resonate with consumers.
I’m not saying that ambassadors can’t add value by the way of consumer promotions, PR and other below the line activities. I’m saying when it comes to the sales pitch, Joe Blow couldn’t give a stuff about the famous face that drives the car.
Car consumers are savvy and their buying behaviour is extremely rational. They look for speed, comfort, control, size, safety, luxury, affordability etc. When a car brand is paying thousands of dollars for a TV spot, they don’t want to clutter these key messages with a celebrity – this is a distraction for the consumer.
(Seeing a well paid athlete with a free car, doesn’t exactly fill consumers with warm and fuzzy feelings either).
The fact is, car ambassadors are best used for strengthening relationships with trade partners, creating consumer brand experiences, increasing brand awareness, demonstrating corporate social responsibility, engaging staff and creating PR opportunities.
Managers should concentrate on these things when pitching for a car deal. Oh and make sure the car sponsorship makes sense!
More and more celebrities are starting to take advantage of the social networking site 
KFC is one of Australian Cricket’s biggest sponsors and at a time of year when families traditionally look for easy lunch/dinner options, KFC’s summer sponsorship makes a lot of sense. They do a great job in supporting the sport and have leveraged the 20/20 matches particularly well. However their TV campaign depicting Aussie cricketers as ravenous chicken feeders does raise some debate about how sponsors can influence an athlete’s brand positioning. Remember, athletes are brands too; they have characteristics and values that greatly enhance their attractiveness to sponsors. For example, Michael Clarke is a future test captain in waiting, people respect his maturity and leadership qualities, his work for charity, his commitment to his family and his brand is one of integrity, glamour and admiration. This is why a blue chip brand such as Bonds sponsor Clarke. I wonder how they feel about his portrayal in the KFC advertisements? A bit of a laugh, some harmless fun? Maybe, but it is a grey area in the world of individual sponsorship. One brand works hard to strengthen its alignment with the values of an athlete only to be gazumped by another sponsor with a totally different image and strategy. I imagine most non team sponsors of Australian cricketers are happy to sit back and watch their guys feature in a massive media buy that generates enormous awareness and doesn’t cost them a thing……as long as their own marketing strategy isn’t compromised that is.
