Are you telling a story, or acting in one?
SteveOur man Tiger needless to say, has been in all kinds of trouble, and as the tales of his escapades kept multiplying, his endorsement contracts from some of America's top brands (Gillette, Accenture, Gatorade) starting dropping like the 12-foot birdie putts we are used to seeing him sink. Now that he is coming back to golf, I am sure we will see more and more of him in the coming weeks.
Flickr - ATIS547
Tiger may or may not shave with a Gillette razor, never did any strategic or technology consulting, and while he might drink Gatorade, only the most naive among us would conclude that if we too drink Gatorade like Tiger we could become golf champions.
In this new world where everyone's story is easy to share, and our interaction with products, services, and organizations is often laid bare in many cases for the free discovery of anyone that may be interested, (and many who aren't), would many people or organizations care what sports drink Tiger claimed to rely on, or what style of razor he prefers?
For mega-celebrity endorsers, who really believes that the pitch, or the story they are sharing is truly their story that they are telling? Isn't it really just the corporations' story (in the form of an endorsement) that Tiger, or the supermodel or actress pitching do it yourself hair color are simply acting?
But using celebrity endorsers is such a time-honored tradition in advertising and brand building it is still seen as safe, and somehow, despite what common sense would suggest (seriously have you ever chosen a product or service based on a celebrity endorsement?), the expensive practice continues seemingly unabated.
Highly paid and disconnected people, acting in a story crafted by corporations, ad agencies, PR firms, whoever, instead of real, genuine, relatable people telling a story.
I think this same distinction can be made in the communications and messaging that organizations use in their internal settings, or recruiters use when selling the organization to candidates, or even much of the blogging, tweeting, Facebooking many of us engage in every day.
Telling a story is real, authentic, has a kind of history and context, and lets the message take precedence. Acting a story is kind of shallow, flat, and is mostly more about the actor than the story.
I don't know that there is much of a point to this post, having just re-read it.
Perhaps just this, that I should spend more time telling stories, and less time acting.
Reader Comments (6)
Does choosing a brand of toilet paper because they use puppies in their advertising the same as choosing a product based on the celebrity endorsement? I'm such an easy mark for advertisers. :)
No, puppies are true brand ambassadors! I say that it makes perfect sense :)
"I'm not a doctor," Steve, "but I play one on TV."
Celebrity and fake professional endorsements were the way of the world, until technology began to change the picture. Some would say that Gen-Y is demanding a new age of advertising transparency, but I really think they're just the first to feel the urgency of having to filter through the thousands of hogwash stories that reach us all every day through new communication media.
Genuine stories, from real people, that demonstrate real value for the customer... that's what we're all wanting today.
It still makes me laugh--in my own business territory--to see companies recruiting with the same old stock photos of fake employees and then tell a story that is all about the company and not about the candidate.
Change is needed everywhere!
Thanks for the great post.
and yet (sob), companies do not think of their employees as communication resources often enough, whether to tell their story outside their walls or within.
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It's all about the illusion of association, isn't it? Seeing someone you admire or wish you could be in a particular car or using a particular brand of shampoo does create connections in your brain. We can scoff all we want with our logical brain, only to find our emotional brain reaching for that certain shampoo or pulling up to that car dealership. Our culture seems more celebrity-obsessed than ever before, so I don't see celeb endorsements ending anytime soon.
@Ray - Great points about the use of those same stock images! That is so true.
@fran - I know you know way more about this than I, so I just ask why is that the case?
@Heath - Thanks for the great points. I think the celeb obsession will eventually wane, but it will not likely be anytime soon.