ABOUT Product Promotion or Endorsement with a Celebrity Chef

  • Launching a new product or corporate initiative?
  • Is there a benefit in being remembered with a South African image?
  • Do you want your name to be remembered long after the event?
  • Could you use the qualified opinion of an expert in the field to add value to your concept?

Jenny Morris aka the Giggling Gourmet is a part of a network of recognisable and qualified South African chefs, food scientists, demonstrators, marketing professionals and spokespeople to advance your own marketing and promotional commitment.

Jenny has a weekly radio show on 567 Cape Talk and is regularly interviewed or takes part as an expert for the print media and cooking shows on radio (and television), caters events around country and the world, endorses and promotes products and services, writes and develops recipes and menus or consults on food, conducts demonstrations, presents, entertains and speaks at conferences and symposia. Naturally, considering her as a South African food specialist, she puts her authentic flavours to the fore to make your task memorable and hence the brands promoted are equally high in recall value.

Whatever you want to promote, be it an event, service or product, Jenny Morris® aka the Giggling Gourmet® can help you.

An article compiled by Giggling Gourmet marketing about celebrity product placement, inspired by a titbit in the New York Daily News written by Lloyd Grove and a related article written by Vivian Manning-Schaffel of BrandChannel, both of which appeared during February 2006

Celebrity product placement is the oldest trick in the book. It's a marriage made in heaven; marketers get their brand on the map and celebrities make a ton of additional income as living, breathing billboards. The celebrity may complain about the invasive nature of the tabloids, but more and more are playing the game, cashing in on those "opportune" moments when a photo is snapped, trends are launched, and brand owners see sales soar (while celebrities see their Q quotient spike).

"We now live in a world of overabundant sensory input, and I am of the opinion that the paparazzi and the tabloids are now part of the zeitgeist," says Gerrie Lim, author of Idol to Icon: The creation of celebrity brands. "Certain celebrities are more than happy to co-exist with certain brands and certain publications, and the trade-off is an obvious one-it helps enhance their visibility in the already overcrowded celebrity marketplace."

If a celebrity who is seen to be linked with a product for example a brand of coffee, and is not getting compensated for their coffee jones, it turns out they are in the minority. "We call it 'gratis' product placement," explains Leo Kivijarv, vice president and head of research of PQ Media, a research and consulting firm serving the media and entertainment industries based in the USA. "And it's a rare thing these days, because the value of celebrity is now recognized by brands, deals are being done and everyone is out to get paid."

According to reports conducted by PQ Media, 24 percent of all product placement deals were gratis back in 1975. These numbers have slipped to six percent in 1999 and are now down to a mere 3.4 percent in 2005 - a rapid decline that proves Kivijarv's point. In South Africa explains David Morris joint CEO and Marketing Director for Giggling Gourmet, a company headed by the well known and leading South African Food Icon Jenny Morris, " in the field that Giggling Gourmet has been operating in for the past 10 years, up to around 2004 just about all product placement deals were gratis. Over the past two years though the realisation has been that the South African market has matured and companies will need to follow the worldwide trends." Morris says ", based on the upsurge in responses and requests we are getting nowadays it seems like that the race is on to find the correct match and tie them up as soon as possible". Morris wraps this up by saying that " in the case of Giggling Gourmet we have made it clear in answers to these requests, that as they have an extremely high credibility in the industry, that only product they would ever consider must be of the same calibre for possible endorsement".

So it seems the oft-dysfunctional relationship between celebrities and the tabloids has in one aspect become a highly functional and highly profitable business arena for all parties involved.

"Celebrities offer the viewer or consumer an immediate shortcut to a branding message, with a visual immediacy [that] generates the kind of mass-market impact that marketers, publicists, and branding consultants usually dream of and drool over," relates Lim.

Where the demand for celebrity endorsement is aggressively on the rise, the rare organic success story still exists. The Australian footwear and accessories brand UGG is a perfect example. A few tabloid shots of actresses like Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz parading around in their UGG boots were instrumental in breaking the brand in the US market a few years ago; sales haven't let up since. "UGG is a great example of the power of how [gratis product placement] can work," says Gary Mezzatesta, president and CEO of UPP Entertainment Marketing, which counts UGG as a long-term client. "It was an organic swelling of celebrities embracing the product, wearing it in public, and, because they are photographed often, it was a promotion that just happened as opposed to a paid situation. [UGG] might not have gotten where they are today without all that exposure in the lifestyle media, and they are still very successful-the short-term benefit has reaped long-term rewards."

As this kind of bonanza is a rare occurrence, shelling out for celebrity favour and tabloid exposure can be worth it for brands, but measuring return on investment can be a challenge. "It's hard to isolate the impact; however, the best way is the top line-sales," Mezzatesta states. "The only way we can truly measure results is by estimating audience reaction by trying to equate exposure with hard, fast audience reach. With UGG, it was very clear that once celebrities embraced the brand and wore them publicly, sales increased dramatically."

Some marketers are sceptical about the impact that fleeting, informal images featured in tabloids have on brand success. "Tabloid shots are only digested in a fleeting moment," says Kivijarv. "Which is worth less than controlled media product placement, like if it's on a show with positive exposure, or a sound bite."

Whether or not your brand can be elevated through the power of guerilla celebrity endorsement strategies is dependant on a series of valuables: timing, budget, and above all, the right marriage of brand to celebrity. The results are hard to measure, but if the stars align with your brand and the paparazzi captures the moment, it's a safe bet consumers are sure to follow.

For more information contact David Morris by email at marketing@jennymorris.co.za

Talk to us about our Brand licensing opportunities.

What is brand licensing?
In the case of Jenny Morris® aka the Giggling Gourmet® being the brand owner and licensor and offers either a Brand Licensing or Product Endorsement agreements which are almost identical and are explained as follows. In both cases the Jenny Morris® name and JennyRated™ endorsement are used.

Brand Licensing is a strategic relationship between a brand owner ("Licensor" ) and a manufacturer or retailer ("Licensee") in which the Licensor grants the Licensee the right to manufacture and distribute specific products or services under the brand name. The brand owner may be a company that owns the rights to a trademark or intellectual property or may even be an individual licensing his own name and image as a brand. In exchange for the use of the brand name and image, the brand owner receives either royalties-a percentage of all sales or a negotiated monthly fee for the duration of the license. In a typical licensing partnership, the manufacturers and retailers bear all marketing, manufacturing and distribution costs.

Under a typical licensing arrangement, the manufacturer or retailer works closely with the brand owner to develop a product or service that evokes the brand personality and resonates with consumers. These branded products and/or services are marketed and distributed as part of an integrated consumer marketing program designed to increase brand awareness, build excitement, and maximize sales.

What is the difference between brand licensing and other product marketing programs such as sponsorship and endorsement?

Endorsement of a product or service is a strategic relationship between a brand owner ("Licensor" ) and a manufacturer or retailer ("Licensee") in which the Licensor who owns the rights to a trademark or intellectual property or may even be an individual licensing his own name and image as a brand grants the Licensee the right to use the brand owner's Endorsement of the Licensee's product or service. In exchange for the use of the Endorsement of the brand name and image, the brand owner receives either royalties-a percentage of all sales or a negotiated monthly fee for the duration of the license. Endorsement utilises the brand owner's name and image to sell a product under the client's own brand name. In a typical product endorsement licence, the manufacturers and retailers bear all marketing, manufacturing and distribution costs.

What time span do these arrangements cover?
Sponsorship agreements by contrast are typically one-time or short-term arrangements (in our case has not been product specific and has only used for generic campaigns), whereas licensing or endorsement programs are negotiated to be more long-term. Standard-length licensing commitments span three years these are normally renewable or in some cases agreements span five years and more

What are my up-front costs?
None! Jenny Morris® aka Giggling Gourmet® does not extract up-front costs from clients. Our fees are a either monthly royalty income based on a manufacturer/retailer client's percentage of sales or a set monthly fee.

For more information contact David Morris by email at marketing@jennymorris.co.za

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