Whether it’s a full on celebrity face for your brand like Cheryl Cole, or simply a recognisable TV presenter for business films like Amanda Lamb, the following tips will help you to make the most of this strategy and avoid some of the potential banana skins.

Do...

Choose somebody who personifies your brand’s attributes
Think about your core competencies, the company vision and the mission statement, and try to match this to a personality. This can be particularly relevant for companies in the service sectors, where the company offering is more intangible, or the services offered are varied.

Accenture uses Tiger Woods to represent high performance, and his assets can be used in relation to each of that company’s service offerings. It’s about bringing together two partnering brands from different contexts, to portray the same vision and values.

Choose a personality that your audience can empathise and connect with
You can’t expect 100% of your audience to instantly recognise your brand ambassador, even if they do fall under the category of ‘A list’. This is why it is important to use somebody who represents the correct profile.

For example, Myleene Klass, regardless of the name, represents an image that most M&S customers can relate to. Whether it’s an image of somebody customers aspire to look like, to know, or as a nice daughter figure they’d like to shop with, Myleene represents a pleasant, friendly face that positively portrays the M&S brand image.

Think beyond the ‘flavour of the month’
What goes up must come down. Whilst today’s desirable face may bring great PR opportunities in the short term, it is important to think seriously about how any negative PR on their part will reflect on your own brand.

Remember, if done well, consumers may not be able to separate your brand from the personality, in the same way that it is difficult to separate customer service experience from the brand in the service sector.

Think about where, when, and by whom they will be seen
Particularly important for international or global brands; a celebrity may have a completely different public profile from one country to another, and regionally within those countries. A strong Sheffield accent will doubtless be less recognisable in New York than South Yorkshire.

This cuts both ways, for example, the use of Tommy Lee Jones as a brand ambassador in Japan (see Boss canned coffee) managed to transcend language and cultural barriers. Audiences didn’t always know him, but responded positively to his ‘image’.

Don’t...

Underestimate the ego
Perhaps ego is too strong a word. However, there will be occasions when your days filming or photo shoot turns into a 2 hour booking slot, which then becomes more like 15 or 20 minutes of useful time with the celebrity.

Remember, many celebrities measure their time from the minute they leave their door, to the minute they return. This could include all hair and makeup preparation, script reading, re-takes, lunch breaks and natural breaks. So be smart, plan ahead, stick to schedule and don’t waste any time if you don’t want to waste any budget!

Suggest they use your products when they clearly don’t
Consumers are not stupid. They can see through marketing spin and are becoming increasingly intolerant to sales guff. You wouldn’t claim your product does something that it doesn’t, so don’t claim your mascara has worked wonders for a Hollywood celebrity when it isn’t true.

Similarly, be wary of your international footballer’s imminent drastic haircut if he’s meant to be promoting your hair styling products (mentioning no names).

Forget to involve your customers and employees in the decision
Talk to your customers. Ask them who they like and ask why they like them. Analyse your cross-customer profile and see if you can match it to a recognisable figure. Also speak to your employees.

Ask if they are happy with your proposed brand ambassador; is it somebody they can relate to, and are they happy to be associated with this person?

This decision needs to be accepted and supported from the front line upwards. Just as a logo and a uniform needs to be comfortable and worn with pride, so does a brand ambassador.

Underestimate the emotional connections people have with celebrities
Celebrities are becoming more accessible to the general public, particularly with social networking sites like twitter. It’s more than a visual connection; there are often strong underlying emotional connections.

So think beyond the obvious PR opportunities, and consider the power of being associated with somebody who is a brand in their own right, with their own PR and media channels. But be wary; a comment like Dannii Minogue’s recent outburst on X Factor can quickly turn your ambassador from hero to villain and back again. So plan for risk as you would with any other strategic alliance.

Summary

These tips may all seem like common sense, but it is amazing how many times brands get it wrong.

A useful exercise is to imagine your brand as a celebrity. Who would it be? What are you famous for? What are your key achievements? What are your origins? What are your aspirations?

You may not decide to use a celebrity as your brand ambassador, but by asking yourself these questions, and asking your customers the same, it will reveal some intriguing insight into how people view your brand’s own personality. This is a great exercise that we often use to understand how our clients view their own brands – Are they hot or are they not!

iceni® is hosting a networking event in London on 3rd November with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, where they will be discussing video on the web, and the use of employees as brand ambassadors.

To book your place click here.