Five Ways for Brands to Ignite Star Power

As the definition of celebrity changes, brands must go beyond chasing the latest shiny object and pretty face.

- Jessica Thomas

There’s no question that a celebrity can bring instant attention to your marketing campaign. Celebrities can serve as megaphones for your message, take your brand into a new category or market, and (in the best case scenario) have the ability to increase your brand’s awareness. But how do you know which celebrity is the right match for your brand?

The answer to that question is more complicated than ever before. Today, the definition of celebrity can mean so many things. It has evolved from actors and musicians to include chefs, models, athletes, digital influencers, scientists and many more. Needless to say, brands have a lot of options to choose from. And while there are many great choices, not all of them will be the right fit.

We don’t have an app or algorithm for pairing celebrities and brands (yet), so in the meantime, brands and agencies have to rely on oldschool connectors like myself. In my decades-long career of pairing celebrities and companies for all manner of partnerships, I’ve learned that the basic tenets of any successful relationship can be applied here too. It must be rooted in mutual admiration, you have to respect what each other brings to the table, and there has to be compatibility. Here’s some advice on what to look for the next time you’re thinking about a celebrity partnership.