Article
Former brand manager of Yili
Yili signed Liu Xiang for endorsement from 2005 to 2008. As a brand of dairy products, Yili signed an athlete just for grabbing the marketing opportunity of Beijing Olympic Games. But for the brand value, we didn't think that much of.
Irene Cai, AT
Kearney
At the peak of his popularity, Liu Xiang endorsed nearly 20 brands. These brands are from different businesses and have different images. The brand image may become less clear because Liu Xiang's character does not match that particular brand.
Experts say finding the right celebrity to deliver the right message for the brand image reflects the maturity of different enterprises.
Ye Maozhong, the CEO of Yemaozhong marketing
Inc.
Some using celebrities as spokespersons are gambling on updating their brand image. They don't have a long-term plan of cooperation with the spokesperson. For two pins they may nervously think about whether to drop the ads.
In addition to Liu Xiang, many other cases have proven that a good match between sponsors and spokespersons can benefit both sides in the long run. In 1999, Li Ning signed Qu Ying, who is an entertainment star. But she did not match Li Ning's brand identity. Some consumer surveys found that many people didn't know just what Li Ning sells.
Irene Cai, AT
Kearney
Although Qu Ying made Li Ning more popular, that consumer uncertainty hurt Li Ning's brand image. After that Li Ning became more mature. They began to sign some basketball or football stars, and promoted relevant products.
Another example is 'Yue-Sai' cosmetics. L'Oreal bought the brand in 2004, and put in its portfolio of general brands like Maybelline. But its revenue showed no sign of recovery. In 2008, L'Oreal group moved the brand to its luxury products division next to Lancome. After that, sales rebounded dramatically. The brand manager said the key was using the right spokesperson.
Jiang Qiaolin, Marketing
Director of Yue-Sai
We decided to use Du Juan, a young and then emerging model to replace the image of Yue-Sai Kan. This was a revolutionary step. The brand was revitalized as new and energetic.
And, as long as a spokesperson can be found to match the brand's value, the endorsement can be life-long. Veteran NBA player Michael Jordan is a great example. Even after he retired, he's continued to endorse many brands, including his personal brand. He is not a professional player now, but his brands and spokesperson deals continue.
Steven Chang, the CEO of
Optimedia
The Jordan-endorsed brands keep their benefits as long as people continue to like Michael Jordan. When the matching is right, the effect could be long lasting, like a long tail.
Besides finding proper celebrities to match the brand's qualities, a mature brand also needs to continuously work with and cultivate the celebrity. Again it proves that finding a proper spokeperson for a company must be a rational and even a long term process.
Irene Cai, AT
Kearney
Some brands have a systematic endorsing process. What they are doing is not just signing a sports star at his or her peak. They do a lot of work to find and cultivate potential ones. Like Liu Xiang - Nike signed him for 4 million yuan. After he claimed gold medals, the price for signing him climbed to tens of millions.
Undoubtedly, celebrities are human beings who will have some ups and downs in their careers and lives. Sponsors somehow need to take that into consideration. In case of a sudden down, they should have a back-up plan.
Steven Chang, the CEO of
Optimedia
Usually, we will prepare several advertisements for matches. One version is for a championship, and another version is for any loss. This is a mature executive or strategic marketing system. It's common practice in the world. There is not a hundred percent guarantee of claiming gold for any top global sports star.
Sun Yanfeng, Reporter
Liu Xiang is back...but can he turn to the top of the world? That remains unknown. What we do know is that, for companies eyeing on his commercial value, they'd better make careful investigations and rational decisions before signing, or giving up this young man.