“Celebrity endorsement bears risk — ask Accenture about Tiger. Or Juice+ about O.J. Simpson.

But. Celebrity endorsement virtually guarantees better readership (or viewership or listenership) from ANY constituency. I have had the very good fortune over year of having copywriting/advertising/marketing projects with use of celebrities and often, writing words for the celebrities’ mouths (for print, direct-mail, audio, video, online) — including football legend Fran Tarkenton; sitcom parents like Alan Thicke, Florence Henderson, Judith Light; soap stars like Gloria Loring and Victoria Principal; icons like Art Linkletter and ‘Lonesome George’ Gobel; business celebrities like Lee Iacocca.

I can tell you, from perspective of one of the highest paid direct-response copywriters in the world, that I much prefer writing copy to be “said” by a celebrity than a non-celebrity.

- Dan Kennedy, Look Over Dan’s Shoulder

“Celebrity has two sides to it.

I continually say to people that in many cases they miss the boat by not linking real celebrities, be it Hollywood or sports, to their products, services and businesses. I think this is a woefully underused opportunity and there’s abundant evidence that it makes all the difference in the world.

You could not sell that stupid grill without George Foreman or somebody like him. Home Shopping Network has discovered that with nine out of ten products, you better have a famous person or they don’t work. Exceptions are Ron Popeil’s products where the products really are the star.

Small businesses and local businesses get bumps in sales when they do celebrity marketing be they local celebrities or national celebrities. What’s important for you to know about all of this is that it’s not as expensive as everybody thinks, it’s not all that difficult to do, there are more of them looking for a paycheck that you would ever possibly imagine. When you’re doing regional or local — not national — campaigns there are lots and lots of folks available in the five to 15-thousand dollar range for like unlimited use of picture, endorsement, autograph and then you can get more complex from there.

The other edge of this is by all means make yourself a celebrity to your clientele and in your target market. By that I mean do the things that celebrities do. Write a book, do interviews, get articles published, be visible at major events within the industry, be seen with other famous people. Do all of things that a celebrity does in order to be a celebrity.

There are in almost every industry and target group famous people that nobody’s ever heard of. I include myself in that group. In an airport we’re not famous. But in our clientele we are famous. You probably don’t’ want to be so famous that you can’t even walk through an airport, but it’s nice to be so famous that you can’t walk through a property casualty insurance convention without being mobbed by people who want to talk to you. That’s good business that doesn’t happen by accident, you create it.”

- Dan Kennedy’s JUMBO Results Entrepreneurial Strategies

You don’t always have to tie your business or products into real life celebrities.

Why not use dead celebrities like Elvis, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, — or dare I say it — made up ones like Santa Claus!

The best part about using Santa Claus is he’s free. If you want to use Elvis, James, or Marilyn, you’ll have to pay a licensing fee. And during this holiday season, what could be better than free?

Coca-Cola, Alltel, and Apple have always used Santa Claus. This year Palm, iPhone, and Blackberry Storm have done the same.

Think of how you can tie Santa into your business during this holiday season. Ho ho ho!

Nashville is a city that really gets Celebrity Leverage.

I’m here for a marketing conference, and how cool is this?

At the Gaylord-Opryland Resort where I’m staying, you can get wake-up calls from celebrities!

The Nashville Airport also uses celebrity voices (country music stars) to welcome visitors. It tells them about security procedures, etc. that most travelers usually ignore.

Why? Because they’re usually boring.

And in my hotel, here’s what the little card by my phone says:

“Choose a special wake-up call from your favorite artist! You’re in Nashville, known around the world as “Music City,” so we’ve arranged for a few of our “music friends” to wake you up!

Choose from Grand Ole Opry members like Trace Adkins, Vince Gill and Pam Tillis, or other popular artists like Kellie Pickler, Montgomery Gentry and Wynonna Judd.

For a list of this week’s celebrities, tune in to Channel 16 [on your tv].”

How many times have you gone home and told people about the wake-up calls at the hotel you stayed in? Unless they forgot to call you and you missed something important, probably never.

But imagine all the people who stay at the Gaylord-Opryland Resort, then go home and tell their friends, family, and co-workers about getting woken up by their favorite country star?

Use celebrities in your business to add interest, excitement, and customer satisfaction. You don’t even have to hire real celebrities to record voice mail greetings, voice blasts, etc. You can hire celebrity impersonators!

Imagine sending your xBox 360 in to get some graffiti removed, and having it come back signed by members of the entire xBox team — including Bill Gates!

Not sure what the whole story is, but I saw this post on Seth Godin’s blog and found is fascinating!

Seth Godin says:

“Way better than an impersonal letter apologizing for mishandling a computer that was sent in for repair, no? Do you know what most people want? They want you to care.”

What can you sign for your customers to a) improve their customer service relationship with you and b) enhance your image as a celebrity in their eyes?

If you’ve written a book, autograph it it when people buy it directly from you. If it’s in bookstores, ask the manager if you can sign your books (they’ll usually love that you asked and will put an “Autographed Copy” stick on the front because they know that boosts sales.)

Everyone knows that celebrities live in the largest houses, drive the fastest cards, eat in the finest restaurants, wear the latest fashion designs, and play with the latest gadgets.

So it’s no surprise that when Oprah says, “I love these sheets!” or when Hilary Duff is photographed wearing a shirt that says “Pop Princess,” we feel that since they like that product, we’ll like it also.

Madonna says she practices Kabbalah, and the next thing you know, there are countless Kabbalah products — everything from Kabbalah candles to Kabbalah books to Kabbalah accessories popping up everywhere from Target to Whole Foods.

And when she’s photographed drinking Volvic water, we want to drink Volvic water too so we can look as good as she does!

The Oscars are this Sunday, and what better to deck out this year’s top starlets than a string of million-dollar diamonds?

Here are some statistics from the latest issue of Fortune*:

* 50,000 carats of diamonds worth hundreds of millions of dollars were lent out for the Oscars last year. In the weeks prior to the show, each jeweler invites celebrity stylists to pick from a traveling treasure chest of rare pieces.
* $200,000 in sales was what Harry Winston generated after last year’s Oscars when it sold two Diamond Carpet bracelets, worn by The Last King of Scotland star Gillian Anderson, for $100,000 each. Trends often start at the Oscars: Three-diamond rings and necklaces, big in 1999, were a $3.7 billion category by 2006.
* $157 million was what Toronto-based mining company Aber Diamond paid to assume control of Harry Winston in 2006.

* “Oscar Gems,” Fortune, March 3, 2008

One of my mentors, Paul Hartunian, has just posted this on his Paul’s Publicity Blog about why becoming a “celebrity” is so important to getting free publicity:

“You can easily make yourself a celebrity. In fact, In fact, you no longer have any choice in the matter. If you don’t make yourself a celebrity, you will lose – I guarantee it.

“We are no longer in a credential society where your credentials and skills are the most important issues. Actually, your credentials and skills are becoming less and less important.

“We are now in a celebrity-obsessed society. You can be a celebrity grocer, a celebrity auto mechanic, a celebrity carpet cleaner, a celebrity real estate agent, a celebrity attorney, a celebrity dentist, a celebrity shoe shine guy…

“You can be a celebrity ANYTHING!

“Society is now so hungry for celebrities that people are willing to make ANYONE a celebrity. Take advantage of this platinum opportunity.”

The new issue of Fast Company has an interview with Kelli Delaney, Creative Director of the fashion company Members Only (she helped relaunch it last fall):

“[I'm implementing] a marketing approach for a younger, more affluent, style-conscious consumer, whom I’ll reach through the right stores, the right use of select celebrities, and the right editorial direction in fashion magazines.

“Those three things are inextricably tied to the building of a powerful brand today.”

- Fast Company, March 2008, Page 29.