Celebrity Endorsements are Dead, Long Live the Celebrity Endorsement - Walter Delph-Adly

Welcome Walter Delph, our newest MediaBizBlogger.

Some will argue that social media has made celebrity sponsorships obsolete. In reality, it has only increased the divide between effective and ineffective influencer endorsements. In a world where celebrities are using Facebook and Twitter to share their thoughts on everything from politics totheir favorite restaurants, inauthenticity is detected quickly and brands that do not properly align celebrity endorsers with their brand's persona will likely experience negative customer backlash. On the other hand, increased celebrity communications has led fans to experience a deeper connection with their favorite actors, musicians and athletes. As a result, when these celebrities are perceived as sincere brand advocates and trusted advisers, the impact on a customer's brand loyalty is greater than ever before.

One brand looking to capitalize on the triangular relationship between consumers, celebrities and brands is the Gap, which has decided to align their brand with iconic guitarist Jimi Hendrix. In creating limited-edition t-shirts to celebrate Hendrix's 70^th birthday, the Gap hopes to demonstrate its relevancy to a younger demographic through the power of iconic music.

The Gap chose this strategy for two primary reasons. First, pairing with Jimi Hendrix is appropriate for a brand with a long history of connecting to consumers through music and, who got their start in 1969 selling jeans, records and tapes. Second, fans of Jimi Hendrix and the Gap have very similar characteristics. Both groups are young, highly educated urban dwellers with above average incomes. However, a surprising number of Hendrix fans are predominately young males,which makes Jimi Hendrix an ideal celebrity partner for a company looking to increase their relevance to Millennial music lovers.

What is the Gap doing right?

1) An authentic relationship with Jimi's family, Experience Hendrix, provided the right content and data to help Gap create targeted breadth and depth of content in social media.

2) Data helped in choosing the right ambassadors: why not go with the Doors, Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones which are other famous bands from the time? Simple, cultural authenticity and organic alignment with the Gap's goal of reaching Millennials and sharing dialogue with them about a heritage from 1969 and the shared values of optimism, individualism and democracy. Jimi Hendrix enables the Gap to both re-image its brand through a cultural lens and reach a new, very hard-to-target customer segment.

3) Original content drives engagement: Original content – new album called People, Hell and Angelsa previously unreleased studio recording from 1969 (the year Gap was founded in California)

4) Maximizing the inherent value of multiple social/digital media channels and the marriage of physical and digital platforms

a. Twitter – Famous quotes and images of Jimi to share in social feeds

b. Instagram – Fender picture upload program in Gap's Soho 1969 store

c. Pinterest – Pin to Win Contest to win new album copy + Gap tee

d. eCommerce - Selling at gap.com

"We are looking to build more relationships that drive personal relevance, cultural relevance and create a 1:1 dialogue with consumers. A relationship like the Jimi Hendrix partnership illuminates our shared DNA and a high level of authenticity," said Tricia Nichols, Global Lead of Consumer Engagement, Media Innovation & Partnerships, Gap Inc.

"The Gap, and its Jimi Hendrix initiative, is a perfect example of what a great brand can do to be impactful in social media," said Walter Delph, CEO of Adly and Social Media friend to the Gap. "To truly engage with current customers and target new customers, brands must use data, relevant brand ambassadors and original content to drive sales."

Walter I. Delph serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Adly, which provides an industry leading technology platform that connects brands with consumers via the most influential people in social media. He leads a team that is focused on capturing the $50B online endorsement business which is underserved in the social advertising market. Walter can be reached at walter@adly.com. Read all Walter's MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Influence in the Social Media Age.

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