When I contemplated what just transpired, I realized that not only was a donating for helping the under-privileged, I was donating a fraction to a multimillionaire celebrity and his/her agent as well. If you are wondering if I bluffing you, I am not. The shoes that I bought were endorsed by a big celebrity. The shoe maker gives millions of dollars every year to this celebrity. The shoe maker does not give that money out of his pocket. Its my money that is being handed over to the rich celebrity. Even worse, without my explicit approval.
Does the rich sports celebrity really need money from me? Whether s/he needs or not, why would s/he refuse if they are given the money. Why should they?
You can argue that if don't like that celebrity, then I should refrain from buy the products endorsed by him/her. Why should I? I really like the shoe that I bought. Why should I be forced to donate to the celebrity when I buy my shoes. Why doesn't the shoe maker stop giving money to the celebrity and sell the shoe for a lesser price?
I always bought the same brand of shoes. I don't need to be "told" by the celebrity to buy that brand. If I am already loyal to the shoe maker, why should my money be siphoned out to the celebrity. The celebrity did not provide me any value. As a customer, can't I question the efficiency of the shoe maker's spending?
The celebrity could have worked very hard to get to his/her current position. Well, does that mean I need to donate to him/her? If I am going to watch the celebrity play, I will buy the tickets to watch the game. That money can go to the player. I am fine with that because I chose to watch the match and pay for it. Similarly movie ticket money can be given to a movie star. But it does not make sense that I have to pay/donate to the celebrity because I bought some household item.
The celebrity might be helpful in bringing in a the new customers. In the old times when people where living in smaller communities, people bought stuff from local vendors. The vendors did not need celebrities to endorse the products. But in the modern age, you no longer need to buy from the local shop. You can buy from someone on the other side of the planet. If you are a vendor, your customer base is suddenly increased dramatically. That leads to competition. Many vendors want a piece of the pie. Now these vendors need to compete and promote their products. Vendors differentiate themselves by shouting out loud or by using a celebrity's fame.
I am not a new customer. Why should I have to subsidize newer customer finding of the brand? Why is the repeat customer being penalized? Is it a mistake to buy from the same shoe maker again? Doesn't the shoe maker want me to come back? Shouldn't the shoe maker incentivize me to come back instead of penalizing me?
The celebrity is already rich. S/he spends lavishly and leads a luxurious life while I am just a common man. Who should be donating to who? Me to the rich guy or vice-versa?
Would you rather donate your money to the under-privileged kids or to a rich celebrity?
IMO, most people tend to follow & do what their idols tell them to do. Endorsements could be a signal of quality. At a deeper level, majority of people seem to crave connection to the famous and the powerful. Air Jordan is perfect example. People spend their welfare & unemployment checks to buy them.
ReplyDeleteMarket analysis has been done by many research groups and celebrity endorsements have worked in all the countries.
Even B class celebrities like Kim K are successful.
If you feel you don't need to be told what to buy, then fortunately you belong to a minority group.
If hiring celebrities helps to raise more money, then probably its worth doing it.
Of course, it would be nice if they forgo their compensation for charitable causes. I think most of them do.