I read the article. I understand the YouTube people because that is the media I consume. I guess my main question to the group is as follows: Has a Celebrity Endorsement of a product made you want to go buy that product? I guess if you want to be technically correct Al Nagler is a 'celebrity' to amateur astronomers and on his endorsement and demo I bought some of his stuff. Now granted the man is a legendary optician who's equipment has radically altered the higher end of amateur astronomy but he is also the guy who made everything he sold for the first few years. David Levy endorsed a ton of stuff more fitting for the beginner/low end observer but I never bought anything based on "OMG DAVID LEVY ENDORSES THIS!" I'd be curious as to the market research these guys are doing, and what the target audience is for the stuff they are advertising. $50K is not exactly chump change, and somewhere down the line you would think there was a cost/benefit analysis run on that expenditure. Or do the products being shilled have that high of a margin that the endorsement cash is a non-issue? The more I think about it, the less certain that I have ever bought something due to a celebrity endorsement. My cars were researched and test drove. My banks I shopped around for. Other professional services are either provided by friends or friends of friends and personal referrals. And that makes me stop to think... is it due to me not consuming normal 'pop' media that I just don't care about the celebrity aspect?
I'm not a typical media consumer, and am not sure who most of the people are who are prominently featured on the covers of magazines in the checkout line at the grocery store. So celebrity endorsements are almost meaningless to me. However... If a company is paying that kind of money to get their product in front of my eyes, then I am more likely to notice the product because the marketing is probably innovative, well-designed, and eye-catching. The celebrity is just icing on the cake, and may draw the eyes of people who follow that celebrity. So the celebrity endorsement does not exist in a vacuum. It is one puzzle piece in a bigger picture, and I will probably respond to the other pieces before I care about the celebrity. But if Remi Malek endorsed a certain Chromebook? Yeah, that would be effective on me. If Ron Perlman endorsed a particular brand of cigar, or motorcycle? That would make me look at that brand twice. If Bruce Campbell endorsed a particular type of chainsaw? I'd go out and buy it right away! But the reason the above endorsements would have an effect on me, is because they are clever and witty, and show some thought. Putting Matthew McConahey (sp? who cares?) in a Cadillac, mumbling incomprehensibly about random shit? Nah. Or Angelina Jolie selling lipstick? Duh. Nothing interesting or creative or relevant there.