First, about the chocolates. Yesterday a friend of mine linked me to a really interesting post on the blog of Tom Coates. It was about a business card made of chocolate that he had received.

Interesting, isn’t it? Even I found it cool. In fact, so cool that I spammed this link to everyone on my instant messenger list.

But, for the life of me, I could not remember who had sent this chocolate business card to Tom.

Conclusion – Was this stunt attention grabbing? Yes! Achieved its objective of brand recall? Dunno about Tom but it failed for me.

The same is the problem with using celebrities in your endorsements. They get you the attention but don’t always deliver. Research has proven this and so has the experience of seasoned marketers.

David Ogilvy, the founder of advertising agency O&M, once said, “Testimonials by celebrities… are below average in their ability to change brand preference. Viewers guess that the celebrity has been bought, and they are right. Viewers have a way of remembering the celebrity but forgetting the product.�

So, next time you think about using chocolates or celebrities in your campaigns, remember what David Ogilvy said : Viewers have a way of remembering the celebrity but forgetting the product.