1. Introduction
1.1 Aim of the paper
The aim of this Bachelor thesis is to work out how celebrity marketing ideally works to make customers internalize the marketing objective. Strengthen the company’s image and brands, bonding customers and at least making profit. Among a lot of different marketing tools, celebrity marketing seems to be the most popular and promising one for companies to present their products excellently. Consequently, this paper answers the question, how especially celebrity marketing has to be developed in case of having a competitive advantage to competitors and the best effect on the customer. This paper focuses on a current example to explain how celebrity marketing is successfully applied in general and concerning to Coca Cola light’s activities.
Before pointing out how to create effective celebrity marketing, this thesis presents the trends in marketing tools generally. The second problem statement is, if marketing is still promising in times of every company doing it.
Purpose of this thesis is then to analyze Coca Cola light’s campaign concerning success potential and develop a future outlook to outline the development of celebrity marketing as a form of modern communication between company and customer and discuss Coca Cola light’s position in celebrity marketing referring to the latest campaign.
1.2 Relevance of the topic
Nowadays, due to ongoing globalization and consequently the increasing fierce competition between the global operating companies, remaining competitive is getting harder. To establish a sustainable competitive advantage, many companies use a popular testimonial to advertise their product. Especially leading brands and companies wanting to strengthen their brand equity, benefit from this type of marketing. By the successful image transfer the brand is getting an added value as well as an improved band image and a strengthen customer loyalty. But celebrity marketing has disadvantages on the other side, too. This is proved in latest studies showing that celebrity marketing’s success have decreased recently. Often, credibility of the brand suffers as a result of a celebrity having more than one advertising contract for different products.
Celebrity marketing can be more than just endorsing the company’s product. It has the chance to become the connecting link between the company - and the brand it stands for – and the customer by creating emotionality and interest.
Table of Content
1. Introduction
1.1 Aim of the paper
1.2 Relevance of the topic
1.3 Disposition of the paper
2. Concepts of marketing
2.1 Defining essential terms
2.1.1 Brand
2.1.2 UAP
2.1.3 Testimonial
2.1.4 Prototype
2.1.5 Brand equity
2.1.6 International Marketing
2.2 Theoretical models on marketing
2.2.1 BCG-Matrix
2.2.2 Ansoff’s Product-Market-Matrix
2.2.3 4 P's of Marketing
2.3 Practical successful marketing-application
2.4 Marketing-Trends
2.4.1 Social-Media-Marketing
2.4.2 Sustainability
3. Theoretical views on celebrity marketing
3.1 Model of celebrity marketing
3.2 Development
3.3 Former approaches
4. Coca Cola Company
4.1 Coca Cola’s perception on brand
4.2 Campaign “Hör’ auf dein Herz”
5. Empirical study
5.1 Data collection
5.2 Empirical findings
5.3 Survey drifts
6. Critical analysis and recommendations
7. Conclusion and Outlook
Research Objectives and Focus Areas
This bachelor thesis examines how celebrity marketing effectively influences consumer perception and strengthens brand equity, specifically analyzing the "Hör’ auf dein Herz" campaign of Coca Cola light as a modern application within the beverage industry.
- The mechanics and effectiveness of celebrity marketing as a tool for modern brand communication.
- The impact of the image transfer process from celebrities to brands on consumer purchasing behavior.
- The strategic role of the "Hör’ auf dein Herz" campaign within Coca Cola's broader sustainability and active lifestyle initiatives.
- Evaluation of the credibility and congruency between celebrity testimonials and product values.
- Analysis of consumer perception through an empirical survey focusing on the target demographic.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Model of celebrity marketing
Celebrity marketing as part of testimonial advertising is defined as a celebrity endorsing a special product, in an ideal world the star's image is transferred to the product and the brand including the celebrity’s credibility to create a consistent overall picture of the advertisement. Companies using celebrity marketing want the customer to identify with the star and to create desire to own the product the celebrity uses. This then evokes emotions in the customers that are also transferred to the product and the brand, in best case. The effectiveness of celebrity marketing is decisively determined by the congruency between the consumer’s perception of the celebrity’s values and the product values.
Drawback of this concept is the celebrity’s personal development which is hardly anticipatable. What happens if the celebrity is mixed up in a scandal or his or her respect in the public declines? Besides this, possible further advertising partners of the celebrity should be evaluated whether the testimonial’s credibility could suffer from having multiple endorsement deals for different brands. Both can influence the advertising effect heavily in hindsight, likewise referring to the image the celebrity transfers to the brand he promotes.
Due to usually high costs of hiring celebrities, especially well-known companies with popular products use this form of marketing.
In order to ensure the best possible compatibility between the celebrity and the product, different selection criteria play a role for companies when using celebrities.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter defines the aim of the thesis, outlines the relevance of celebrity marketing in a globalized market, and presents the structure of the analysis.
2. Concepts of marketing: This section provides fundamental definitions of marketing terms, explores key theoretical models like the BCG-Matrix and the 4 Ps, and discusses emerging trends such as social media and sustainability.
3. Theoretical views on celebrity marketing: This chapter details the mechanics of image transfer in celebrity endorsements, its historical development, and examines historical and current examples of celebrity campaigns.
4. Coca Cola Company: This section introduces the historical success of Coca Cola, its brand strategy, and provides a deep dive into the specific "Hör’ auf dein Herz" campaign.
5. Empirical study: This chapter presents the data collection methodology, the profile of the survey participants, and the detailed findings regarding consumer perception of Coca Cola's campaign and Heidi Klum.
6. Critical analysis and recommendations: This chapter synthesizes the empirical findings to provide strategic recommendations for implementing effective celebrity marketing campaigns.
7. Conclusion and Outlook: This chapter summarizes the key takeaways of the thesis and provides a forward-looking perspective on the future of celebrity marketing.
Keywords
Celebrity marketing, image transfer, Coca Cola light, testimonial advertising, brand equity, consumer behavior, market penetration, Heidi Klum, sustainability, active lifestyle, empirical study, social media marketing, marketing strategy, brand perception, corporate responsibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The thesis investigates the effectiveness of celebrity marketing as a tool for product promotion and brand bonding, specifically using the example of Coca Cola light.
What are the central thematic fields?
The core themes include marketing strategy, the psychology of testimonial advertising, brand management, and the influence of corporate social responsibility initiatives.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine how celebrity marketing can ideally function to increase brand equity and whether the "Hör’ auf dein Herz" campaign serves as an effective modern example.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The research combines a literature review of marketing theories with an empirical study conducted via an online survey among a specific target group to gather consumer data.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers basic marketing theories, the development of celebrity marketing, a company profile of Coca Cola, and an analysis of its recent campaign activities.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include celebrity marketing, image transfer, brand equity, Coca Cola light, and consumer perception.
How does the brand perception of Coca Cola influence its marketing success?
The research indicates that Coca Cola's high brand awareness and long-standing reputation significantly amplify the effectiveness of its marketing, allowing it to maintain a stable market position despite shifting consumer trends.
What conclusion does the author draw regarding Heidi Klum's role?
The author concludes that while Heidi Klum brings attention to the campaign, her effectiveness is limited by questions of credibility and her omnipresence in media, which may lead to customer boredom.
Does the thesis suggest that celebrity marketing is becoming obsolete?
No, the thesis argues that celebrity marketing remains a relevant and modern tool, provided that the selection of the celebrity is strategically aligned with the brand and the higher purpose of the campaign.
- Quote paper
- Katharina Krützkamp (Author), 2013, Celebrity-Marketing: Market penetration by image transfer from stars using the example of the brand Coca-Cola light of the beverage producer Coca Cola., Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/264823
