Babe Ruth was the first-ever celebrity and athlete to be paid to endorse a brand. Brand endorsements date back to the 1760s when Josiah Wedgwood started the royal endorsements as a brand-building tool. 262 years on, brand endorsements still remain a key tool used to create a buzz around their product or service. Roping in a prominent, easily recognisable face is what brands aim for. While celebrities predominate the sector as being the faces brands primarily opt for, thanks to the booming Creator Economy, creators from various sectors are also getting deals their way.
To promote or not to promote
There is always a debate whether or not a certain celebrity or an influencer should be promoting a particular brand. In the conscious world that we live in, celebrities and creators alike have often put their foot down and have refused to endorse a certain brand.
Kangana Ranaut refused a multi-crore deal for a fairness cream brand because she didn’t want to promote that.
Akshay Kumar refused to endorse a pan masala brand.
You will never see Salman Khan endorse any tobacco brand and he publicly stated in an interview, years ago, that he only endorses products that he personally uses *raises eyebrow*.
Mega-star Amitabh Bachchan; whose personal brand value is immense and can easily influence any fan to buy a particular product or service he endorses; refused to promote an aerated drink brand after a Jaipur girl called it poison. He also staunchly refuses to promote any tobacco brand.
Maliaka Arora picked EatSure to launch her first food venture, a cloud kitchen called Nude Bowls as it aligned with her ethos of healthy, clean and nutritious eating and no other brand could.
What about new-age Creators?
Recently, in an interview, new-age content creator Saloni Gaur stated that a lot of brand deals are coming her way, but she will not be associating with brands that don’t align with her ethos. There are many more like her who will not endorse any brand that is not in tandem with their personal beliefs.
Ankush Bahuguna is conscious of his image and in an interview said that he is not an ad page and on his page, people will see his work more.
Some choose to stay away from brands that are not sustainable or are cruel to animals, while some creators refuse brands that promote any kind of stereotype, socially and politically incorrect messaging.
Why are they and why should they be picky?
But why are creators being picky while choosing their endorsements? In simple, non-sugar-coated language, it is because they are followed by millions or billions of people. They are constantly under scrutiny and any move they make, any post or story they share on their social media holds the power to “influence” the masses.
These creators are approachable and extremely relatable, that is what clicks the most when they endorse something. Their audiences engage with that endorsed post. And hence it becomes their moral responsibility to review and assess what brands their name gets associated with.
And with great power comes great responsibility (no we didn’t just learn it from the Spider-Man movies but it is an old adage). Creators want to be more responsible and are aware of the position they are in. And of course, they wish to create content and curate their image that reflects their deep-rooted beliefs.
And we at TagMango love and respect that about Creators. All our Creators are creating content they believe in all while empowering and educating others. So, more power to them and we just hope they keep on CREATING and monetising their content the right way with TagMango.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below.
