Celebrity Sells [Paperback]

Hamish Pringle (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470868503 | ISBN-13: 978-0470868508 | Publication Date: June 18, 2004

Celebrities have always captured the imagination of the public. In today's age of consumerism, their ability to influence our behaviour can be seen worldwide.

Harnessing this power can reap huge rewards for business — the Jamie Oliver campaign helped turn around Sainsbury?s fortunes, with the return on investment estimated at ?27.95 for every advertising pound spent; sales of Walker?s Crisps increased by 105% thanks to Gary Lineker; One to One re-launched its brand with stars including Kate Moss and Elvis Presley.

Celebrity Sells demonstrates the awesome power of famous names, when skilfully used, to sell brands and offers practical advice on how to develop and advertise a brand using celebrities, including:

• How to choose the right celebrity for your brand
• How to build your brand using a celebrity
• How to manage relationships with celebrities
• How to protect celebrity and brand reputation

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the phenomenon, ironically Celebrity Sells, will make unpalatable reading for companies that have spent millions re-branding themselves around famous face..." (Independent on Sunday, 26 October 2003)

"...fascinating and witty reading..." ( Hot Stars, 3 April 2004)

“… Pringle knows his stuff.” (Daily Telegraph, 6 April 2004)

“This book is designed as a practical guide for practitioners…” (Sunday Business Post , 9 May 2004)

“This book looks at stars and advertising- and has some fab facts.” (New Woman, June 2004)

“… packed to the rafters with facts, ... would recommend this book to anyone, whether they work in media or not.”(Media Week, 1 May 2004)

“… an important book…” (Reading Chronicle, 20^th May 04)

“…shows just how deeply our lives and lifestyles are influenced…” (City to Cities, Sep/Oct 2004)

 “…sound and detailed advice on how to find the right celebrity...” (Admap, November 2004)

“…This book is practical, relevant and packed with leading edge thinking…” (Mark Ritson, London Business School in IoD, Winter 2004)

“...for anybody fascinated by the public’s obsession with the celebrity cult…absorbing enough to appeal to a mainstream audience…” (Campaign, 10^th December 2004) 

Review

"Ever since publishing my book on the celebrity industry, High Visibility, I have been waiting for someone to show the power, gains, and risks of using celebrities in advertising. Hamish Pringle has delivered the goods."
—Philip Kotler - Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

"A must read not only for anybody fascinated by the way in which the worlds of commercialism and the celebrity feed off each other but any agency account person anxious to avoid the pratfalls when signing up a star name."
—John Tylee - Associate Editor for Campaign magazine

"As an account director, I once persuaded Sir Robert Mark to say, "I am convinced that the Goodyear Grand Prix S is a major contribution to road safety". Now as Chief Executive of the Marketing Society I am convinced that Hamish Pringle's "Celebrity Sells" will be a major contribution to any advertiser's understanding of this topic."
—Hugh Burkitt - Chief Executive of The Marketing Society.

"Using celebrities to champion a brand can be immensely powerful - if you get it right. Celebrity Sells tells you how."
—Winston Fletcher - Chairman of Advertising Standards Board of Finance and author of Beating The 24/7

"Had a celebrity endorsed this fascinating book, it probably would have been more effective. However, you just got me."
—John Hegarty - Creative Director of Bartle Bogle and Hegarty Ltd.

"Lineker seemed like a good idea at the time - Hamish tells us why."
—John Webster - Executive Creative Director of BMP DDB

"I'd recommend Celebrity Sells, and particularly its categorisation of celebrity 'types' as a useful tool for new marketers"
—Martin Glenn - President PepsiCo UK

"Celebrity is a phenomenon of the new age. I am not certain I like it, but I am sure like everyone else in both society and this industry I need to understand it and deal with it. Hamish Pringle offers a rare insight into the new power of celebrity and how we can engage with it."
—Clive Jones - CEO of ITV Plc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (June 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470868503
• ISBN-13: 978-0470868508
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,431,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In 2001 following a 26-year career in UK advertising agencies I was appointed Director General of the IPA, the trade association for leading advertising, media and marketing communications agencies in the UK (analogous to the 4As in the USA).
Amongst many IPA projects, I have been especially closely involved with the validation and development of my 'Diagonal Thinking' concept (www.diagonalthinking.co.uk).
I co-authored 'Brand Spirit' with Marjorie Thompson, 'Brand Manners' with William Gordon, and 'Brand Immortality' with Peter Field, and wrote 'Celebrity Sells'. I'm now working on a new book on media strategy, co-authored with Jim Marshall.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed With Knowledge!, August 30, 2004

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celebrity Sells (Paperback)

Hamish Pringle has written a thoughtful, crisply-paced book exploring the power of celebrity and how that power can be harnessed in marketing. The book focuses on the U.K. - thus, many of its case studies and celebrities will be unknown to those who haven't spent time in England - but its core message transcends national borders. Even those who have often had to deal with celebrities will still learn ample lessons, while those who have never dipped their toes in the celebrity marketing pool will find this essential reading. It is a textbook for avoiding many pitfalls of star marketing. We recommend this useful, insightful book to marketers and executives who are considering their first foray into the celebrity arena or re-thinking their use of celebrity marketing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't hire a celeb endorser till you've read Pringle's book, October 30, 2006

By 

david wethey (London, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celebrity Sells (Paperback)

Hamish Pringle has done a great job. 'Celebrity Sells' is a good read. It's also an invaluable guide to what to do, and what to avoid. He has had the good sense to tap into the first hand knowledge of some authoritative experts. These interviews give real insights into what made Dudley Moore and Prunella Scales (Tesco), Maureen Lipman (BT), Rowan Atkinson (Barclaycard), and the One2One campaigns the huge successes they were. I also found his pitfalls section very illuminating (noting how overexposure can be a particular problem). Pringle draws interesting conclusions from the increasing incidence of celebrities among IPA Effectiveness Award winners. I guess that old adfolk like me have always known that the first target market for any campaign is always the client, and nearly 20 years experience running pitches has proved it beyond doubt. It's intriguing to get the inside track on the special relationship clients (both as companies and people) have with the celebs their agencies have hired. But Pringle gives us ten priceless rules for how the agency can best manage those relationships. The examples given are what makes this book particularly rewarding. Some must have been no-brainers. But who could ever have predicted George Foreman would sell as many grills as Dyson has made vacuum cleaners?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pringle Does It Again, October 23, 2006

By 

Ms. Marjorie Thompson (London UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celebrity Sells (Paperback)

I confess to having a vested interest in Hamish Pringle's writing--I was his co author on the highly successful Brand Spirit: How Cause Related Marketing Builds Brands. He followed that up with a collaboration with someone in consultancy--Brand Manners and now Celebrity Sells. His genial and affable style, accessible to media and communications experts and lay people alike, is built on a firm foundation of careful analysis and case studies. He also captures the zeitgeist--explaining what it is about the 'celebrification' of culture in the early 21st century that strikes a chord with consumers. I can't wait for his next book!