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Brand Personification through the Use of Spokespeople: An Exploratory Study

of Ordinary Employees, CEOs, and Celebrities Featured in Advertising

Article  in  Psychology and Marketing · January 2014

DOI: 10.1002/mar.20677

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Brand Personification through the Use
of Spokespeople: An Exploratory Study
of Ordinary Employees, CEOs, and
Celebrities Featured in Advertising
Nathalie Fleck
University of Maine
Géraldine Michel and Valérie Zeitoun
University of Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne

ABSTRACT

Personifying a brand through the use of a spokesperson is a strategy that some companies use to
humanize their brands. Three of the ways that such personification is accomplished in advertising is
by ads featuring celebrities, “regular people” (such as everyday consumers or persons employed by
the brand), and company founders or CEOs as spokespeople. Using a sampling of representative
print ads as stimuli, this exploratory qualitative research probed consumer thinking and perceptions
regarding these various approaches to brand personification. It was found that celebrities could
magically transport consumers to an idealized place, provided there was congruence between the
celebrity and the brand. Ordinary people as spokespeople, when genuinely perceived as “one of us,”
could be particularly effective in humanizing a brand and eliciting empathy. Famous CEOs and
company founders were revered by many respondents who viewed them as aspirational models: they
are ordinary people with an extraordinary story. The implications and limitations of the research
were discussed, and some directions for future research were provided. C 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In an increasingly globalized world, marked by highly an endorser and/or a spokesperson may also be used to
competitive markets, brands must differentiate them- humanize a brand. In this study, our focus of interest
selves. One way of achieving such differentiation is by was on marketing-related questions related to the use
cultivating a unique brand personality—that is, im- of different types of spokespeople.
buing the brand with human-like traits that are par- According to Stern (1991), three key considerations
ticularly appealing to the brand’s target demographic. with regard to the use of spokespeople or endorsers
These human-like traits help build a brand–consumer are “What?” (referring to the content of the advertis-
relationship (Aaker, 1997; Fournier, 1998). Different ing), “How?” (referring to the structure or context of the
mechanisms may be used to imbue brands with “per- advertising), and “Who?” (referring to the perceived fea-
sonality.” One way is to personify a product; that is, tures and traits of the spokesperson). The latter con-
to present the product to consumers in a way that sideration is particularly intriguing given its poten-
mimics a living, breathing being. For example, the tially pivotal role in persuasion (Deighton, Romer, &
Mars company, in advertising for its M&Ms candy McQueen, 1989). In this exploratory, qualitative study,
brand, presents individual pieces of candy with human we investigated the mechanisms of persuasion that
characteristics, interacting with humans. The Kellogg’s were operative when persons internal to a company
company personifies its frosted flakes with a talking (ranging from employees to CEOs) and persons ex-
animated tiger named Tony. Another mechanism for ternal to a company (such as celebrities) served as a
imbuing a brand with personality is to pair its presen- spokesperson for a brand’s messaging.
tation with a “real person.” “Ordinary people” touting
a brand can bring a human face to the brand and con-
tribute to the formation of the brand’s personality in Brand Personification and
the mind’s eye of the consumer. A spokesperson for the Anthropomorphism
brand in advertising—be it a team member at a local
McDonalds or the CEO of a company—is another way Unlike the product it represents to the consumer, a
to bring a human face to the brand. A celebrity used as brand is in reality an abstract; a construct. From

Psychology and Marketing, Vol. 31(1): 84–92 (January 2014)

View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/mar

C 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/mar.20677

84
the perspective of the marketer, it is a construct de- Table 1. Types of Endorsers.
signed to position and differentiate products in the Type Internal to the Firm External to the Firm
hearts and minds of the consuming public. Still,
a tendency exists for consumers to personify such Known CEO Celebrity
abstracts, and imbue them with human attributes Unknown Employee External expert
(Ricoeur, 1977; Waitz, Epley, & Cacioppo, 2010). Even
in the absence of encouragement to do so by marketers,
it seems there is a strong tendency for people to an- spokesperson for a brand transformed an individual
thropomorphize, that is, attribute human characteris- into a well-known celebrity. Some may say that this was
tics to nonhuman things.1 One may anthropomorphize the process that propelled a relatively unknown actor,
in an effort to make sense of, or attain mastery of, un- Dennis Haysbert, to where he is today; well known by
certainty (Waitz, Epley, & Cacioppo, 2010). With spe- face, but still not so well known by name. Haysbert is in-
cific regard to brands, one may anthropomorphize so stantly recognizable as the endorser/spokesperson rep-
that familiar but highly meaningful personality traits resenting Allstate, a brand of insurance in the United
can be assigned to the brand for ready classification States. He is the Allstate spokesperson who appears at
and mental characterization (Aaker, 1997; Ambroise, the end of every Allstate television commercial asking,
Ferrandi, Merunka, Vallette-Florence, & De Barnier, “Are you in good hands?”
2005). Fournier (1998) went further, suggesting that Haysbert and others provide strong testimony to the
consumers tend to regard brands as partners in a re- fact that a spokesperson can give a face and a voice to
lationship dyad. In this sense, anthropomorphizing a the brand, thus “humanizing” it. At the very least, a
brand allows for a quasi-interpersonal relationship be- spokesperson may have the effect of making a brand
tween the brand and its consumers. less abstract or less anonymous in the hearts and minds
From the perspective of marketers, anthropomor- of consumers. At most, a spokesperson can personify the
phizing a brand by consumers can yield positive con- brand.
sequences. It can attract attention to the brand that Most marketing research has focused on celebrity
it might not otherwise have received. It can serve to endorsements wherein the celebrity endorser is “any
increase brand awareness by creating affective associ- individual who enjoys public recognition and who uses
ations with the brand—possibly resulting in a situation this recognition on behalf of a consumer good by ap-
wherein consumers evaluate the brand by criteria other pearing with it in an advertisement” (McCracken, 1989,
than its functional characteristics (Keller, 1993). Affec- p. 310). Beyond celebrities, however, there are many
tive associations to the brand may also be helpful when other types of endorsers and potential spokespeople in
it comes to brand differentiation, especially in cluttered advertising (Erdogan, 1999). An endorser may be, for
markets with many products that all seem similar. And example, someone who has professional expertise re-
such affective associations are more likely to occur to garding what particular products may be used to do
a brand that is anthropomorphized in the mind’s eye (Friedman, Termini, & Washington, 1976). Ordinary
of the consumer in contrast to a brand that is not people such as typical consumers may also serve as en-
(Delbaere, McQuarrie, & Phillips, 2011; Torelli, dorsers (Friedman, Termini, & Washington, 1976). In
Özsomer, Carvalho, Keh, & Maehle, 2012). addition, corporate employees might effectively repre-
sent the brand (much as Post has used its own employ-
ees in promoting its Honey Bunches of Oats cereal).
Humanizing a Brand through Endorsement The present research was focused on spokespeo-
and the Use of Spokespeople ple in print advertising—internal or external to the
company that was being promoted—ranging from very
Endorsements are votes of confidence or approval in a
well known by the public to virtually anonymous (see
brand, usually from someone in a position of special
Table 1). Internal endorsers in advertisements included
and esteemed knowledge, expertise. Typically, the en-
people such as CEOs and company founders (such as
dorser is someone who is very well known by the gen-
Richard Branson for Virgin), everyday employees, and
eral public or the target audience of the brand. When
a skilled designer (as in an IKEA ad). Endorsers exter-
a celebrity Formula 1 driver gives a public thumbs-up
nal to the brand might be celebrities or professional
to a particular brand of motor oil, he or she is making
experts (e.g., a nutritionist for cereal, a Formula 1
an endorsement, and the driver can be considered an
driver for tires, or a dentist for a toothpaste).
“endorser.”
Across these different types of endorsers, with their
In isolated cases, the process of advertising using a
different characteristics, various underlying processes
celebrity endorser or spokesperson has worked some-
and mechanisms were presumed to operate to explain
what differently; more specifically, the act of being a
their effectiveness vis-à-vis consumer purchasing and
purchase intent. So, for example, with regard to con-
1
Personification and anthropomorphism are similar but differ in sumer perception on a reality continuum, advertising
their perspectives: Personification refers to message characteris-
tics (i.e., what the marketer wants to express about the brand),
featuring celebrities might be viewed as pure fiction and
whereas anthropomorphism reflects an audience’s attitudes about fantasy. By contrast, advertising featuring everyday
the brand (Delbaere, McQuarrie, & Philips, 2011). people such as ordinary employee might be perceived

EMPLOYEES, CEOS, AND CELEBRITIES IN ADVERTISING 85

Psychology and Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
as realistic. A CEO as spokesperson may occupy an have an ulterior motive (more probably a motive that
intermediary position between these two extremes: a is not so ulterior) such as increasing the company’s bot-
real person connected with reality, but clearly power- tom line. An employee giving an endorsement might
ful, exceptional, and idealized. Because of these var- also have an ulterior motive, one related to pleasing an
ied impressions, the three types of endorsers likely employer, hanging on to a job, getting promoted, and
cause different reactions among targeted consumers. so forth. From the perspective of consumers, employ-
Ultimately, the challenge of marketers is to match the ees may come across as more honest and transparent
right spokesperson to the right product or service. than CEOs. Further, employees may come across as
“real people” with whom ordinary consumers can iden-
tify. Of course, it is also true that consumers may feel
What Makes an Endorsement Effective? more admiration and respect for CEOs, especially well-
The literature on endorsement, and in particular en- known CEOs who have achieved celebrity status (such
dorsement by celebrities, suggests various strategies as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg).
for marketers. The attractiveness of an endorser can Celebrities can be unpaid spokespeople for products
be key as it can draw attention to the advertising and or organizations that they believe in—witness the long
ultimately, increase ad and brand awareness (Chao, list of celebrities who have lent their name to organiza-
Wührer, & Werani, 2005; Kahle & Homer, 1985; Till tions such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment
& Busler, 2000). Beyond the celebrity endorser’s at- of Animals). Such unpaid endorsements may be pre-
tractiveness, the effectiveness of message delivery may sumed to engender credibility and trust; they are lend-
depend on factors related to the endorser’s similarity ing their name and goodwill to a cause solely because
to the consumer, as well as his or her likeableness they believe in that cause. Alternatively, and perhaps
and familiarity. Celebrity credibility is another impor- more commonly, a celebrity will endorse a product or
tant influence on the effectiveness of an endorsement brand in return for compensation. The extent to which
(Friedman & Friedman, 1979). According to source this variety of endorsement engenders credibility and
credibility models (Hovland & Weiss, 1951), message ef- trust may depend on a number of factors other than the
fectiveness depends on the perceived level of expertise degree to which the celebrity professes to believe in it.
and trustworthiness of the endorser (Ohanian, 1991; For example, credibility and trust may be high if the
Spry, Pappu, & Cornwell, 2011). Here, expertise refers celebrity endorser is extremely selective and sparing
to the extent to which the endorser is perceived as be- in the number of paid endorsements made. Conversely,
ing a valid source of information (Erdogan, 1999). This credibility and trust may decrease as the number of
perception stems from the extent of knowledge, know- paid endorsements rises.
how, or firsthand experience that the celebrity (or other)
endorser has with the brand. Trustworthiness—the en-
dorser’s honesty, credibility, and integrity from the per- Methodology
spective of the target audience—is another key factor
(Ohanian, 1991). How honestly and objectively is the In order to explore the question, “What makes an en-
endorser perceived by the target audience when pre- dorsement effective?”, consumer perceptions of various
senting information about the brand? print ads featuring celebrities, employees, or CEOs as
A holistic approach to explaining endorsement ef- spokesperson were investigated by means of a focus
fects focuses on the congruence that exists between group. Within this group, the authors observed not only
the endorser, the brand, and the advertising mes- how participants understood the presence of characters
sage (Fleck, Korchia, & Le Roy, 2012). Congruence ex- and spokespeople in advertising but also how they un-
ists when “the highly relevant characteristics of the derstood the messages being communicated. Subjects
spokesperson are consistent with the highly relevant were recruited by an independent and specialized insti-
attributes of the brand” (Misra & Beatty, 1990, p. 161). tute in recruitment for qualitative research. To ensure
Qualitative research is one route to help identifying similar generational references, the recruited partici-
the highly relevant characteristics of a spokesperson pants represented the same generation and an average
perceived to be consistent with the highly relevant at- profile (see Appendix 1): four women and two men, 35–
tributes of a brand. 45 years of age, who were employed but varied in their
family status (e.g., singles, couples, families). The fo-
cus group was conducted by an experienced moderator/
CEOs, Employees, and Celebrities as research manager from an independent agency based
Endorsers/Spokespeople in Paris. A discussion guide designed to help shed light
on the question of endorser effectiveness was prepared
Internal endorsers, such as the CEO of a company or (see Appendix 2). Stimulus pictures were selected to
even an “ordinary employee” of a company have a cred- offer different representations of employee endorsers
ibility advantage with their audience in advertising. from rank-and-file employee to CEO. In the interest of
This is so because they know and understand their minimizing possible interpretation bias, various repre-
company “from the inside.” Of course, questions may sentations of each type of endorser were selected (see
arise about their objectivity and honesty. A CEO may Appendix 3). All pictures were presented to respondents

86 FLECK, MICHEL, AND ZEITOUN

Psychology and Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
simultaneously. The pictures were all placed together ticism, especially when the sincerity or the motivation
on a table (to avoid any order-of-presentation bias) al- of the spokesperson was called into question. Another
lowing individuals to go through them quite randomly. factor that impacted on the credibility of the spokesper-
The focus group lasted approximately three hours. The son was the attractiveness of the corporate employee.
discussion was recorded and fully transcribed for sub- If the spokesperson was perceived as too attractive or
sequent content analysis. smooth, the authenticity of the spokesperson as a ver-
itable employee (vs. a paid actor) might be called into
question. As respondent Laurence put it, “When they
RESULTS
use stars, we know it’s fictional; a fantasy. Here, with
the employee, we can’t be really sure and we doubt.”
Ads Featuring Celebrities In general, brand messaging associated with corpo-
rate employee spokespeople was not viewed as particu-
In general, celebrity association with a brand seemed larly persuasive or exciting, and therefore seemed not
to have the effect of increasing the brand’s importance the most effective way to trigger affinity or commit-
and salience. Further, a celebrity brand spokesperson ment to a brand commitment. Worse yet, there existed
seemed to elicit fantasy that magically transported the possibility of consumer backlash with this variety
respondents to a better and more beautiful place. In of spokesperson. Characterizing the spokesperson as “a
the words of focus group respondent Jean-Michel, “We normal person just like you” and the brand as “made
somehow belong to a certain class if we get this prod- by us for you,” respondent Veronique concluded, “they
uct.” This phenomenon seemed to occur regardless of want to reassure us, to trap.”
how true or false the brand messaging was. Even when
the brand messaging raised doubt, the consumers,
much like viewers of a film, seemed willing to suspend Ads Featuring Company Founders or
disbelief. Current CEOs
As has been observed previously in the scholarly lit- Ads featuring famous company founders or current
erature (Bower & Landreth, 2001; Fleck, Korchia, & Le CEOs of a brand tended to inspire positive feelings
Roy, 2012; Kirmani & Shiv, 1998; Till & Busler, 2000; ranging from admiration to awe and inspiration.
Till, Stanley, & Priluck, 2008), perceived celebrity- Respondents construed their presence in ads as a
brand incongruence dampened brand messaging. This credible indication of the extent to which the CEOs are
phenomenon was evident from the comments of one committed to their products, not to mention the degree
respondent (Camille) when a celebrity pictured in an to which they are willing to take responsibility for the
ad did not seem to “fit” the brand; instantly, a problem brand. In terms of gaining the hearts and minds of
in her mind’s eye emerged. As she put it, “It makes their targeted consumers, CEOs seem to have a special
sense when Charlize Theron represents Dior, but Ines advantage when it comes to persuasion and sales;
de La Fressange using L’Oreal, excuse me but I don’t people feel a unique connection to them. As respondent
buy it. I’m one hundred percent sure that she doesn’t Camille said, “they constitute references—models for
use this brand!” me. I wouldn’t be able do what they achieved but by
choosing their goods, I feel connected to them.” Awe
Ads Featuring Corporate Employees (and purchase intent) was also the operative sentiment
in the words of other respondents, such as Veronique:
Our study respondents expressed mixed feelings when “Looking at them—Jobs, Starck—we can’t do anything
it came to ads with corporate employees. On the one like them . . . It is just so impressive what they’ve
hand, there was the idea that this variety of spokesper- done . . . I can only identify with people who buy their
son represented, “Our life, people like us” (Sandrine). stuff; with people who recognize their talent.”
Accordingly, brand endorsements by such “ordinary In sum, famous founders and CEOs were seen as
people” inspired a sense of “that could be me” as well a kind of super hero in contemporary society. They
as empathy resulting from the fact that respondents are real people with an extraordinary, not-so-secret
“felt closer” to these would-be peers. In stark contrast identity that bestows on them reverence and unique
to the “unreality” and idealization evoked by celebrity credibility.
spokespeople, ads featuring corporate employees were
capable of evoking feelings of strong credibility; real-
ity and truth with no sugar coating. Employee spokes- DISCUSSION
people also served to effectively humanize the brand.
The people depicted in the advertising could be the re- Of particular interest when surveying the results is
spondents’ brothers or sisters—realistically flawed like the virtual tightrope marketers walk when it comes
everyone else (as opposed to idealized and not-for-real to the role of reality in advertising that employs en-
like celebrities). dorsements by “everyday people” and company employ-
But there were other, much less positive consumer ees. Depict too much reality, as in some of the highly
reactions associated with ads featuring corporate em- realistic employee spokesperson ads, and the result
ployees. These ads could arouse a fair degree of skep- may be skepticism, doubting, and perhaps even a

EMPLOYEES, CEOS, AND CELEBRITIES IN ADVERTISING 87

Psychology and Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
backlash on the part of the intended audience. Depict depending on the functional, symbolic, and experien-
too little reality, and risk closing whatever window of tial nature of the brand concept (Park, Jaworski, &
credibility and persuasion that existed previously in MacInnis, 1986). There is research to suggest, for ex-
the minds of the target market. Our analysis of the ample, that consumers’ attribution of corporate social
transcripts suggests that marketers planning to use responsibility to an advertiser works favorably for non-
endorsements by “regular guys” (and company employ- luxury brands, but can backfire when it comes to luxury
ees) as spokespeople would be well advised to inject brands (Torelli, Monga, & Kaikati, 2012). Consider, for
some dramatic tension—not a lot, not too little, but just example, hypothetical advertising that features a mes-
enough—if the interest of the target audience is to be sage from an ordinary employee at a brand like Rolex
captured and maintained. Further, it is critical that the within the context of a campaign that publicizes the
spokesperson being represented as a “regular guy” or company’s giving back to the community. Such a cam-
“company employee” be perceived as just that by mem- paign may fall on deaf ears when it comes to reaching
bers of the target audience. the brand’s target market. By contrast, advertising that
The role of reality in spokesperson endorsement is features a message from an employee of a paper manu-
quite different when it comes to celebrities. In the facturer that details how the company is planting trees
case of celebrities, a certain degree on “unreality” is is likely to be received far more enthusiastically by its
expected, perhaps even desirable. Celebrities seem to target market. In light of Torelli et al.’s (2012) findings,
have more wiggle room than “ordinary people” or CEOs it would seem fruitful to explore the factors that influ-
when it comes to audience tolerance for their telling ence perceived congruence between spokesperson, the
of white lies or engaging in other minor deceptions. brand, and messages of corporate social responsibility.
But there is a line that cannot be crossed and if we In this article, as in the scholarly literature, we have
had to give that line a name it would be congruence. A used the terms “endorser” to apply to ordinary peo-
spokesperson who, for any reason is perceived as incon- ple, company CEOs, and celebrities. Generally, how-
gruent with the brand is ineffective due to a loss of cred- ever, one speaks of celebrities, or others in a special
ibility. Celebrities, like everyone else used to personify position of power or expertise, as endorsing brands. Ac-
a brand must be perceived as consistent, consonant, cordingly, celebrities who associate themselves publicly
nonconflicting, or congruent with the brand (Bower & with a particular product, service, or brand might legiti-
Landreth, 2001; Fleck, Korchia, & Le Roy, 2012; Kir- mately be referred to as “endorsers.” However, one does
mani & Shiv, 1998; Till & Busler, 2000; Till, Stanley, & not usually speak of CEOs “endorsing” their own brand.
Priluck, 2008). Similarly, ordinary people and employees are not gen-
By contrast, congruence is usually not an issue when erally thought of as “endorsing” a brand. Rather, these
it comes to CEOs. As CEOs of a company, a perception individuals are more likely perceived as spokespeople
of congruence with the brand and the brand messag- for their respective brands, and not endorsers. Clearly,
ing probably comes automatically. CEOs put before the there is a difference between being an endorser and be-
public to represent or even personify a brand seem to ing a spokesperson for a brand, although we have used
automatically come endowed with a great deal of “brand those two terms interchangeably in this article. In the
equity.” The favorable receptivity to CEOs may even be interest of more precision in the effort to better under-
enhanced if the CEO can convey a “special regular guy” stand the persuasive mechanisms at work when con-
image, that is, an image that says “even though I have sumers are presented with an endorser or spokesper-
achieved so much, I’m really no different than you.” Ad- son, we leave to future researchers the task of differen-
ditionally, it would seem to be a plus in the eyes of the tiating a semantic distinction between “endorsers” and
consumer if the CEO comes across in the brand mes- “spokespeople,” as well as the factors that, respectively,
saging as honest, moral, and someone who does what support their perceived congruence with a brand.
he or she does in the best interest of the consumer. Future research could also profitably explore how
the success or failure in achieving spokesperson/
endorser confidence influences the consumer–brand re-
Limitations of This Study and Future lationship. Who is the best endorser/spokesperson for a
Research given brand given the nature of the brand and the spe-
cific communication objectives? How do different types
This qualitative study was conducted with a small sam- of endorsers/spokespeople affect ad recall, company at-
ple of respondents in Paris, France, and the general- tributions, and brand evaluations? To what degree are
izability of the findings must be viewed accordingly. affective connections with the brand made as a func-
There was no a priori manipulation check to ensure tion of the specific type of endorser or spokesperson
that the stimuli selected were indeed perceived to rep- employed? What are the consequences of brand person-
resent the targeted levels of endorsement. Conclusions ification by a celebrity, a CEO, or an ordinary person
advanced on the basis of this research are perhaps best in terms of consumer purchasing, purchase intent, and
viewed as tentative, and useful in formulating future perceptions? If a brand is to be personified by “ordi-
research hypotheses. nary people,” under what conditions is it better to use
The choice to feature an employee, CEO, or celebrity someone like an ordinary consumer, a corporate em-
in print or other advertising likely has unique effects, ployee, or a craft person? When a brand is personified

88 FLECK, MICHEL, AND ZEITOUN

Psychology and Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
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aging customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketing, Sandrine 35 Living with partner, two Suburbs
57, 1–22. children
Kirmani, A., & Shiv, B. (1998). Effects of source congruity on Veronique 38 Living with partner, one child Suburbs
brand attitudes and beliefs: The moderating role of issue- Laurence 40 Single, no children Paris
relevant elaboration. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 7, Joël 38 Living with partner, no Paris
25–47. children
McCracken, G. (1989). Who is the celebrity endorser? Cul- Jean Michel 45 Single, no children Suburbs
tural foundations of the endorsement process. Journal of
Consumer Research, 16, 310–321.
Misra, S., & Beatty, S. E. (1990). Celebrity spokesperson and APPENDIX 2
brand congruence, an assessment of recall and affect. Jour-
nal of Business Research, 21, 159–173. Discussion Guide
Ohanian, R. (1991). The impact of celebrity spokespersons’
perceived image on consumers’ intention to purchase. Jour-
nal of Advertising Research, 31, 46–54. 1. Introduction
Park, C. W., Jaworski, B. J., & MacInnis, D. J. (1986). Strategic – Rules and objectives of the session
brand concept-image management. Journal of Marketing, – Respondents presentation: first name and one
50, 135–145. adjective to describe themselves

EMPLOYEES, CEOS, AND CELEBRITIES IN ADVERTISING 89

Psychology and Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
 2. Warm up on advertisement in general APPENDIX 3
– When you think about advertising, everything
that comes to your mind? Words, images, asso- Ads with Celebrities
ciations
– Advertising that you remember (note on flip
chart)
– If we had to organize/sort out these different
ads, how would you organize them? Tell me the
different families. Why these families? What
would be the main message of each family con-
stituted?
3. Focus on ads with human spokespersons Zinedine Zidane, French famous soccer player for hard
– Spontaneous evocations discount chain Learder Price.
– Understanding of the message, what does it
mean? Why?
– Again could we make differences between these
ads?
r Probe on differences made between well-
known/unknown spokespersons
r Spontaneous evocations
r Perceived message
Georges Clooney, famous actor for premium coffee
Nespresso.
4. Exploration of stimuli
Put on the table all stimuli at once, and let first
respondents look at them, the way they want, and
react spontaneously.
– General impression?
– Any thoughts on what you are seeing. Probe
and explore spokesperson identity
– Ask respondents to organize the ads into fami- Penelope Cruz, famous actor for Lancôme Perfume.
lies that make sense for them (like if they had
to create a happy families)
Exploration of the constituted families
Ads with Employees
– Why these families? What is the main char-
acteristic of each, what make these ads go to-
gether? Give a nickname to each family
– What does the brand say here?
– Role and status of the spokesperson
– Typical consumer addressed (projective por-
trait)
– Impact on the brand/on the company?
5. Comparison ads with famous spokespersons (10’)
– (Leader Price with Zidane/Nespresso with Le petit producteur is a local brand in vegetable prod-
Georges Clooney/Lancôme with Julia Roberts) ucts. The brand name means “the small producer”. The
– Spontaneous reactions picture shows the independent farmer “Tomatoes of the
– Perceived message Lilian Gardiol farm from Vignères.”
– Intended message/results from the brand ac-
cording to them
– Difference made between ads with
stars/CEO/employees
6. Wrap up
– Ultimately, what would you say about brands
that communicates through their employees?
– If these brands were people, what would be
their personality? Comparing these different
approaches, what would you say about the La Poste is National Post office in France: “My post
brands, these ones are more . . . are less . . . office is modernized, my clients meet their expectations
– Last word (round table) and I also.”

90 FLECK, MICHEL, AND ZEITOUN

Psychology and Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
La Poste is National Post office in France: “Act daily for
you, make you come back.”
EDF is a French company in the energy sector.
This advertisement presents an employee: “For Emilia
Visconti, the energy change is in the wind.”

Ads with CEO

Easyjet is low cost airline: “Morgan V. 8000 hours of

flight, captain.”

Apple is a brand in the IT sector. This advertisement

presents the former CEO Steve Jobs.

SFR is a media (phone, TV, web access) provider in

France. This advertisement presents an employee and
one young boy speaking about the SFR foundation
“SFR, Committed to Equal Opportunities.”

Virgin is a brand acting in different sector as drug-

store and mobile phone. This advertisement presents
the CEO Richard Branson.

Total is a company in the energy sector. This advertise-

ment presents two employees: “My job? develop new
Alain Afflelou is optician chain. The brand name is a
markets for solar energy” “mine, create more efficient
name of the founder and CEO.
solar cells.”

EMPLOYEES, CEOS, AND CELEBRITIES IN ADVERTISING 91

Psychology and Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
 Michel & Augustin’s employees, with Michel &
Augustin, the CEOs.

Michel & Augustin is a brand in the dairy market. This

advertisement presents the both founders of the com-
pany. The brand name is based on their two first names.

92 FLECK, MICHEL, AND ZEITOUN

Psychology and Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar

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