Personality P.R.
Using Celebrities in P.R. Raises
Level of Media Interest and Subsequent Coverage
Speakers:
Scott Farrell, executive vice president of
Golin/Harris, building on his experience using
celebrities for a number of public relations clients,
expertly guided a discussion on celebrities during the
December 12 meeting of the Publicity Club of Chicago.
The session, entitled “Personality PR: Leveraging
Celebrities to Boost Your Event,” featured long-time
Chicago meteorologist Harry Volkman, now at WFLD-FOX 32;
and Darcy Bouzeos, president of DLB, Ltd, a sports and
entertainment marketing firm which specializes in
obtaining sports figures, media personalities, prominent
business executives and entertainers for public
relations and other marketing activities.
|
 |
|
Harry Volkman
Meteorologist
WFLD-TV |
Leading off the discussion, Volkman noted
that during the course of his broadcast career, that
began in 1952 at WKY-TV in Oklahoma City, when he
became the first weather broadcaster to issue a
tornado alert on television, he has seen a dramatic
change in the medium. He noted that during the early
days there was a great deal of freedom on the emerging
medium of television and mentioning clients on the air
was widely accepted, even if it involved “gifts” from
sponsors.
That quickly changed during the TV quiz scandals and
“payola” for airplay of songs on radio stations. Volkman
says he tries to incorporate mentions of events during
his weather forecast by linking it with a forecast for
the day of the event.
He is careful not to go over the line, but he has
some autonomy on Fox, built around his popularity in
Chicago, which began with a stint at WMAQ-TV, then
moving to WGN-TV and then staying 18 years at WBBM-TV.
He says he needs about two weeks to participate in an
event or to mention an event during his weather
broadcast, but longer leadtimes are welcome. He believes
it is the responsibility of local news personalities to
relate more closely to the community. He can be reached
by writing to him at FOX 32 at 205 N Michigan Avenue.
Darcy Bouzeos says that celebrities and media
are a match made in exposure heaven. “Society loves
celebrities, and that opens it up for public relations
and advertising. Celebrities draw people to an event or
venue and garner interest from media.” She notes that
it’s not an accident that when celebrities appear on
interview shows they are often there at the behest of a
corporate sponsor or cause.
Bouzeos strongly suggests that PR professionals
integrate a celebrity into strategic planning with a
long look whether the celebrity is really appropriate
for the product or cause, and its budget. “People like
me are willing to brainstorm with you to identify the
best celebrity choices, built around your goals and
budget. You might be surprised about the relatively
small level of fees required to have a local celebrity
represent your organization or client.”
She verified that there was a “pecking order” among
celebrities regarding fees and their willingness to work
with companies. At the top of the list (those least
likely to do PR or advertising ventures) are big movie
stars or theatre stars. Current sports celebrities,
especially those that are “hot,” are usually out of
budget consideration. She recommends older national
sports heroes and local sports stars as the most
realistic for programs with modest budgets.
While celebrities bring excitement to an event,
Bouzeos warned against taking celebrities too lightly.
“Celebrities need about two to four months lead time for
an event or activity. When you offer a contract to a
celebrity for a certain activity on a certain date, and
they accept it, it’s a deal. You are required to fulfill
the contract and pay all fees in full even if you change
plans and dates, so have your act together.”
If you don’t know the market value of celebrities,
people like Bouzeos can help match a budget with the
going rate for a celebrity. Fees are usually negotiable,
but you need to be able to refine your list to realistic
expectations. When planning to use a celebrity, you need
to structure the deal based on your needs. The most
realistic and cost effective use of a celebrity
(although high profile celebrities can cost a great deal
of money) is a personal appearance, a two-to-three hour
appearance at an event, which might include photo ops
and a short presentation. If the appearance also
includes some media interviews, the rate goes up
accordingly. If the celebrity needs to fly to New York
for an appearance on morning network talk shows, or
participate in all day satellite media tours, expect to
pay a great deal more money.
In essence, using celebrities requires a carefully
thought out plan, but if used properly, celebrities can
greatly enhance an event, or media coverage of a product
or cause.
