“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes”
– Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
This is a quotation tapped from legendary Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The push notification, so to speak, of product and services as well as brand endorsement has turned a global trend.
Greater brands use known faces to sell their products. For examples: Rolex and Roger Federer, Pepsi and Messi, Loya Milk and Don Jazzy.
In the same vein, consider Baby Foods and Tu Baba, Google and Segun Arinze, IAAF , among others (don’t take me too seriously here, I am just being myself).
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Brand Managers have found that the best way to get the attention of the consumers is by adopting the brand endorsement technique, which I think, is the safest and easiest way of advertising these days.
Although, it has been working for some, I don’t believe in it.
Lou Holtz said “Winners and losers aren’t born, they are the products of how they think.” If how Roger Federer plays these days is how we want to rate Rolex, then the most expensive wristwatch comes with serious disappointment.
Think of Oscar Pistorius and what must have happened to all the brands that he had endorsed.
The best for him now, if he eventually scales through his ordeal, is to pick up an endorsement for companies that deals on pistols (just as his name sounds – PISTOLrius) or better still be the Face of ISIS.
I will never forget the Pepsi and the Super Eagle commercials during the 2018 Russian World Cup. The drinks were branded with images of some chosen players; Mikel Obi, Victor Moses, Osaze Odemwingie, among others.
I developed mixed feelings about this observation.
Does that means the brands had side effects on the players/consumers or the players harmed the product? Does it mean if I drank a branded Mikel “Slow” Obi’s Pepsi pet bottle, my system will be so fast and energetic like a snail because the boy didn’t do well at the world cup?
Victor Moses also went to the world cup raising our hopes, the ambassador didn’t just play below our expectation but he has since regressed in his club career (from Chelsea to Liverpool to Stoke City).
Lest I forget, the “Big Boss” late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi’s Peak Milk commercial too – The then Official Milk of the Super Eagles. You will all agree with me that memories of the old Peak Milk TVC: “Papilo, I know say one day you’ll make us proud” still lingers based on Kanu’s Performance on and off the field of play.
Kanu is fortified with a high level of intelligence, skills to the extent that the commercial had another leg to it: ‘Papilo and the little boy ball juggler’ will any day, anytime sell the product.
I want all the consumers to tell me, does that means late Keshi’s endorsement and the brand’s confirmation that the Milk is the official milk of the Eagles affected their work rate? Because as an endorser, it is expected of you to also be the brand user, and lead by example,while being the face of it, till your contract expires.
Candidly, brand managers and advertising agencies should look deeper before picking celebrities or stars to be the face of their brand.
The players during and after the world cup, have been playing like they all lack calcium.
Former Super Eagles Captain, Joseph Yobo could only bid the team goodbye by recording his last goal for his country against his country, and not just against any goalkeeper, but against our ever-reliable Vincent Enyeama “Savings Account”, (the account was frozen against France and Sudan) who I think also sipped the leftover from the can, a night before the match.
It has also shown that we are been very lazy with our ideas/concepts. Consumer’s mind can be gained when the going is good but their perceptions can be a pain when there are issues with the chosen ambassadors.
No one wants to follow a bad role model because “you are what you eat”.