Opinion

Buyers beware: don't get stars in your eyes

We’ve become obsessed with brand names.

There’s no doubt that manufacturers of tried and true products have reliable products.

We recognise their brand names as representing quality and excellence in the goods or services they provide.

In every area of the commercial world in which we live, brand names have become something to be used as status symbols.

Not only do we see well known brand names everywhere but we hear people talking about them and judging others by the labels that they buy, use and wear.

We’ve also become obsessed with celebrity status and advertising agencies have become adept at using sports stars and television celebrities to enhance the advertising quality of their products.

It seems that there are no limitations to the products that are being endorsed by these well-known faces.

From cosmetics to clothing; and hamburgers to financial products, these well-known faces are being paid to encourage the consumer to buy.

A current example is the story of some now well-known financial products that went belly-up during the global financial crisis.

Now, without going into all the ins and outs of the saga and without passing judgement or commenting on who was really to blame, think about the number of people who have been financially crippled.

And think about why this has happened.

In many cases, in the first instance, these ordinary people were just following the lead of well- known celebrities.

They were encouraged to purchase on the say-so of their heroes.

The advertising campaigns certainly worked far better than the products they were supporting.

In that example and in so many others, the advertising is so good that if you didn’t know better you’d almost believe that some of these people-celebrities own the products they are selling.

Think about this — how can these people manage to have a finger in all those pies when they have full-time careers being actors, celebrities or sports stars?

How could some of them possibly have had the time to fit such varied activities into their short lives?

The simple answer is — they don’t.

These people are given a script to learn, they say the words, the cameras roll and they get paid.

The Macquarie Dictionary defines “endorse” as “to give support to”.

It’s a two-way street — the famous face endorses the brand, and the advertiser supports the celebrity by contributing to their income.

And what about the people who hero-worship these sports stars, singers and actors?

How disillusioned must they feel when they discover that these celebrities don’t really know as much as the advertising portrays them as knowing?

And of course, there’s now another question to ponder — should these celebrities be at least a little accountable for helping to entice the masses into purchasing as a result of the advertising?

It’s an interesting debate, and one that has been discussed recently over the internet.

The lesson is simple.

Do your homework before you make a major purchase, even if it is your hero who is promoting it.

Remember the people involved in the ad campaign are generally being paid to say those words.

Don’t become a statistic like others who have been caught out.