Positive change

Celebrity partnerships with purpose

Charlotte Dolman - June 2024

Celebs sell – look at the ‘Swiftonomics’ of the Eras tour – so it’s no wonder PR professionals continue to draw on established names to generate column inches. But can celebrity partnerships help to achieve impact for a brand beyond coverage volume? And in an era where authenticity reigns supreme, how can PRs use their powerful presence to halo issues and deliver meaningful results without falling foul of the media or consumers?

We’ve pulled together insights from our own experiences, talent experts and the viewpoints of 1,000 Brits who took part in our celebrity study.

Here are our learnings:

1. They don’t have to be an expert.
30% of our research panel said celebrity involvement works best when there’s a personal connection to the cause – 86% agreed they don’t need to be an expert for the campaign to hit home.

2. Women and younger generations tend to have a higher interest and engagement with celeb-led campaigns.
One in five women (19%) said celebrity involvement in publicity campaigns gets their attention and the same number (20%) admitted they influence their attitudes and actions. Just 12% of men like stories and content that feature celebrities.

Notably, a quarter (24%) of 18-34 year olds said they were swayed by celeb-led campaigns compared to 14% of 46-64 year olds – an indication that older audiences still feel misrepresented and underrepresented by the celebrities that do appear in campaigns targeting this age group.

3. Empower talent to feel as invested in your campaign or issue as you do.
“Give talent freer rein to share their opinions on what will work for their audiences and on their socials rather than just giving them a brief and script. Allowing talent to have more of a say, results in partnerships that are not just more authentic but have a powerful impact on the audience.”
Victoria Marconetto-Tyson, founder of Celebrity Sauce

“For Food Waste Action Week 2024 we worked with TV favourite, Gino D’Acampo, to get shoppers to seek out loose fruit and veg over bulk packs as a simple win for their pockets and the planet. Gino’s passion for cutting food waste was clear from the outset but by involving him in the development process of the film we were able to take him on the journey and make sure he felt even more personally invested in both the content and the wider campaign. Not only did FWAW capture widespread press attention – it also made 5.3 million people make tangible changes to their behaviour.”
Julia Riddle, Senior Associate Director and PR lead for WRAP at Kindred

4. It isn’t all over if some segments of your audience don’t ‘like’ your choice of celebrity.
68% of respondents said liking the celebrity did not make any difference to their engagement with a brand or issue.

5. But make sure the story is clear
A worrying 62% of respondents admitted they often don’t understand the connection between a celebrity and the brand or issue they’re promoting.

“Many of the issues we’re working with celebrities and influencers on are difficult to explain in a few words. Our latest social campaign – Expecting Better (highlighting the state of maternal care in areas impacted by conflict and climate-disasters) – proved that talent doesn’t always have to have the answers, or reel off a long spiel of key messages to land the story. By sharing their own birth experiences we encouraged people to reflect on how this compares with other parts of the world. The campaign touched a nerve and has had huge engagement compared to other like-for-like social activations.”
Del Conboy, Senior Artists and Influencers Manager, Save the Children