填空题
The pitfalls of celebrity marketing become apparent anywhere very quickly. In today's borderless world of the Internet and YouTube, any celebrity misstep is captured for posterity, and any brand that is truly global needs to think globally about this problem. Consumers outside of the U.S. are often far less forgiving of poor behavior. At a time when consumers are cutting back and brands need to stretch their marketing dollars farther than ever, the risks in celebrities may mean that marketing money should be spent elsewhere.
In China Christian Dior got hit harder than any of Phelps' brands when its celebrity endorser, Sharon Stone, made cruel remarks about the millions of victims of the Sichuan earthquake last year, saying they deserved what they got because of China's treatment of the Dalai Lama. (8)
Liu Xiang, China's star hurdler, is perhaps the country's most visible celebrity, and brands such as Nike, Visa, Cadillac and the Chinese milk producer Yili have jumped at the chance to have him endorse their products. (9) The China Market Research Group, conducted interviews with several hundred consumers in six cities and found that Chinese consumers were confused about what brands Liu Xiang actually represented. Nike was a lock, since people could make the connection between a star athlete and Nike products, but Visa, Cadillac and Yili, among others had single and low-double-digit recognition rates as brands Liu Xiang represented. (10)
To make matters worse, an injury to his ankle caused Liu Xiang to back out of 2008 Beijing Olympics entirely, after reaching the starting line in his opening heat. That gave his sponsors, as well as China in general, real heartache. (11) Liu Xiang had done nothing wrong, but his sponsors earned very little return on a very large investment.
(12) For every Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, there are 10 Michael Vicks (the dogfight-loving football player) or O.J. Simpsons, and ill-conceived remarks such as Sharon Stone's can quickly flush advertising dollars and years of brand positioning and equity down the drain. In markets like China, where brands are just starting to build emotional connections with consumers and trust with brands is low, the damage can be irreparable.
A It is surprising that brands still rely so heavily on celebrity endorsements, considering the risks involved.
B Her remarks sparked immediate protests, and Dior suffered a major setback in one of the world's strongest-growing cosmetics markets.
C But for all his star power, does his endorsement work?
D Furthermore, fewer than 20% said that an endorsement by Liu Xiang would make them buy products from any of the companies except Nike.
E Of course, celebrity endorsements do work sometimes, for instance for Nike with Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.
F Too much money had been spent on an athlete who competes on the world stage only once every four years.
G The pitfalls of celebrity marketing become apparent anywhere very quickly.