Global Brands vs Global Celebrities: Who’s the Smarter Marketer?

SapientNitro’s 2012 Cannes Lions presentation on Global Brands vs Global Celebrities, by my good friend Freddie Laker, who moderated a debate beween Daz McColl and Omar Epps.

SapientNitro seminar at Cannes Lions 2012

SapientNitro hosted a seminar Monday at Cannes , called Global Brands vs Global Celebrities: Who’s the Smarter Marketer ?

As globalisation and digitalisation continue to break down the barriers between cultures and geographies we’re seeing a rapid rise in global brands, but also in true global celebrities. Celebrities, for better or worse, are brands in their own right and they operate in areas that are passion points for consumers and frequently leverage immense social currency. To some celebrity marketing is a lazy option but celebrities aren’t lazy marketers.

Omar Epps, who plays Dr Eric Foreman on the global TV hit House, joins SapientNitro to explore the way celebrities are leveraging cutting-edge marketing techniques and leading in adoption of new digital platforms such as Pinterest, Instragram, or Beeyoo. Global brands can learn from global celebrities to be more effective, but can global celebrities learn from global marketers?

Our open dialogue debate the strategies and communication tactics adopted by both global marketers and celebrities while sharing some of our experiences and insights around supporting global brands. Can ‘brand purpose’ compete with ‘celebrity brands’ or do they exist in harmony?

Who’s the smarter marketer? In asking who is winning consumer interest we will explore the differences to find new ways to reach consumers, build brands, and drive sales.

Check out this little excerpt from the seminar.