The Value of Endorsement

A weekly 'marketing lesson' from Quizative on the heels of its participation as a 'Marketing Mentor" in the reality show Recipe to Riches airing on the Food Network.

Intro and Episode 1 here

Recipe to Riches: Episode 2 Marketing Lesson: The Value of Endorsement

In this episode, the two finalists were Melissa Lam with her Banana Chocolate Cake and Jacqui Keseluk with her Peach Bliss. After hearing that they were the two finalists they raced off and Jacqui joined us at Quizative. We immediately saw the opportunity! She stood out and we knew that we could market with HER, not just her product. She was bold, friendly and very tattooed. In Episode 1’s blog I said that “… in the world of marketing, different is good” and she fit the bill. We immediately tied her persona as “Cake Girl” to her product and made them one and the same. She was bold, different, and stood out from the crowd. Our first objective was achieved; we made her product stand out. But a bold, tattooed woman doesn’t necessarily make for a credible cake chef. We needed to make her and the product believable. We needed to help her prove that her cake was great. We needed to do that in less than 20 hours. We needed someone to endorse her. One of the most common forms of endorsement is celebrity endorsement, but many argue it doesn’t work. For example, a recent Adweek/Harris Interactive poll says that only 4% of people are swayed by celeb endorsement. This of course assumes that consumers want to admit and/or consciously know that they’re swayed. But either way the numbers are pitifully low. However, endorsements by subject matter experts are a whole different game. If you have a few factors working in your favour, subject matter endorsement can be effective. Here are four R’s to keep in mind for effective endorsement: 1. Recognized: Is the person known?

• They don’t need to be widely famous, just known to the target audience

2. Relevant: Is the person relevant to the product or service?

• In this episode, Chef Ren weighing in on a recipe is absolutely relevant

3. Realistic: Can the person credibly provide an opinion on the matter?

• It needs to be believable and backedup with credentials

4. Reliable: Do you trust the person’s opinion?

• Are they known to be critical or discerning? Do they only selectively endorse products, or do they put their name to anything like this guy?

With Jacqui and her Rockin’ Peach Bliss endorsed by Chef Ren of the private member Spoke Club, we’re hitting 4 for 4 on this list. Ultimately it helped her take home the $25,000 prize, and put her in the running for the $250,000 big prize.

Adrian Capobianco