Executed thoughtfully and for the right campaign, a celebrity spokesperson can capture consumer attention and inspire action. But in today’s information-overload environment, choosing the right person to carry the brand banner is a delicate matter. Bigger is no longer automatically better. After more than a decade of building peer communities such as PatientsLikeMe — in which patients are finding increasing information and community through 24/7 online access, and seeking out camaraderie with others who can relate to their experience — a celebrity must come across as genuine, relatable, and on a parallel health journey.
The potential for a recognized figure to reach and influence people to engage in a solution is understandably attractive. Yet while it’s true that celebrities can drive attention, carry a call-to-action, and mobilize patients, physicians and advocates toward conversation, there is also tremendous potential for missteps.
Despite good intentions, if a celebrity is chosen solely for their star power, the campaign can flop — or worse, backfire. From Mickey Mantle to Paula Deen, the healthcare sector has seen its share of celebrity spokesperson mishaps. In those cases, controversy heightened brand publicity in the short term, but lost authenticity — and therefore, staying power — in the long run. A celebrity who is authentic and willing to talk candidly about challenges faced is key. Truly believing in the information and the health mission of the brand is not something that can be learned in media training (even for actors).
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Another key component of a successful celebrity spokesperson is the ability to transmit critical information without overpowering it. The mission of the healthcare industry is not merely about products; it is about improving life. If the spokesperson overpowers content — if their fame or situation overshadows the healthcare call-to-action — then a star’s sizzle can actually detract from the message you’re trying to amplify. The “A-Lister” who excites consumers (including, perhaps, internal colleagues) may have gravitas and guarantee media attention; however, if their connection to the medical condition is not believable or contrary to healthy behaviors that complement therapy, they’re the wrong choice. Selecting someone else is the difference between being star-struck and being mission-oriented.
Companies must be committed first and foremost to the public health call-to-action itself, and the peer-review science that supports that rallying cry, before considering celebrities who might give the message voice.
The vetting process for a celebrity spokesperson must transcend beyond their Q-Score. The background check, cost and product connection are givens. There are always risks to leveraging a star to convey a message, both known and unknown —skeletons may appear suddenly — and these must be determined. Still, a strong spokesperson is effective not because of their stardom, but because they are an actual patient (or caregiver) who is conscious of the condition and willing to help others. Their personal story should exemplify the patient journey — reaching diagnosis, facing the challenges of being compliant, finding the right language to communicate with physicians or other patients, and frequently today, managing insurance company steps. In fact, consumers often look to “someone just like me” as their ultimate role model for health-related behaviors.
Consider the anti-obesity public health campaign spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama. An inspirational and leadership figure, the campaign leverages her office and visibility to propel the public health issue forward. Similarly, actor John O’Hurley’s discussion of lipid health, and his journey to manage high cholesterol and medication compliance, leveraged his celebrity as a vehicle to share his genuine patient experience and help educate others — not as a gimmick to attract attention to a brand.
In planning a celebrity campaign, consider all the communication pieces that touch the patient and the health provider community as they journey together from information to call-to-action. Efforts must consider the needs of advocacy organizations, formulary steps, and connection to online information and co-pay savings cards. Celebrities can amplify a brand or health message, but they only spark conversation around healthy choices — ultimately, pharma companies and their agency partners must consider the patient’s path toward access to care.
Some of the most successful campaigns use the celebrity spokesperson as a complement to the medical experience, rather than the centerpiece of the effort. Pairing the spokesperson with a clinical expert is particularly valuable: ultimately, it’s the strong connection between patient and physician that determines the path to improved care. The celebrity can speak about their personal experience, but the doctor needs to be there to discuss the condition and treatment possibilities. In these settings, modeling the importance of “speaking with your doctor,” as the link to strong and enduring care, is one of the benefits of letting the celebrity share the stage with the patient’s ultimate hero — the health professional. Visibility without medical wisdom does nothing enduring for the brand — let alone for patient outcomes. The celebrity is there to spark conversation; therefore, successful campaigns leverage the opportunity to model the doctor-patient conversation in the media interview.
When our clients’ products succeed in the marketplace, patient lives and public health benefit. At the end of the day, when a company steps back to evaluate its spokesperson campaign, the ultimate metric of success should be whether the message conveyed contributed to advancing public health. Certainly, promoting brand and category awareness are crucial. Yet, if the effort does not impact patient outcomes or quality of life, then even the brightest star will fizzle.
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Gil Bashe is Executive Vice President and Practice Chair at Makovsky Health.
Lo Isidro, senior director at Real Chemistry with more than a decade of strategic communications and PA experience, has joined Narrative Strategies.
Nelson Fernandez, former North American chair of APCO Worldwide and managing director of Burson-Marsteller, has joined Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires as director of communications and PA.
Lilit Bargar, who was most recently an EVP in the healthcare practice at Weber Shandwick, comes on board at GCI Health as EVP, corporate practice lead.
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