BPCM partner Ali Taekman shares some tips about how to effectively work with celebrities and influencers in the latest "PR's Top Pros Talk" video interview with Doug Simon.

First off, she says, the rules for influencers and traditional celebrities are different—though she notes that the boundaries between the two groups are blurring.

For BPCM, a celebrity is someone who has achieved "household name status" by rising to the top of their field. Inflencers, while they don't have same kind of global reach as celebrities, have a following that is "a little bit more engaged," and while "they're not necessarily famous in the same way as an actor or a musician, they do have people who look to them for inspiration and information."

Taekman notes that with their global reach, celebrities can "put a halo effect on a brand when they're out there talking or showing up for a brand. They get attention, but that doesn't always necessarily translate into direct sales."

But she says that since consumers follow a particular influencer "for a very specific reason," there is a stronger link to potential sales or direct impact.

With the increased public profiles of many CEOs, are we entering the age of the celebraity CEO? "I'd actually advise for them not to have that goal," Taekman tells Simon. She cautions CEOs against putting their profile "above the brand itself" and says that partnerships, such as the recent Tiffany's campaign featuring Jay-Z and Beyonce, may be a better way to go.

Taekman also offers some guidelines for incorporating the causes a celebrity or influencer is connected with to a successful communications campaign.

While she notes that many celebrities and influencers are "only aligning with brands that share their values," communicators need to remain aware that the bedrock reason for conducting an advertising or PR marketing campaign is to sell product. Because of that, she says that, communcators need to be "a lot more mindful and careful of where they put their name in there."

View all of the interviews in the “PR's Top Pros Talk” series. Subscribe to get notified when new episodes are available.

Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected]

D S Simon Media helps clients get their stories on television through satellite media tours and by producing and distributing content to the media. The company also produces live social media events.