Hashtag, Ad

If you are one of the many that is skeptical when a celebrity endorses a product, you are are not alone. Almost 95% of the time, I’m skeptical too. My advice to companies who hire famous people to endorse products via social media: Don’t.

As soon as I see, ‘#ad‘ underneath an Instagram post, you’ve lost me. The most recent one I’ve seen is an ad for Proactive (an acne treatment) endorsed by Kendall Jenner. For starters, did we forget about the Pepsi commercial? While I understand she didn’t write the commercial, I mean in terms that when someone says “Pepsi commercial”, Kendall Jenner usually follows right behind it.

A skin treatment coming from a model may sound like a good idea… but, I don’t believe it is. And here’s why:

I think the majority of the world understands that being a model means having a team of people working on your hair, makeup and wardrobe. When you’re getting ready in the morning, I think it’s safe to say that almost all of us have a team of one. (I’m sure you can guess who I’m referring to.) Photoshop and other editing software.In the world of social media, you’d be very mistaken to believe majority of photos are unedited or hold to the “nofilter” standard. Even models, as we know, post edited photos.

My point is, while we may look at models and celebrities and wish our hair looked like theirs, I think it’s much more impactful to be relatable. Consumers want to associate themselves with a brand, not just use it. That is essentially a part of the users’ experience.

When I shop online for clothes, I read the reviews. Not only do I care about what is being said, but I use the reviews as an opportunity to find photos of someone wearing that outfit who has a similar body type as me. I can’t always relate to the model in the photo… Which is exactly how I believe Proactive’s audience feels when they see an ad featuring Kendall Jenner.

Be authentic.

Be original.

Be relatable.