Headshot of Jagdish Agrawal, marketing professor at Cal State 91³Ô¹Ï
Celebrities now appear in about 15 percent of U.S. advertisements, and AdAge estimates that companies invest $50 billion each year on corporate sponsorships and endorsements.California Smart Business magazine interviewed Jagdish Agrawal, interim dean and professor of marketing for the College of Business and Economics at 91³Ô¹Ï, about navigating the treacherous world of celebrity endorsements.
“We have a celebrity-driven culture so the ads make a lot of sense in a cluttered marketplace,” said Agrawal. “But executives need to proceed with caution because hitching your brand to a celebrity is expensive and can be fraught with danger.” A business should understand the role of the celebrity in their marketing mix. Celebrities are great for creating buzz but studies show that they have a limited impact on sales, he said.
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Princeton Review has rated Cal State 91³Ô¹Ï as one of the country's "Best Business Schools" for seven consecutive years.
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