The value of celebrity and influencer endorsements

Hard Rock Café is no stranger to naming menu items after famous people – the Tupelo Chicken pays homage to Elvis Presley’s birthplace. But the brand has never enlisted the help of an international superstar to design a dish - until now.

Earlier this month football phenomenon Lionel Messi debuted his signature £11 steak burger, a marriage of two premium ground beef patties and toppings including sliced chorizo and provolone cheese, for the brand.

The latest promotional activity comes after the sporting icon signed a five-year ambassadorship deal with Hard Rock in 2021, as part of its Live Greatness campaign, an initiative the company claims is built on fan-focused principles that have guided it since the opening of its first Cafe in London’s Hyde Park in 1971.

So why Messi? “Messi is, without doubt, a global icon,” Dale Swift, Hard Rock Café, area vice president of Europe, tells MCA. “And we consider ourselves to be a global icon in entertainment, experiential dining, in casinos and hotels.”

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner also represents a “different segment of the audience” that the brand wants to attract, according to Swift.

“Historically, the t-shirts sold in Hard Rock Cafe started life supporting a local football team for kids that were playing football in Hyde Park,” he explains.

“Alan Aldridge, who designed the logo, designed the t-shirt and we gave them away to the football team to wear.

“We had a few extra, so gifted them to regulars. The regular customers came back and said, ’oh wow, do you have any more of those t-shirts?’ So, we had a few more made, and then the t-shirts were sold by the cashier at the front desk when customers paid their bills.

“We thought that this original tie to Hard Rock Cafe and supporting local football teams works well in partnership with Messi, as one of the world’s most famous football players.”

MCA’s contributing editor Peter Martin was travelling towards Downtown Miami a few weeks ago when he spotted a “massive great hoarding” featuring the campaign.

He was struck by the billboard because it was located in the United States, a country whose appetite for football has only begun to grow in recent years, as well as its clever positioning in a city commonly referred to as the capital of Latin America – Messi was born in Argentina and relocated to Barcelona at the age of 13.

Hard Rock stateside has a gaming side to its business, and sponsors a stadium in Miami where soccer games are played. Martin isn’t surprised by the multi-layered approach.

“It’s not just about selling food, you’re selling an experience, you’re selling a belonging,” he says.

Hard Rock, he points out, has always positioned itself as “something more than just a burger bar”, with the brand being “international”, “premium” and “collectable”.

“That’s why people collect all those T-shirts”.

So what are the upsides and downsides to using ‘traditional’ celebrities versus modern social media influencers in marketing activities?

“With a normal celebrity endorsement, you’re likely to get huge reach and publicity just off the back of the individual’s fame and status,” John Harrington, UK editor of PR Week tells MCA.

“If Lionel Messi designs your burger, the press will write about it and people will talk about it on social media.”

However, Harrington points out the cost of working with a global name “can be astronomical”.

“While you’re virtually guaranteed a burst of publicity, something you won’t necessarily get is long-term engagement,” Harrington says.

“Will the star continue to engage with fans and customers about the collaboration on social media and elsewhere? Or are they more likely to walk off into the sunset with bags of cash?”

Krista Booker, communications director at food and drink PR agency Fourteen Ten, says the resulting trust that comes from signing a celebrity can be a huge benefit to the longevity of a brand “as the association with talent the consumer already knows and loves is very valuable”. But one potential downside, in some cases, is the star’s inability to be responsive during the contract once the deliverables have been signed off.

There’s also the expense to consider. Booking an average-profile television personality in the UK would set companies back at least £100k for a 12-month contract, Booker explains. “That would require equal investment in the marketing campaign to facilitate the partnership.”

So what role do social media influencers, also known as content creators, have to play? While Harrington says they will “rarely if ever have the same reach” as a traditional celebrity, they can have a “highly engaged group of followers with deep interests in certain topics”.

Followers can become loyal customers 

“The PR and marketing industries talk of the value of ‘micro influencers’ - individuals or small groups with perhaps 10,000 to 50,000 followers who are highly engaged in specific or niche activities and interests,” he explains. “They can become loyal customers off the back of an influencer’s endorsement. Also, influencers/creators are usually experts at generating interest on social media through their own output - whether that’s funny videos, insightful documentaries, or whatever. It can be a great opportunity for co-collaborations.”

Put simply, the celebrity versus influencer route a brand decides to take boils down to its target demographic and spending power.

“It is very beneficial to have that choice particularly when social media spend allows us to directly target consumers down to personal interest and habits,” Booker says, adding that one of the top benefits of working with an influencer over a celebrity is the speed to which they can turn things around.

“It is highly possible to speak to an influencer in the morning and have advocated content published that afternoon that could drive consumer purchase before the close of the day,” Booker notes.

“Influencers also have a very engaged audience that can be analysed, measured and tracked which can justify spend. Influencers also have the benefit of being more in tune with their audience through Instagram Stories, and messaging function dialogue so influencers can often assist in planning campaigns as they have exceptional insight into what and how can be the most successful approach.”

ONSIDE, a management consultancy specialising in sponsorship and research services across Europe, surveys consumers in the UK about sponsorship every quarter. “Most of those brands that cut through with the public, including Nike, Adidas, Coca Cola and Barclays, have talent as part of their marketing mix alongside team, event or venue sponsorship,” Jon Long, managing director (UK & Middle East) says.

Top brands that were once traditionally focused on established stars from sport and entertainment have become much more open to working with talent more renowned for their social media reach and engagement than achievements on the sporting field or stage, Long adds.

“Dunkin Donuts, for example, partnered with Charli D’Amelio and saw a 57% increase in daily app downloads on the day it announced a new signature drink named after the Tik Tok star. The brand also sold hundreds of thousands of units of the new ‘Charli’ drink in the days after the launch.”

The key factor for brands to consider is how they intend to activate the partnership with the individual they are considering working with and to be clear from the outset, Long suggests.

Last year KFC collaborated with content creators and a celebrity to debut its Chicken Fillet Roll, which became the most successful KFC product launch ever in Ireland.

The influencers were tasked with showing their love for the product in a unique way, with TV Personality Laura Whitmore choosing to go on a romantic date with the roll, while comedian Michael Fry parodied a traditional Irish folk song.

“We received fantastic sales growth and strong brand buzz across the region,” Leo Sloley, marketing lead for Ireland at KFC, tells MCA.

“By working with influencers, we can connect directly with our fans in a fun and authentic way.”

So what does the future look like?

Currently, British rapper Tinie Tempah is preparing to launch his own fried chicken brand, RAPS, on Monday 11 March, after partnering with Kitchen Ventures, which operates a network of dark kitchens across the capital.

Available via home delivery and John Lewis Oxford Street’s rooftop bar Willow on The Roof, the menu of wraps and wings is said to have been inspired by the musician’s childhood spent frequenting the chicken shops of South East London.

“The disruptive nature of digital food delivery will allow us to succinctly scale the brand quickly across London, the UK and internationally, Kitchen Ventures founder and CEO Jonny Boud, says.

Despite the pandemic, celebrity and influencer restaurant collaborations show no sign of waning, which Martin concludes is encouraging.

“The good news is people are doing it. More people are promoting restaurants, people are interested in getting involved…people still think this is a strong market and I think it’s not just in the UK but globally.”