Campaign strategy: Celebrities endorse ‘Big Plus’ for campaigns

MANILA – Celebrity backers are still a “big plus” to a political candidate’s election campaign, according to campaign strategist Alain German.

German told the ANC’s After the Fact on Wednesday that while there is no numerical value yet for how much they contributed to the campaign, celebrities still help raise public awareness and remember a particular candidate.

“When celebrities attach themselves to you or your brand, there is immediately a rise in your awareness because you have inherited that celebrity’s fan base,” Germain said. The possibility of remembrance is also increased because instead of saying ‘sino nga pala si Alan German? Then they say, “Ah Young Benelli or Young Kasama ni flan sa poster.” Mas Kilala Yoon, eh.

German added that studies in retail have shown that people tend to notice brands of products approved by celebrities, and this also applies to candidates.

“Buy intent has already been measured to increase competitive markets,” he said. “When a celebrity endorses these products, the products they endorse really stand out from their competitors without endorsements.”

For Germany, the more “eyeballs” a celebrity has, or the more social media is involved, the more effective they are in endorsing a particular political candidate. He added that politicians can take advantage of celebrities to attract a certain demographic.

“For example, you’re weak in youth, you choose a kid. You are weak in the LGBTQ community, and you choose a supporter like this who is popular in their community,” German said.

Even celebrities who are past their prime can be useful to a political candidate, as they still attract people to campaign trips, especially in the provinces.

“They have a lot of value outside of NCR, especially in sorties,” German said. “Although they may not be popular in the mainstream, they are what we call ‘draw multipliers.’ They still draw the multiplier when they attend an event, pinupuntahan padin sila ng mga tao.”

When asked how much a celebrity could make endorsing a candidate, a German said that top stars could earn up to 40 million pesos. Although, he added, this would take a lot of work and lock up a celebrity in the deal for at least a year.

“You don’t just stand for pictures or appear at meet-and-greets or at their posters or their mats,” German said. “You know, a political campaign, in fact, would take a lot of blood, sweat, and tears on a celebrity.”

Political candidates, especially those in the 2022 presidential race, have enlisted the help of celebrities for their endorsement, such as Tony Gonzaga’s hosting of the Marcos-Sarah Duterte Unitem Pong Pong rally for the grand announcement in Bulacan last month.

Meanwhile, other celebrities like Cherry Pie Picache, Agot Isidro and Nikki Valdez are among the celebrities who have endorsed Vice President Leni Robredo. Eat Bulaga star Vic Sotto has also lent his hand to endorse his brother Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and presidential candidate Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.