How can celebrity talent work with brands and avoid “selling out”?

We assembled a panel of expert speakers to discuss this at our Star Power event last Thursday. The panel, moderated by Tom Sneddon, Managing Partner at Supernova, featured:

• Susan O’Brien, Vice President of Brand, Just Eat 

• Stephen Manderson (better known as actor, rapper and influencer Professor Green) 

• Raf McDonnel, Founder of Talent & Brands 

Here’s what was said. 

The Arena of Influence 

“Celebrities have always existed,” opened Tom Sneddon. “Two thousand years ago, celebrities were found in Coliseums battling as gladiators. Today, they exist on red carpets, silver screens, and smartphones. This year, over half of all adverts at the Super Bowl featured celebrities. But how is the relationship between celebrities, brands and consumers changing? And what does success look like?”

Susan O’Brien gave her perspective from JustEat. “It’s difficult to say what is more important: budget, personality - or cultural clout. It’s ultimately a combination. As a brand, you need to focus on your goals. Our business spans 20 markets and 18 languages. So it’s critical for us that our talent resonates with a broad audience. We prioritise relatability, likeability - and brand safety.” 

Tom picked up on this point. “JustEat has a powerful relationship with music. How did you land on this strategy?”. 

“We actually worked with Snoop Dogg before COVID-19,” answered Susan. “People thought it was fun but maybe a little random. We created the Did Somebody Say platform when we realised that music was the universal language which connected our audiences across markets. We’re a brand for everyone, so our communication strategy has to reflect this.”.

Stephen Manderson added. “It’s really important for brands to have a collaborative relationship with talent. Both artists and brands have a voice and image. Both want to keep control. Brands can’t expect to simply tell an artist exactly what to say and do. You need to be able to throw shit at the wall, and see what sticks.”

”Has that changed since becoming a business owner?” asked Tom, referring to the launch of vitamin brand Aguulp. 

”I prefer the creative side…” grinned Stephen. “But really it’s about using your voice authentically. It doesn’t work when someone tries to make you something you’re not - especially when they came to you for who you are.”

Brands and talent need to forge collaborative partnerships to create work which resonates. But how can this synergy be facilitated?

The Art of a Deal 

“No deal is ever perfect,” Raf McDonnel noted. “It’s easy to imagine a matrix, where brand reputation sits on one axis, and money on the other. So, for example, a celebrity may be offered £50k to work with Gucci, with little to no creative control. But the same creator could do a £1m deal with Primark and create a bespoke range.”

“For example, look at JustEat and Katy Perry,” Raf continued. “That was true collaboration. Fans were even asking for the song to be available on Spotify. It shows that artists and brands can create work which is true to both parties.” 

Susan agreed. “Authenticity is everything. Artists need to remain true to themselves - and this legitimacy resonates with audiences. Our new campaign with Christina Aguilera and Lato is working because it fits with the artists - they aren’t selling out, and we aren’t fitting square pegs in round holes.”

Raf expanded on the importance of the relationship between talent, brand and agency. “It’s great to work with brands like JustEat who understand how to work with talent. Many artists and brands underestimate the skills and knowledge needed. You need an agency-side interpreter who can help both speak the same language.” 

“Understanding both sides is a skill. Expectation management is key. Budgets are a big factor that cannot be ignored. Brand and talent can be far apart in initial valuations. You need transparency up front or no deal can ever happen. There is price, availability and brand fit - but you can only usually get two out of three. Compromises have to happen.”

People and partners 

Tom Sneddon moved the conversation on to how brands are measuring impact. “How do you measure impact? And is it changing?”

Susan pointed to how quickly the media landscape evolves. “When we launched the campaign with Snoop, TikTok was barely even a thing. Four years later and it's the centre of the universe. So now the main thrust of our contracts is that our artists post to their channels - wherever they are. These platforms, through their viral nature, help us reach people across ages and markets.”. 

So what comes next? The panel discussed horror stories, reputational risks - and the rise of AI. But the final point came from Raf McDonnell who spoke to the power of authenticity. 

“You need to start with a long list of potential partners - and shorten it through a lot of  conversations. It’s a long, complex process. But the focus has to stay on finding the talent which is the best fit for your business. Because people will see right through it otherwise.”. 

Raf McDonell brought the sessions to a close with some final words of wisdom. “Start early. Be clear about your ambitions. Brand campaigns are complicated enough without celebrity talent. Think: what do we need to make this a success? And the answer is often simple: good people and good partners.”. 

Got any questions? Want to learn more about Atomic London, Supernova or our upcoming events? Get in touch with the team directly at charlotte.anderson@one-atomic.com