Celebrity endorsement is a tried, and tested, method of promoting a product. It can give it a veneer of quality.
A presenter of a television programme associated with the product range can be regarded as a great find. They can lend an air of authority to the endorsement.
Of course, it is worth remembering, that many presenters get their role because they are good at presenting television programmes, not necessarily because of their in-depth knowledge of the subject.
In a society that is obsessed with celebrity, fame is fickle. Life as a celebrity can be very short-lived. Which is why “PR gurus” like Max Clifford are employed to maximise the earning potential of their clients during the short period that the public are still interested in them.
Celebrity endorsements rarely come free of charge. They tend not to be unsolicited testimonials. In many instances, a PR agency will have actively promoted their client to obtain some kind of payment, in return for an endorsement, and may well be using an endorsement in the process of developing their client’s own brand. For example
I am not anti celebrity endorsement. I believe that it is a perfectly valid form of promotion. It is just one, of the many tools, a company has, to promote their products. Who wouldn’t want to say “This is the exact same (insert product name here) as (insert celebrity name here) has in his/her house.”
The key phrase in that last sentence is “exact same.”
How can I be sure that the widget that is in my house will be made to the same standard as the one in the celebrity’s? Any craftsman can make a special effort to produce a perfect, one-off, hand-built special. In a volume production environment, there has to be a system in place to ensure consistency in each of the processes that are carried out.
ISO 9001 is one of the most well known standards in the world. Together with ISO 14001, it has been implemented by more than a million organizations in 175 countries. (source: www.iso.org )
According to the International Organization for Standardization,
“The ISO 9000 family addresses ‘Quality Management.’ This means what the organization does to fulfil:
- The customer’s quality requirements, and
- Applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming to
- Enhance customer satisfaction, and
- Achieve continual improvement of its performance in pursuit of these objectives”
ISO 9001:2000 certification, and registration demonstrates to an organization’s customers, and suppliers that an it has successfully implemented a quality management system which adheres to the principles of the standard.
Certification and Registration can only be achieved by successfully carrying out a series of audits by an independent, accredited body. The audits are carried out regularly, and cover all areas of the business, which affect the quality of the final product.
For the last 30 years, I have only worked for companies that were ISO 9001 or BS 5750 (its UK predecessor) certified. This has not been a conscious decision, but happened simply because, the kind of organization that achieves certification, is more likely to be one which can produce a genuinely better quality product, more consistently, than one that isn’t certified. As a result, it is more likely to be successful, in the long term, than one that isn’t.
Without certification, there is no nationally, or internationally recognised standard, by which I can measure the success of an organization’s quality management systems. So, an uncertified company has to rely on word-of-mouth, or create what appear to be, independent endorsements from nationally, or internationally, recognised celebrities, But which are, in the main, to all intents and purposes, a service which has been paid for.
How can I, as a consumer, be confident that a company will deliver a finished product, that meets my requirements, both aesthetically, and functionally, and will provide satisfactory customer service? The short answer for an uncertified company is that I can’t. Even if I have heard great things from someone who has a good experience with an uncertified company, how can I be sure that they will be consistently good? If they don’t have a quality management system in place, they don’t even know what my experience will be.
I have seen statements like, “manufactured to ISO 9001” on promotional material. But, without the approved ISO 9001 logo and certificate number, the statement is worthless.
If a company has a quality management system, which meets the requirements of ISO 9001, why not get certified?
Crittall Windows is ISO 9001:2000 certified and registered. The company is currently working with BSI to achieve ISO 9001:2008 certification. The regular audits that are carried out cover all areas of the order process, from Site Survey and Design, through Manufacturing, and finally to on-site installation.
Interesting post.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, our company has generally gone for the alternative. We've installed 4 conservatories for Carol Vordermann's 'Better Homes' TV show. Generated around £2m in sales over the years.
Since then we've featured on the BBC's 'DIY SOS' TV show, ITV's 'Natural Born Sellers' and even featured on 'House of Horrors' (thankfully as an expert) among other things.
On the flip side, we've never wasted money on quality management systems, as consumers show far less interest in these than other more sexy marketing ploys.
John - I'm not saying you're right or wrong. It's just that some companies can be successful, and still turn out a high quality product, without having to go through such bureaucracy.
RCG
RCG, we do work for a number of TV Shows, and celebrities, but we don't always publicise it.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between our companies is probably the markets in which we operate.
We do not sell to consumers. In the UK, our customers tend to be main contractors, local authorities, and Government. To get on their tender lists, you have to tick all the boxes on their pre-qualification forms. ISO 9001 is one of those boxes.
I agree that you can provide a high quality product without introducing a formal QA system, but that is less likely in a high-volume, mass production environment.
I did some research while doing my MBA, and came to the conclusion that successful implementation of ISO 9001 is wholly dependent upon the reasons behind making the decision to implement.
A company that sees ISO 9001 only as a marketing tool will, in all likelihood, pay lip-service to the procedures, seeing them as another layer of bureacracy, and will never get any real benefits.
However, a genuine desire to improve quality, and commitment to the procedures will result in a consistently better product, real cost savings, improved customer service, and enhanced reputation.
In a well organised company, ISO 9001 implementation won't necessarily add bureaucracy. You will probably find it is formalising what you already do.