Fishburn Hedges

26.01.2012

Jonny Wilkinson is supporting Time to Change, a campaign from the Department of Heath which encourages people to talk openly about depression and anxiety in order to tackle the stigma around mental health.  News of his endorsement featured in The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian, and follows the British Heart Foundation’s Hard and Fast campaign fronted by Vinnie Jones, which was picked up across the media, especially on Twitter.

There is no doubt that in a crowded market with countless health campaigns launched each year by Government, charities and corporates, celebrities can cut through and generate column inches, retweets and air time. But not every celebrity-fronted campaign has been a success, and there is plenty to consider before using this well-worn tactic.

The public’s love of celebrity is as strong as ever, but so is their cynicism.  Twitter and other social networks allow us to interact with the rich and famous on an equal footing.  This demands authenticity from celebrities, or at least the appearance of it.  Any celebrity supporter needs to demonstrate a genuine connection to the cause and make sense in the context of the wider campaign messaging. 

Also, while celebrity ‘slots’ are still a regular fixture in the national papers and magazines, broadcasters are not as welcoming.  I’ve had conversations with teams working on popular broadcast slots who won’t have any celebrities fronting campaigns on their sofa.  They want real case studies, a real story – authenticity.

This is where the story behind celebrity support becomes all-important.  After the Duchess of Cambridge announced the five charities she is to become a patron of, the media were desperate to find a reason why she chose them.  I am not convinced she chose the charity Action on Addiction because her uncle was once “famously caught on camera chopping up cocaine in Ibiza” as The Express claims.  I also think anyone would struggle to name the five charities Kate chose, because the media interest centred around the ‘who’ and ‘why’, not ‘what’ the charity was about.

Recent successful health campaigns have had an extra element - surprise.  I was surprised to see Jonny Wilkinson and Vinnie Jones supporting each of their causes, but this surprise fitted the message of each campaign.  Vinnie Jones wouldn’t give someone the kiss of life – just use chest compressions when trying to revive people.  Jonny Wilkinson isn’t a hypochondriac, he knows all about physical pain – mental illness is a genuine condition we need to talk about.

When deciding whether celebrity support is what your campaign needs, consider the following:

• Authenticity – Famous endorsement comes with a price tag but it should also come with genuine feeling for the cause
• Surprise – Find someone who goes against the stereotypes or stigma attached to the condition you are trying to highlight
• Identifiable – Find someone who represents a specific message; their character can become part of the story, e.g. Vinnie and no kissing
• They should tell the story, not be story – The message should be the headline, not a celebrity’s outfit choice for the launch event

It is a hard balance to strike, but health campaigns that use celebrities wisely will become famous in their own right.

Posted by Rose Beynon