Selecting the Message Source

In either personal or nonpersonal communication, the message's impact on the target audience is also affected by how the audience views the communicator. Messages delivered by highly credible sources are more persuasive. Thus, many food companies promote to doctors, dentists, and other health care providers to motivate these professionals to recommend their products to patients. And marketers hire celebrity endorsers—well-known athletes, actors, musicians, and even cartoon characters—to deliver their messages. A Golfer Tiger Woods speaks for Nike, Accenture, Buick, and a dozen other brands and golfer Michelle Wie lends her image to brands such as Nike and Sony. American actress Sarah Jessica Parker poses for Gamier and rock star Keith Richards endorses Louis Vuitton.14

But companies must be careful when selecting celebrities to represent their brands. Picking the wrong spokesperson can result in embarrassment and a tarnished image. TrimSpa, the weight-loss supplement, found this out when its spokesperson and TV personality Anna Nicole Smith lost her life to a drug overdose. H&M, Chanel, and Burberry had to publicly dismiss supermodel Kate Moss after she was reportedly photographed using cocaine. And Nike, Coca-Cola, and Kraft faced embarrassment when American football star Michael Vick was convicted in an illegal dog fighting case. "Arranged marriages between brands and celebrities are inherently risky," notes an expert. "Today it's standard practice to sign a celeb only after an extensive background check. But accidents still happen."15

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