The Face Of The Brand

If you are asked by a company to be the face of the brand, you are in good company - because celebrities usually take on this job. However, star status is not a prerequisite for being a good brand face. On the contrary: newcomers often have a better chance of establishing themselves as brand faces.

Often best without a previous history

The most important task of a brand face is to generate interest in a product or service. In order to do this, the model must above all appear credible - in other words, it should appear as if they would use the advertised product or service themselves. The more realistic the "pairing" is, the better the outcome will be. However, actually consuming or liking the product is not a prerequisite for the job. Charisma and authenticity are more important to the advertising experts. A model who appears unique and natural represents the company better than celebrities who already have a certain reputation - because they involuntarily transfer this to the product.

Criticism from the public

Hiring Günther Jauch to be the face of a beer brand once proved to be a mistake. The popular presenter simply didn't fit in with the beer brand he was supposed to be representing. The public just weren’ convinced, for one, because he had recently outed himself as a great wine lover and on the other hand, because his appearances have a somewhat cerebral quality which doesn't exactly tempt you to enjoy a beer. Accordingly, the campaign flopped and once again made it clear what is important for a brand face. The decision as to who presents a product or service is made by the marketing department of the respective company - but the ultimate judgement is made by the public. By categorising the model as suitable or credible, they help determine the success of the face of the brand

Surprisingly successful

The most famous example of a well-chosen representative to date is Boris Becker. His baffled "I'm in?!" brought the advertised media company AOL a huge customer base - because back then, almost everyone was a newbie to the Internet. The tennis star was a likeable advertising face and simply himself: slightly overwhelmed, a little awkward and surprised in the end. Hair care expert L'Oreal also proved a lucky hand with its choice. The Viva presenter Heike Makatsch was absolutely believable as a slowly greying woman, because millions of fans had been able to follow the inevitable ageing journey of the actress on their screens. When she talked about the incredible effect of a hair colouring product in the commercial, it came across so naturally that she was immediately booked for further clips.

The pros and cons of exclusive contracts

And this is another special feature of this modelling job: as a successful advertising face, you can get exclusive contracts. This means that you only pose for one brand or one single product or service. In order to secure this special status with a model, companies usually pay particularly high fees or guarantee bonuses for their advertising faces. This compensates those affected for the losses they suffer as a result of the exclusive contract. Because as the face of the brand, you are contracted to exclusively for them during the entirety of the campaign. After all, the customers associate the product or service with your appearance.