Endorsement or
Testimonial
Definition:
Propaganda techniques that
attempts to connect a famous or respectable person with a
product or item.
Examples:
Dr. Robert Jarvik, creator of
the artificial heart, used to endorse Lipitor, a drug that
reduces cholesterol in the
body.
Diet ads in print almost always show before and after
pictures.
When Oprah Winfrey mentions a book, it becomes
a best seller. She made an offhand comment about never
eating
beef again
and Texas cattle ranchers took her to court, saying
she seriously damaged their business and livelihood.
Jared
Fogle lost over 200 lbs. by eating only Subway foods.
-
Do these endorsements really work? Why
or why not? Could LeBron James successfully endorse a work
of fiction? Could
Oprah endorse a sports shoe?
-
You know that many of the television
advertisements that show a random person choosing one product
over another actually
use paid actors. Does the endorsement ad still work?
-
When
the commercial using Dr. Jarvik first aired and appeared
in print, people complained that he didn’t practice
medicine and that he used a body double for the scenes
depicting him rowing and running. Can you think of other
celebrity
endorsements that have collapsed in controversy?
-
You are
required to put together a campaign to change the school
cafeteria’s selections. What local celebrity
endorsements could you use? Are there teachers or students
who would provide effective testimonies?
-
Think of 10 considerations
that must be made when selecting an endorser. For example,
does age matter? Profession?
Education? Celebrity?
Download
a PDF file of the student handout, Endorsement or Testimonial. |
