CweNovember, 11th, 2013

MCA B2000 AWARENESS, RESEARCH & MEASUREMENT
Instructor: Belle Frank

Celebrity endorsement: a challenge in marketing communications
The case of the “100 Years Skincare for Life” campaign of Nivea
Submitted by
Jacques Epangue
BIC
Class of 2015

Introduction

The reputation of a brand is a key element of its relationship with its consumers. A strong brand reputation and positioning is built on both the brand identity and the brand image, which is the consumer’s perception of the brand. In fact, two thirds of consumers adopt a brand because they feel like they are connected to its image or its identity. Brand identity is what the brand truly represents, the tangible and intangible values that make a brand distinguishable from other brands. Therefore, the challenge of the brand is to preserve its identity while keeping up with marketing trends and strategies. The history of advertising has seen many controversial campaigns, to say the least, in which the brand has kept itself away from its identity involving its reputation. In 2011, Nivea cream-maker of the German firm Beiersdorf and largest skincare brand in the world, along with its business partner, global marketing communications agency Draftfcb rolled out a global campaign entitled “100 Years Skincare for Life” signing up international singing star Rihanna to be the voice of its 100 year celebrations, and the song “California King Bed” accompanied the whole anniversary campaign internationally. The campaign created a tremendous value for the brand but also drew widespread criticism in online and social media as being jeopardized the well-respected image of Nivea. 1- The problem
In 2011 Nivea turned 100 years and to mark that anniversary, and reinvigorate a flagging brand, Nivea chose to sign up Rihanna as the face of a major €1billion marketing campaign. To date, the