It’s a tale as old as time, and I’m not talking about the story of Beauty and the Beast. For decades, marketers have enlisted the help of top celebrities and athletes to endorse their products or services with the hopes of driving sales and increasing their popularity. From Michael Jordan and Nike to DJ Khaled and well, pretty much anything he touches these days thanks to Snapchat. While this strategy may seem like a surefire way to increase brand awareness, companies should note that certain rules work much better than others. Below are some observations I’ve made throughout my 20+ year love affair with everything pop culture in the media.

Everyone Loves a Cinderella Story

Athletes are some of the world’s strongest and most powerful individuals. Depending on who you ask, some may even say that their abilities make them superhuman. Whether it’s the NBA Finals, the Olympics, or the U.S. Open, there’s usually an individual or team that emerges on top amidst a sea of adversity. For marketers, this can be seen as an opportunity to rally their brand behind the top winners as a show of communal support. Nike has done a great job of this with their salute to the Cleveland Cavaliers after winning the 2016 NBA Championship; their Unlimited series featuring Simone Biles fresh off of her gold medal wins; and Serena Williams’ ad to kick off the U.S. Open.

Major Key Alert: Social Media & Reality Stars Help Businesses Boom

Insert the reigning Snapchat king, DJ Khaled. I’m not sure when exactly he rose to such popularity, but one thing I think we can all agree on is that it appears to have happened overnight. DJ Khaled has gained a huge following while sharing positive quotes and videos of his workouts on his Snapchat. He’s also gained attention from the likes of Beyoncé, the city of Las Vegas, and the folks over at Silk Almond Milk just to name a few. Reality stars have also been known to tout and revamp brands when they’re not busy breaking the Internet: Kylie Jenner inadvertently boosted sales of Cartier’s Love Bracelet when she was seen sporting it on her Instagram.

If You Can’t Laugh at Yourself…

It’s long been asked: if you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? Everyone loves a good laugh, especially when it’s at the expense of famous people. This approach is one of the ways that marketers can always guarantee buzz around their brand. Whether you’re falling off a treadmill like Taylor Swift did for Apple Music, preparing for that onscreen kiss like Alison Brie and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau were for Apple TV, or shooting the Hotline Bling video with the help of T-Mobile, one thing’s for certain: you’re sure to get a lot of YouTube views and news coverage.

Overkill Exists

Capitalizing on the hottest new fad is one thing, but there is such a thing as overdoing it. If you jump on the bandwagon when it’s already at capacity, it can lead to oversaturation. Just ask Ron Burgundy, the Minions, or the team at Game of War. This kind of “piling on” only leads to confusion and a drop in sentiment for those brands.

Nonetheless, as time goes on, I’m sure that the art of the celebrity endorsement will never go away. Brands will get older and the generation to market to will soon be Generation Z (if it isn’t already), resulting in new partnerships that will be created to motivate, inspire, and entertain.

Davina Hamilton, Sr Account Executive, DigitasLBi