As we all know, it is not uncommon for car brands to invite celebrity endorsements. This is not only a marketing routine, but also an effective way to "get out of the circle." However, Brother Xunglu combed through the information and found that there were new changes in the style of car company spokespersons.
For example, Lynk & Co has hired Aaron Kwok as its brand ambassador; all Changan Qiyuan products are endorsed by Jay Chou; Avita 12 has invited Tony Leung as its spokesperson; Hao Platinum’s Yi Jianlian; and Lantu’s Bosco Bosco. In a series of official endorsements of this year, many brands have changed their approach of being too keen on traffic stars and instead chosen powerful players. Is a traffic star and no longer popular? Or do car companies have other considerations?
Car companies are eyeing "old entertainers"
If a car wants to sell well, it is not enough to rely on the product alone. It usually requires a celebrity spokesperson to attract attention to get twice the result with half the effort. Since entering 2024, the number of celebrity-endorsed cars has opened the floodgates and increased rapidly. And the new keyword recently endorsed by celebrities is undoubtedly "powerful".
To talk about the latest endorsement by a well-known celebrity, it must be Lynk & Co’s signing of Aaron Kwok as its brand ambassador. Aaron Kwok is one of the superstars in the Chinese entertainment industry. In addition to his extensive influence in the entertainment industry, he also has an identity as a professional racing driver. Lynk & Co's choice of Aaron Kwok not only occupies a favorable position in the audience base, but also provides a strong boost to the brand's popularity, and also quickly enhances the brand's image and brand value.
Before Lynk & Co officially announced Aaron Kwok as its brand ambassador, Changan Qiyuan also announced Jay Chou as its brand spokesperson. Jay Chou, this name has become synonymous with the Chinese music scene. As a sub-brand of Changan Automobile, Qiyuan has strong technical strength and market competitiveness in the field of new energy. This cooperation with Jay Chou will undoubtedly inject more vitality and attention into Changan Qiyuan.
In addition, Tony Leung is an iconic figure in Hong Kong movies. His superb acting skills are deeply loved and praised by the audience. Avita invited Tony Leung to endorse its latest sedan, the Avita 12, mainly because of his unique personal charm and healthy image that has never had negative reports. Let Avita 12, which also has excellent appearance, win the favor of consumers even more among the exposure of similar models.
Dongfeng Lantu, which also belongs to the "second generation" of traditional car companies, has recently hired a well-known celebrity in the industry, Bosco Bosco, to endorse Lantu Free. Lantu values Bosco's super popularity and handsome and friendly image, and offers him the position of spokesperson for its latest model Lantu Free. The advertisement also focuses on Bosco's considerate and warm manly side, thus showing Lantu Free Excellent appearance and thoughtful functional configuration.
Abandon traffic stars and reveal the cruel current situation of the car market
For car brands, in terms of the attractiveness of spokespersons and the popularity of topics, whether they choose idols of the new generation after 2000 or tend to have a "veteran" temperament, they can all contribute to the brand Bring positive effects. , especially by leveraging the popularity of popular celebrities for marketing, can greatly increase the brand's popularity. It is currently the most direct way to save offline marketing costs.
However, endorsement is a market behavior with both traffic and risks. There are countless examples of car brands "overturning" because of endorsements. Not only that, with the proliferation of popular traffic stars, negative incidents such as traffic fraud and live broadcast overturns are constantly being exposed. Car companies are more thoughtful in choosing traffic stars.
On the other hand, older artists have always been relatively stable in terms of building their personal image and performing in front of the public. Relatively speaking, they have received less negative news. For car companies with relatively conservative endorsements, a stable and positive public image is actually more friendly to car brands than high traffic.
The transformation of the spokesperson from "the hottest new generation" to "the powerful idol" is inseparable from the purpose of brand communication, but from the perspective of Brother Zulu, it is far more than that simple.We have observed the car models endorsed by celebrities, such as Avita 12, Lantu Free, Haopin HT, etc., which are basically new energy models that have been launched recently.
The reason why these car companies and models hire "powerful idol" spokespersons is also closely related to the overall sales environment of the car. With the advancement of new energy vehicle technology and the improvement of consumer acceptance, the proportion of new energy vehicle replacement purchases continues to increase. Data shows that from January to May 2023, the proportion of fuel vehicle owners replacing new energy vehicles has reached 22%, compared with 4% in 2020, an increase of nearly five times in three years.
As sales continue to rise, a new pattern has been formed, that is, the first-time buyer group has gradually become a disadvantaged group, and the market potential for trade-in and additional purchases has grown. Under such circumstances, the increase in consumer groups for trade-in purchases has become a "fertile ground" that the auto market urgently needs to cultivate. From another perspective, car brands are recruiting more middle-aged actors to enter the market, which is opening up the market for replacement people. Obviously, car companies hope that through the "memory killing" of spokespersons, more middle-aged consumers will take the initiative to learn about new energy electric vehicles, and ultimately drive effective conversion.
In the auto market in 2024, affected by the economic downturn and price war, competition has become extremely fierce and cruel. How to play new tricks to maximize the communication effect, celebrity endorsement is a good means. What is more interesting is that car companies are moving away from "new generation idols" in the selection of spokespersons, and are increasingly leaning towards powerful idols. Behind this change is not only the choice of a certain enterprise, but also means a new consumption structure change in the automobile industry.
