Dating app Bumble just announced that it will feature tennis player and mega star Serena Williams in a year-long ad campaign focusing on female empowerment. In a press release, Bumble is stating that the campaign will launch about the same time as the Super Bowl, but not yet stating whether it will run an ad during the game.
So are Bumble and Serena a good match? Let’s take a look at some pros and cons.
Cons
1) Serena is already endorsing a large number of products
Serena routinely makes the list of highest paid athletes due the combination of earnings from tournaments and endorsements. Forbes estimates her total take in 2018 at over $27 million, much of which comes from endorsements. In addition to having her own clothing line and a longstanding relationship with Nike, she endorses a litany of brands, including watches, Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, Beats by Dr. Dre, Berlei lingerie, Wilson sporting goods, Accor Hotels, Lincoln Motors, Tempur-Pedic mattresses, and Gatorade. She has also endorsed additional companies in the past, including BMW Mini, IBM, Aston Martin, and Intel.
It is a common concern among branding experts that overextension of a celebrity can dilute the effectiveness of the endorsement. George Clooney’s relationship with Nespresso is often cited as the other extreme – where a celebrity endorsement stood out because a celeb is not overextended. So with Serena doing so many endorsements, Bumble should be considering the possibility of over-extension.
2) At times she has been controversial
Serena herself takes pride in being outspoken and has been no stranger to controversy. In 2018, her “catsuit” outfit during the French open sparked controversy and she was criticized for calling an umpire a “liar” and a “thief” at the U.S. Open. Brands do need to be careful that celebrities don’t cross the line with the public in terms of bad publicity or excessive controversy, and Bumble should be aware of this. Yet it seems unlikely that Serena crossed the line here, especially since there was debate over whether sexism was leading to unfair critiques.
3) There are questions as to whether celebrity endorsements are as effective with millennials as they have been in the past
Recent well publicized studies by Roth Capital Partners and others have suggested that millennials are less influenced in general by celebrity endorsements than previous generations. Research has shown that many millennials focus on value, authenticity, and corporate social responsibility at higher levels that their elders. While none of the studies suggest celebrity endorsements can’t work with millennials it is an uphill climb
Now let’s look at the pros:
Pros
1) A great “match-up”
One of the most popular theories among academic advertising research is the “match-up” hypothesis popularized by Michael Kamins. The idea is that there should be a “fit” between the brand and the celebrity. Much research has focused on fit in terms of physical attractiveness and expertise. Serena is a great fit on these dimensions as she is regarded as both feminine and powerful—an ideal match for the brand.
2) Serena can be effective in getting the brand’s positioning across
Bumble began in 2014 as a dating app using a system where women initiate discussion with men in a potential dating context. Bumble is now offering additional functions aimed at helping women build business networks and make friends. As an icon of female empowerment and success, known for speaking up, Serena is the perfect celebrity to get this message of across.
3) Star Power
While considerable strides have been made in terms of the popularity of womens’ sports, Serena has arguably reached a level above any other female athlete of our time. This Jordan-esque level of achievement puts her in the very top echelon of celebrity endorsers and will help get a campaign noticed.
The Verdict
The pros outweigh the cons here and Bumble has made a good, albeit expensive choice of endorsers. That said, the company should run a Super Bowl ad to make the splash needed to deal with concerns about over-extension and be noticed in the face of Serena’s myriad of endorsements. In addition, the campaign should be finessed and tested to ensure it resonates with millennials. Female empowerment has been a tried and true theme in Super Bowl advertising, with ads such as “Like a Girl” for Always and “Daughter” by Audi being highly effective. This theme is likely to work with millennials and with sufficient investment and strong creative, the potential for Bumble hitting an ace with Serena Williams is high.
