As Americans, we are obsessed with celebrities. We know who the

stars are dating, what their favorite foods are, and, thanks to

MTV Cribs, we even know the intimate details of their home

decorating styles.

With our paparazzi-like fixations on the famous, it is no wonder

ad campaigns involving celebrities are more successful than any

other type of advertising. Michael Jordan says "Wear Hanes" and

we do. Sarah Michelle Gellar says "Use Maybelline cosmetics" and

we buy the lot. Even Carrot Top, considered by many to be the

most repulsive and annoying person ever to grace the screen, gets

us to call AT&T.

So how do these fun facts help you in your advertising? Let me

explain.

Unless you own Coca Cola, Pepsi, Verizon, or Kentucky Fried

Chicken, you probably can't afford to lay down a cool million for

celebrity advertising. Luckily, you don't have to.

One way to get a celebrity in your ads is to use local

celebrities. This is a far cheaper, but still effective strategy

to get your prospects' attention.

Try a popular DJ, news reporter, politician, social figure or

merchant. Some of these people will jump at the chance to be in

your ad. An offer of $50 or $100 dollars will usually do the

trick

I am especially fond of using local DJs. We spend up to an hour

or more in our cars each day listening to these characters, so we

get a mental image of them locked in our heads. In most cases,

the DJ looks nothing like what you imagined. When you see them on

a commercial, you can't look away, thinking, "I can't believe

that's what he/she looks like!" It's a great way to hold your

viewers' attention.

But if you don't want to pay for a local celebrity, there is an

alternative that often works just as well. Become a celebrity

yourself!

This is not as difficult as it sounds. If people see your face on

television, billboards, and newspaper ads with consistency, even

though you are advertising your own product or business, they

will begin to consider you a celebrity.

When people see you on the street or come into your store, they

will recognize you immediately. What is that, if not fame?

I recently went to movie and found myself sitting next to a local

merchant who stared in his own commercials. I felt as giddy as

teenage girl at am N'Sync concert through the entire movie. All

he did was pay someone to shoot a commercial with him in it, for

crying out loud, but I was still bragging about it to all my

friends the next day.

Staring in one's own radio, TV, and newspaper ads has worked for

thousands of people just like you. It doesn't matter if you are

cross eyed, toothless, or speak with as much energy as an aging

hound dog. If Carrot Top can be famous, you can too. And the more

famous you are, the more successful your advertising will be.

Kahlia Hannah provides marketing advice and popular promotion

packages. See her low-cost direct marketing and press release

deals at http://MarketingHelp.NET Reach Kahlia at

mailto:kahlia@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006.