Trend #1: Celebrities and Influencers Take Charge

Celebrity endorsements are nothing new in marketing but these days celebrity involvement has gone beyond mere participation. 



Earlier this year, McDonald’s collaborated with Korean pop band BTS to ‘create’ the BTS Meal based on their own personal preferences on McD’s South Korean menu. The collab was credited with helping sales soar nearly 26% in the last quarter at US restaurants. And never one to miss a merchandising opportunity, the chain has also partnered with the K-pop superstars on a line of limited-edition T-shirts, hoodies, flip-flops, robes and even umbrellas.

Now the chain is covering other music genres by partnering with pop queen Mariah Carey and hip-hop artist Saweetie.

These collabs are part of a new brand strategy called “Accelerating the Arches” with which McDonald’s hopes to turn more customers into fans by “investing in new, culturally relevant approaches”, according to Fast Company. These approaches mean redefining tradition celebrity brand collaborations and transforming them into “authentic partnerships consumers can trust”, says Afrotech. 

It’s not just McDonald’s who have jumped on the celebrity branding bandwagon. Puma has partnered with Rihanna, Guess with A$AP Rocky, GH Mumm Champagne with David Guetta and Keds Footwear with Taylor Swift. Other franchises which have jumped on board include Subway with Serena Williams and other sports stars promoting its Eat Fresh campaign and Burger King with rapper Nelly promoting its Keep It Real campaign to remove 120 artificial ingredients from its menu.

A related trend is celebrities buying franchises – or being handed them in return for their endorsements and involvement.  Franchises have long been popular investments for celebrities, with mutual benefits for both parties – celebrity involvement is powerful marketing for the franchise and increases the franchises’ value for all stakeholders, including of course the celebrity franchisees. It is reported that NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal owns 155 Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 40 24-Hour Fitness and 17 Auntie Anne’s Pretzels franchises. Other big-time celebrity franchisees include Magic Johnson (Burger King), Jimmy Buffett (Krispy Kreme), Kanye West (Burger King), Venus Williams (Jamba Juice) and Pharrell Williams (Fatburger). 

Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg decided to go the other way and start his own fast-food franchise, Wahlburgers. The founder of CNN, Ted Turner, set up the Ted's Montana Grill franchise. In New Zealand, motorcycle road racing champion Mike Pero went on to establish successful mortgage broking and real estate sales franchises. And some people have become celebrities as a result of the franchises they have built. After turning Nikita Hair, one of Europe’s leading salon franchises, into a household name, Inger Ellen Nicolaisen became famous for her hit television series, The Candidate, a European version of The Apprentice.

So many celebrity and influencer initiatives are finding success because people – and especially younger people – have less trust in brands than they once did, according to Sam Wick, head of United Talent Agency. 

“Younger consumers especially are looking for brands that they can connect with by understanding the company’s story,” says Wick.

If you're a franchisor looking to enhance your brand and sales by working with celebrities and influencers, it is important to remember that you don't necessarily have to work with international stars. Those recognised on a national and even regional or state-wide level can have even more sway locally than Rihanna. Some years ago, I worked with 16-year-old Valerie Adams before she became a four-time world champion sportswoman. Because she was an up-and-comer and well-known in her community, the campaign was incredibly successful.