CGA vs. Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray is getting millions in endorsement dollars from Dunkin’ Donuts. She’s slated to be their spokesperson through 2010. Do you go there any more often now that she’s telling you to? I don’t. In fact (and I don’t think I’m alone here), I’m conscious enough of her overexposure for it to act as a deterrent.

Consumers are wise to “traditional” methods of advertising. Used to be that Dean Martin would tell you to buy golf balls, and folks would line up around the block. Nowadays, consumers would rather take the word of a friend, or even “some guy” with a blog entry, than trust a celebrity who’s being paid a LOT to recommend a Brand. If you wanna earn consumers’ trust, get other consumers — regular people — to talk about you… At a comparatively miniuscule fraction of the cost.

I wonder if Dunkin’ Donuts could have found a way to save millions, and get more REAL people buzzin’ about their Brand.