By Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter 
Stitchie, Artiste and Prodigal Son
POPULAR ENTERTAINERS are like bees. They buzz or hum and when they do, they get the attention of those within
hearing range.
The international world of business has used this infectious air of excitement that surrounds celebrities to their advantage. Professional athletes, entertainers and the like make lots of money from endorsement deals all over the world. It has become usual to see celebrities endorsing products ranging from cereals to footwear.
Corporate Jamaica is no stranger to this tactic. They too have tapped into this notoriety and this strategy is deeply embedded in the marketing schemes of many entities.
So while overseas products such as Gatorade are endorsed by Michael Jordan, Bigga soft drink in Jamaica is endorsed by deejay General B. Also, while Pepsi used the other MJ Michael Jackson locally Buckingham Orange Juice used Lt. Stitchie. Other local artistes such as Kip Rich have also been used locally for endorsements. One of the most recent and popular case is the Singer advertisement ad with Bounty Killer and Jana Bent.
More often than not, the artiste being courted by the corporate entity becomes the poster-persona for the ad campaign but there are also some firms which opt for the entertainers to be heard but not seen in their jingles. A marquee example of this is Prodigal Son in his Courts advertisement. In the case of the ad, with Bounty and Jana it was conceptualised by Advertising and Marketing, an ad agency that was established two years after Jamaica won her independence from the Britons.
President of the agency, Arnold 'JJ' Foote, who has been with the firm since 1986, said market research was the deciding factor in using the two entertainers.
"It was a matter of finding people that would complement the creative communication, so it did not have to be Jana and Bounty," he noted.
He continued: "We did a market research exercise to see what motivated the market to listen and they (Jana and Bounty) scored very highly the traits that we found in different categories brought them together and as we went through the research we saw that they would work very well together."
Mr. Foote said that his agency and his client were very pleased with the end result of the ad. He reasoned that the two acts appealed to two totally different audiences, but in his estimation combined successfully.
The president also made mention of Jana's Indian background alongside Bounty's straight 'yard' roots, which he said re-emphasised 'Out of many one people', the motto of the Jamaican people.
Marketing Manager at Courts, Judith Blake, told The Sunday Gleaner the reason her company decided to court the likes of Ritchie Stephens, Beenie Man, and Chrissy D was that, "Celebrities in sports and entertainment generally have universal appeal, cutting across different age groups and social classes. This makes them ideal candidates for delivering some types of advertising messages."
Mrs. Blake says Courts handpicks the individuals they work with. "Personalities are generally selected based on a number of factors, including appropriateness for the product or service, credibility with the target audience, reputation, popularity and affordability."
With that said, Mrs Blake ruffled a wasp nest. One that has raised its ugly head many times, both nationally and internationally. There have been a number of cases where artistes that were involved with products had their contracts slashed because they became involved in some sort of controversy.
Reports were carried in local newspapers that Kip Rich was cut from his Mothers endorsement after a controversy at a Sumfest show held in Montego Bay.
Managing Director of Mothers, Carlysle Hudson, told The Sunday Gleaner that the scanning of the market was the instrument that decided that Kip Rich be their poster boy. "It was based on market surveys that decided who would appeal to our customer clientle," reasoned Mr. Hudson.
He too was rather satisfied with the results of the union which ended on a sour note. "Let's put it this way, it was a corporate, it did work, it did have an impact -- based on the results it satisfied our objectives at the time," said Hudson.
The marriage between corporate Jamaica and local entertainers is a two- way street. The entertainers also have their criteria that these firms have to match up to. First of all, there is that matter of sufficient funds.
"They were paying me good money and I needed the money," stated Jana with a 'Delilahish' chuckle. The legally and musically insane Mad Anju, who has appeared in ads for entities such as Digicel and Value Buys bolstered Jana's view. "It's a barter kind of thing. They (companies) buy our popularity to boost the sales of their products."
Additionally, Jana highlighted that some of the accolades being offered by Singer to its customers tickled her fancy as well as her emotions "Some of the prizes that Singer has really impressed me, in terms of them giving back to Jamaica. In particular paying for free education for life, I was really proud to be associated with a company that offers something of that nature," reasoned Jana.
Collaborating with corporate entities has also given a shot of adrenaline to many careers. In an article that appeared in The Sunday Gleaner on June 21 1998, written by Claude Mills, several entertainers were quoted lauding the high octane boost that their careers received as a direct result of their association with the ad campaigns.
General B, commenting on life after he did his first ad, 'Yuh Big Me Up Everyday' for Jamaica Beverages Limited, the manufactures of Bigga soft drinks said; "After I did the ad, it was like I was an instant celebrity, everyone knew me. I didn't even want to leave mi yard after a while, school kids, old ladies in wheelchairs, even the suckling on the breast... who never know me was those who never own a TV in Jamaica."
Songbird Jana Bent now also hums a similar tune. "It has been very positive. Even little kids come up to me and sing the entire jingle. Also based upon what Bounty has told me he seems to be getting the same positive response."
On the contrary however Mad Anju takes a different stance. "It's not really doing anything for my career but more for money in my pocket. It is like the business side of entertainment."
One thing that seems inevitable is that all those that get a taste of an ad always go back for seconds. As Mad Anju puts it: "It's definitely good business".
