Boost Your Brand

Having a celebrity spokesperson "can work for small companies, and it can work for large, established brands," says Jay Lenstrom, CEO of the Radiate Group, a Chicago-based network of marketing agencies. What's more, "it can be done on less than a shoestring" budget.

For a small company seeking to get out from under the shadow of larger competitors, having a name pitch person can be an equalizer, according to Estella Ferrera, whose family owns Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Co., a chain of restaurants that for several years has used football star LaDanian Tomlinson, running back for the NFL's San Diego Chargers, as its celebrity face.

"It tends to make us look bigger than we really are," says Ferrera, director of sales and marketing for Oggi's, which has 20 restaurants in Southern California and Arizona. "Having L.T. as our spokesperson has made our advertising stand out more and given us more credibility."

When the spokesperson relationship works the way it's intended, "you get instant recognition and tremendous recall for a product," says Lenstrom, whose firm matches clients with celebrity talent from sports and entertainment circles.

A name pitch person can provide a major boost to startups with zero name recognition as well as to more established companies and brands. But not every venture needs -- or can afford -- one. "I think it's an endeavor worth exploring," says Andrea Sullivan, executive director of client services at Interbrand in New York City. "It's important to go through a fact-based analytical process to determine whether it's the right answer for a business."