Why celebrity voice-overs?
Rarely have people in earlier days recognized or acknowledged the importance of voice-over artists. But some iconic voices have gotten through this recognition barriers, be it Don LaFontaine who was simply referenced to as “The Voice” or Hal Douglas. How these voices became iconic is a story that is not as glamorous as that of quintessential celebrities in Hollywood or on the small screen. The recognition in a visual medium is almost instantaneous compared to that through a voice medium.
There are three different categories products and services fall into and based on these categories they can opt of different types of voice over artists. One is where the content of the ad and product eclipse the voice over. In this case the voice over artist does not have to be one that brings credibility or recognition with him/her. An example of this category is Apple’s – Think differently commercial. The script and message transcended the voice that delivered it. The voice was significant and needed a certain tone to deliver the message but the tone could be that of an obscure VO artist.
The second category of commercials are one that are seldom associated with a celebrity. Be it Jon Hamm endorsing American Airlines or Julia Roberts supporting AOL, these brands used these celebrities as leverage to promote the brand and draw customers to them. This is more prominent in emerging markets where luxury brands are trying to enter. When luxury brand Tag Hueur tried to gain a foothold in the Indian market, they used the existing star power of Shahrukh Khan to make a mark for themselves. This situation calls for a brand that uses the established fan base to increase their growth.
The third category is different in one aspect from the previous one. In this category of commercials, more significance is placed on the attributes the voice of the celebrity brings along with it. When Visa wanted to rebrand itself during the Olympics to highlight attributes like tradition and security, they chose Morgan Freeman to do the voiceover for their commercials. One can say that Morgan Freeman brings his own star power along with him to this scenario but the choice of VO artist was more tactical than that. This practice has gone beyond commercials onto mediums like documentaries, be it Morgan Freeman in March of the Penguins or Amitabh Bachchan lending his voice to the Hindi version of the same documentary, it is a calculated decision. Here the focus is character that they play during narration.
One fascinating example is that of Verizon FiOS’s campaign with Ty Burrell. Verizon chose Ty Burrell for the voice over but wanted him to play the character of Phil Dunphy from Modern Family. The campaign wanted to position Verizon FiOS as an approachable and friendly brand while making it seem less complicated. Phil Dunphy, with his ‘Everyman’ voice was the perfect choice for this particular campaign. While most technology company tend to upsell speed, coverage and other technical capabilities, Verizon chose to focus on connecting with the customer on the human front.
On the flip side one might wonder why celebrities are interested in doing voice overs alone and being behind the screen. One way to rationalize this is that celebrities are now building a brand around their fame. They see voiceovers as a short commitment with greater yield. Commercials get them into their fan’s homes quicker and VOs are one more revenue stream for them. Diversification is something that celebrities do not hesitate to do. They understand the importance of having different careers and working to their full potential.
There is no dearth for research material backing the science behind celebrity endorsements and the advantages they have in terms of grabbing the all-important first choice spot in consumer’s minds. Celebrity voiceovers are transcending different mediums and moving into animation and movie/ documentary narration. This is also suggestive of the proven monetary returns. Celebrity voiceovers have their advantages no matter what a brand’s thought process is behind selection of the individual. This phenomenon looks like it’s here to stay and become more frequent.