Whitman School hosts lecture on celebrity endorsements

Whitman School hosts lecture on celebrity endorsementsNovember 01, 2005Carol K. Masiclatclkim@syr.edu

From athletic equipment to financial services, companies are taking advantage of celebrity endorsements to sell their products. On Nov. 11, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University will host a lecture by Lisa Pratt of Fidelity Investments titled, “From The Beatles to Fidelity-Using Celebrities for Endorsements.” The lecture takes place from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in Room 202 of the Whitman School building.

“In our era of pop culture, the topic of celebrity endorsements is very timely for students interested in marketing and advertising, and it’s particularly relevant for Whitman and Newhouse students,” says Ravi Shukla, associate professor in the Whitman School’s finance department. “Lisa Pratt provides a blend of marketing experience and analytical techniques to measure their value and the end result is a very unique presentation.”

Fidelity Investments launched an ad campaign during the 2005 NFL season opener featuring one of the most well-known faces in the music industry-Paul McCartney. Pratt’s lecture will address the ad campaign’s success, discuss the financial services related to celebrity endorsements and explain what companies must consider when setting up celebrity endorsements.

As a director of marketing strategy and an information consultant, Pratt’s clients included MCI, Bell South, Lands’ End, Dell Computer, Fleet Bank (now Bank of America), AIG Insurance and Xerox. At Fidelity Investments, she manages the measurement of advertising effectiveness. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from the University of Vermont, a master’s degree in economics with a concentration in applied econometrics from the University of Rhode Island and an MBA with concentrations in marketing and statistics from SU.