After being the face of Walkers crisps since 1995, has the
relationship between Gary Lineker and the company moved beyond simple celebrity
endorsements and thus made the brand stronger?
Celebrity endorsements are often regarded as providing a short to medium-term brand boost, making the most out of a celebrities’ star power without the need to build a lasting relationship where the product becomes synonymous with the face. However
occasionally a partnership is built where both the brand
and the personality continually reap mutually beneficial rewards.
Although Walkers and Lineker do not boast a creative
partnership, unlike the collaboration Kate Moss had with Topshop, the value of their 17-year long relationship has never appeared to be any less because of it. Quite the
opposite, the brands advertising is regularly praised due to the successful bond
between product and personality, which appears to rely on the correct mix of humour,
nostalgia and Lineker’s star power as an ex England footballing legend and likeable TV personality.
In fact, it could be said that both benefit from the partnership to the point where if they were to break-up they would probably both lose out.
Walkers brand benefits from being associated with a much loved and admired personality whilst Lineker benefits from being associated with a counter-culture impression of himself - the likeable rascal who's always out to get someone else's crisps.
Walkers brand benefits from being associated with a much loved and admired personality whilst Lineker benefits from being associated with a counter-culture impression of himself - the likeable rascal who's always out to get someone else's crisps.