My very first marketing job was back in the early 1980s when I was assigned to the marketing department of a large photo lab. The company provided photo film pickup and processing across most of the Midwest in the days before digital cameras. During my time there, the company’s advertising agency signed Peter Graves to be a pitchman to sell more film processing. (You may be old enough to remember that Peter Graves played the character James Phelps on the original TV show Mission Impossible, which started each show with a self-destructing tape that began with the words, "Good morning Mr. Phelps…”)

Why would the company use an actor from an old spy series to sell photo processing? The use of famous personalities to endorse your products goes back to the very roots of modern marketing. The theory is wrapped around the idea that all of us want to be like the prestigious people who are peddling these products and, by associating the product with them, we will be influenced to buy the product. Plus, it has worked for a very long time. Michael Jordan took shoe endorsements to the stratosphere when Nike came out with the Air Jordan basketball shoe in 1985. Remember when actor/comedian Bill Cosby was the spokesman for Jell-O Pudding? What about Britney Spears and Pepsi? Betty White and Snickers? The rock group U2 and the iPod? Celebrity pitchmen have made the connection that makes people want to buy for a very long time.

Celebrity pitchmen are selected for their connection to a specific audience. We tend to associate with personalities who were popular during the time of life we call the coming of age period. This typically happens between the ages of 18-25. That period of time defines what we value and the rest of our life is indelibly linked to it. If I want to catch the attention of someone who was wearing Air Jordans back in 1985, I might get Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd to drive around in a vintage DeLorean and recreate a clip of the movie Back to the Future while the duo hold on to my product. That would work with people who are now 47-54 years old.

But that sort of tactic does not seem to be working as well with the current crop of 18-25 year olds. They are not falling for the celebrity endorsements like their predecessors. It has to do with the availability of a constant stream of info on celebrities, that’s for sure. No longer can anyone hide in our interconnected world. But it also has to do with the values of the current crop of young adults. They don’t like hypocrisy. Let me give you an example. The entertainer Beyonce Knowles is one of the most famous celebrities on the planet right now. She did an ad for Pepsi last year. She also endorsed Michelle Obama's Let's Move fitness campaign. That someone would endorse a carbonated drink and a national fitness push that promotes healthy eating, in bygone years, would have been no big deal. That is not the case anymore. Pepsi and Beyonce found themselves in over their heads with the younger generation. They see it all as a disingenuous money grab for the celebrities and a way for corporations to push their products upon the duped – which will not be them!

So who do these young adults trust to pitch a product? The new breed of pitchmen have to do something that celebrity endorsers can never do: they have to be their friends. What social media, in particular, has taught us is that the young are more influenced by their close circle of friends long before they will be influenced by a paid spokesperson regardless of their celebrity. They do not like the in-your-face-shouting style of Billy Mays, the OxiClean spokesman. They want to know that someone they know and trust personally likes the product.

So where does that leave you in terms of your advertising? If you want to make an impact on the younger set, you need to take a low key approach. Give them a reason to try your product and a forum to voice their opinion. Social media has given us the ability to "like” a post or retweet a message. This is a start. But you must also learn to be genuine in your marketing. Social media also gives people the ability to voice their displeasure with your product. Learn to manage criticism in a positive way. Don’t get into a fight with the disgruntled customer. Communicate with anyone who leaves a comment on your social media pages, blogs or other posts. Let them know that you care about what they say, whether it be positive or negative. This has an impact. It sets you apart as a company that cares about your customers and just doesn’t say that you do. That transparency goes a long way in persuading young adults that you are a company with a product that is worth pitching to their friends. In the end, the new celebrity pitchman is your satisfied customer.

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Photo by Choreograph