Do the endorsement really work?

Dell launched their first ultrabook XPS 13 at Taiwan last Tuesday(note: it’s about mid-March 2013). It looks pretty good, very thin and has 13” screen in a relative small body, just a little bit bigger than the Apple MBA 11.6”. The price is from 44900NTD, 3000NTD much more than the Apple MBA 13.3 in the similar spec.

In addition to the XPS 13, the other focus of the event was Bo-Lin Chen who is getting famous recently at Taiwan since he played the main character “Li Da Ren “ of the hottest Taiwan TV Show “In time with you”. With average 5.51 Nielsen rating in final episode which means 2.62 million people watching him playing that TV Show, Chen is now the dream lover of every woman around thirty in Taiwan.

I am not sure what’s the situation of other countries, but here in Taiwan, the consumer electronic brands love to use celebrity as the face of their product, or invite some good looking famous models to attend the product launch at least.

However, It’s really hard time for the tech reporters or editors like us if they invite celebrities, because what we really care is the product or technology they launch, but we have to fight for the narrow space to take photos of the product with the entertainment photographers who are famous for the intrepid.

I heard the photographers curse other reporters all the time just because they happen to block his video camera view.

I think it’s kind of promise to get on the press if you have some celebrities like Lin Chi-ling for example, at the press event, but most of the news they get tomorrow will be put on the entertainment page instead of the tech or industry page where they really want to be.

Furthermore, if the company asks some super stars as the face of their product, it will be even worse for selling the product. I can give you a lot of examples in my whole press career. Jay Chou for the cellphone of Panasonic and Motorola , Mayday for the mp3 player of the BenQ, Jolin Tsai for the TV of Kolin, S.H.E for the mp3 player of the Digimaster, etc.

Sure there are many brand and product have celebrities to be face of them in success way, such like Cheer Chen（陳綺貞）for Nikon Camera, Mayday for Microsoft Xbox 360. Marketing guys say it’s dream selling that they are try to set up a image that customers want to be. But I believe in the tech industry, people will buy the product simply because it’s good.

Ask any female staff who hold up their cell phone to take photos of Bo-Lin Chen that day, will they buy Dell XPS 13 just because Chen? Or will they buy other brand ultrabook or laptop in cheaper price or for more fancy design?

How about you? How about asking your female friends?