Do more Physically attractive and famous A-listers sell more products? Or are we just clutching at expensive imaginery over-hyped straws?

The proof might be in the pudding, so-to-speak.

In recent years, the services sector has achieved higher growth rates than manufacturing, and they have certainly been helped along the way by innovative advertising and marketing techniques.

One of those techniques-celebrity endorsements—has gone from being a differentiator to being the norm.

According to Lane and Russell, "One of the primary challenges for advertising is to provide a tangible and differentiating element to the marketing of services." Advertisers and marketers use a whole slew of strategies to highlight that difference—such as the conspicuous use of a spokesperson.

The celebrity route works on two levels: provides tangibility to the product and a point of difference. But Selecting the best spokesperson poses the key challenge here. It may seem a no-brainer to the layman. Hower, as every brand aligned with golf pro Tiger Woods discovered, this past year you can wake-up one morning to a million-dollar mistake on your hands. The ‘associated mistrust’ from being connected to the wrong celebrity can cost a paying business millions, no matter how successful or stunning the celeb may be the day before.

What, then, goes into the choice of an ideal brand ambassador? Attractiveness, obviously; but it’s an attractiveness that goes beyond looks. Rather, what works is a subliminal attractiveness or appeal  that’s in sync with the message intended to be communicated by a company. This appeal goal by the company boils down to source credibility, by the spokesperson. Ultimately, the spokesperson must be viewed with the same characteristics that the company wishes for its brand. Does the brand have or strive for a wholesome, caring, trustworthy images? If so, it would do well to stay away from the likes of Lindsay Lohan. An edgy, challenging, risk-taking brand? Angelina Jolie may just push the right buttons. A savvy, exclusive, iconic brand? Look no further than George Clooney. Picking the right spokesperson is critical because that person becomes the tangible representation of a company’s  values and service in the absence of other defining visual cues.

Finding the right match between brand and celeb can lead to a huge success story for a company. But the wrong match can literally kill a business. It’s a reality that explains the rise of the ‘animated’ endorser, which is at times  ‘safer’. With this strategic option there’s no chance for an indiscretion in the personal/real life of human celebrities that can rub off quickly on the brands they represent! Bonus: sponsoring companies can make them as attractive as wanted—without any flaws of physical appearance or personality.