DRIVING BY EDSA, you can’t help but be distracted by the gigantic billboards on both sides of the road. A while back, there was Heart and Jericho (when they were still together) for Penshoppe, John Lloyd Cruz for Bench, Gretchen Barretto for Plains and Prints, and now, Toni and Alex Gonzaga for Faces & Curves.

Can product endorsers really help in marketing a business? Or are there instances when they can give the opposite desired effect (turn away customers)?

“Product endorsers can have a tremendous impact on one’s business. Awell-known and respected celebrity can add instant credibility to an otherwise unknown or untried product,” says Art Ilano, a marketing professor at the College of Business of the University of the Philippines.

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