The Celebrity Partnership Strategy That Most Marketers Get Completely Wrong

I just had Christine Jacobson on my podcast, and she said something that made me completely rethink celebrity endorsements.

When Realtor.com launched their "Nearly Home" campaign featuring Reba McEntire, it wasn't about getting the biggest name they could afford. It wasn't about going viral.

It was about something way smarter.

"We wanted someone who would really bring that home heart feel," Christine told me. "Rather than going the comedic route, we wanted someone who would really connect with consumers."

Most celebrity partnerships are doomed from day one

Most brands pick celebrities based on follower count or whatever their agency recommends. They're thinking about impressions when they should be thinking about connection. The Realtor.com marketing team asked a different question. Who embodies what we want people to feel about home?

"Reba's number one in her own right. She has more than 25 hits and sitcoms and awards. She IS number one, and she's also just a really genuine authentic real person." Then Christine dropped this bomb. "She hits one in two Americans across the United States. She connects with more people than most celebrities do."

Not just reaches. Connects. Massive difference.

Why authenticity beats everything else

When Christine described Reba, she didn't start with accolades or reach. She started with authenticity. "She's just an amazing person. She is an absolute professional. She really connects." This isn't marketing speak. This is someone who gets that in a world drowning in manufactured celebrity moments, genuine connection cuts through everything.

Think about the last celebrity endorsement that made you actually trust a brand more. Not just notice it. Trust it.

Probably when the celebrity felt like a natural fit. When it made sense on a human level.

The results that prove everything

Christine told me they've had "tremendous response and increase of people engaging, recognition of the brand, people coming to the site, really connecting with realtor.com."

But here's what most people miss. This isn't just about consumer metrics.

"This creates so much benefit for the pros (agents)," Christine explained. When consumers trust your brand more, your real estate agents win too.

That's the multiplier effect most celebrity campaigns never achieve.

The genius move nobody saw coming

Most brands launch a celebrity campaign and call it done. The team built something that works on multiple levels.

"We're using the Reba campaign on the pro side. We're creating assets that agents can go and use in their local marketplace to leverage the exposure of this huge campaign for themselves."

Think about this. One celebrity partnership driving consumer awareness AND giving thousands of agents ready-made marketing assets.

They didn't just create a consumer campaign. They created a tool that helps their clients connect with their own audiences.

That's understanding your entire ecosystem.

The reality nobody talks about

Christine was brutally honest about what celebrity partnerships actually require.

"There's a lot of collaboration, a lot of coordination. We might be lucky enough to do this once or maybe twice in your lifetime as a marketer."

Translation? This is expensive. This is complex. This eats resources.

"Her whole team and her agency, we're working with our internal teams from our creative team to all the other teams. It's really a very collaborative, highly detailed, highly planned, highly organized process."

But when you get it right? The impact justifies everything.

The questions that separate winners from waste

Before you even think celebrity partnerships, ask yourself this.

What feeling do we want to create? Not impression. Emotion. Realtor.com wanted "home heart feel." What's yours?

Who already embodies that feeling? Don't start with available celebrities. Start with the feeling.

How does this serve everyone we work with? Realtor.com understood that agents need brands that help them connect with consumers.

Can we maximize this everywhere? Christine's team created assets for agents to use locally at realtor.com/marketing

Do we have the resources to do this right? Celebrity partnerships aren't just appearance fees. It's production, coordination, legal, activation, ongoing management.

The framework that actually works

Christine's approach breaks down like this.

• Define the emotion first. What do you want people to feel about your brand?

• Find genuine alignment. Who naturally embodies that emotion?

• Test for connection, not reach. Can this person actually connect with your audience?

• Plan for your entire ecosystem. How does this partnership help everyone you serve?

• Maximize every asset. How can you extend this beyond the main campaign?

• Commit fully. Half-executed celebrity partnerships are worse than none.

Why this changes everything

Celebrity partnerships done right transfer trust, emotion, and meaning.

Done wrong, they feel like expensive attempts to buy attention.

The difference isn't budget. It's strategy.

The Realtor.com marketing team understood something most marketers miss. In a world where consumers get bombarded with celebrity endorsements, the ones that work feel inevitable.

Of course Reba would partner with a company about home. Of course she'd represent something that helps people find where they belong.

That's not accident. That's strategy.

The hidden cost calculation

Christine's honesty revealed something crucial. Celebrity partnerships are once-in-a-lifetime investments for most marketers.

The real cost isn't just the celebrity fee. It's months of coordination across teams. Premium production values. Legal complexities. Activation across channels. Ongoing management.

But when you nail it like Realtor.com did? The ROI compounds across your entire business.

What to do right now

Define your feeling. What emotion does your brand represent? Write it down.

• Map authentic alignment. Who naturally embodies that feeling?

• Consider your ecosystem. How would a celebrity partnership impact every stakeholder you serve?

• Plan for maximization. How can you extend this investment across every touchpoint?

• Budget for reality. Celebrity partnerships are strategic investments, not tactics. Plan accordingly.

The brands that win with celebrity partnerships aren't the ones with the biggest budgets.

They're the ones with the clearest understanding of what they're actually trying to accomplish.

And the courage to choose connection over reach.