While the draw of celebrity is something prevalent in most cultures around the world, there is an odd fascination that is very apparent in the Philippines. Apart from the common advertisements of some world-famous celebrity promoting a luxury brand or athletes endorsing products relative to their sport, in the Philippines, there are advertisements that feature actors sponsoring exterior paint, television personalities hawking animal feed, among other odd combinations.

Is the quality of the product alone not good enough for publication?

Have also seen celebrities being used to promote schools, featuring them walking through buildings, reading flowery lines about education, and encouraging people to enroll now.

Is that really a valid reason to enroll in a school? A favorite actor and actress suggests attending a certain school so it has to be good?

Perhaps it’s the same draw for people who like to vote celebrities into office. For the local voter, people who have lived their lives regurgitating scripts apparently are qualified enough to legislate – in some cases, just being the child of celebrities makes one “qualified.”

After working in higher education for around seven years, talking with a multitude of prospective students looking to attend college, celebrity was never a part of the discussion. When giving campus tours and working with new student orientation, topics included curriculum, scheduling, time management, extracurricular activities, among others. Upon entering the world of financial aid, it was primarily about cost, financing options, scholarship opportunities, and other related subjects.

If a celebrity endorses a school, but the student cannot afford tuition, is unable to find a course to their liking, and the location of the school is inconvenient, is it still a worthwhile investment? Is that the intention of such marketing campaigns, lure students in with a celebrity, even if the school may not be the best fit?

In previous jobs, while difficult at times, some people must be informed, given their situation, the school may not be the best fit – which, in the end, benefits the student.

Personally, when applying for college, was left with a choice between an affordable state school that was near home or an expensive private institution that was far away. Took the rational route and went with the affordable option. Sure the other school was in the heart of a major city and had fairly good name recognition, the sensible option was also a good school and (while very cliché) school is what one makes of it.

A similar theme is apparent with an ad recently put out by a local pharmaceutical company. It features three actors holding signs with the names of medicine produced by the company. At no time were the medicines shown, their purpose explained, nor evidence offered proving their effectiveness – it was just three celebrities dancing to a jingle suggesting the public buy the medicine because these actors say so.

Beyond getting an education because an actor or actress said so, taking health advice because of a celebrity endorsement seems all too strange – but do people really buy into it?

While the entire world has become more shallow – less content in what people say, the focus on material things and selfies, an obsession with showing off (even if the item being shown off isn’t that impressive) – perhaps it’s how people make decisions today.

In 1999, as a junior in high school, the serious considerations began in selecting where to attend college. As with most students in the United States, it included looking at one’s grades and how they stacked up with admissions requirements; location and if one wanted to go to school near home or not; how much was tuition and if one could afford it, and what were the options to make it work; what kind of coursework is offered and if they had education tracks that fit one’s goals; school reputation and determining “how good” they were (based on one’s personal criteria); among a myriad of other considerations.

Celebrity endorsements did not even come into play (nor were they prevalent in the US).

When it comes to things like education – and medicine – there are many more things to consider besides who they have as a spokesperson. If that is supposed to be today’s primary determinate in making such decisions, things have truly taken a turn for the worst./WDJ