From the perspective of some people, aid agencies can take advantage of celebrities’ fame to raise public awareness towards certain matters of importance. Others, however, hold the view that such method may only bring counterproductive results. Personally, I find the latter more convincing. Those who support the idea of using famed individuals’ assistance have their own justifications.
First of all, people who are considered role models apparently have a considerable amount of influence on the public. Emma Watson, for instance, being a prominent actress, is currently the goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, promoting gender equality and undoubtedly drawing a great deal of attention from her admirers. Furthermore, a wider range of population can be reached if an organization’s campaign is represented by a popular star. In many parts of the world, some film stars are even more well-known to the locals than the organization itself owing to their appearance in familiar cinematic products. Therefore the introduction of a humanitarian campaign can be further facilitated thanks to the artists.
Nevertheless, I can understand why other people are against inviting celebrities for assistance. When relying on the fame of some people to attract more public attention, an aid programme can also be affected by their scandals. Mass public disapproval may arise from a representative receiving a speeding ticket or getting caught using illegal drugs, undervaluing the significance of the aid programme. Another foreseeable drawback is that the public might take the presence of famous entertainers as a mere publicity stunt. Without the evidence of real actions taken to mitigate a problem such as participating in a voluntary team to help the people in need, famous people may fail to draw the attention of people to the situation.
In conclusion, while some people have reasons to believe in the success of celebrities in getting people to pay attention, I tend to think that such approach might not prove to be effective for aid organisations as expected.