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MANILA - Celebrity endorsers are still a "big plus" to a political candidate's election campaign, according to campaign strategist Alan German.

German told ANC's After The Fact on Wednesday that although there is no numerical value yet as to how much they contribute to a campaign, celebrities still help increase the public's awareness of a specific candidate and their memorability.

"When celebrities attach themselves to you or your brand, immediately there is a spike in your awareness because you inherit the fanbase of that celebrity," German said. "Memorability is also increased because instead of saying 'sino nga pala si Alan German?' then they say, 'Ah yung pinili or yung kasama ni so-and-so sa poster.' Mas kilala yun, eh."

German added that studies in retail have shown that people tended to notice brands of products that were endorsed by celebrities, and this applied to candidates as well.

"The purchase intent really has been measured to increase in competitive markets," he said. "When a celebrity endorses these products, the products that they endorse really stands out from their competitors without endorsements."

For German, the more "eyeballs" a celebrity have on them, or the most engagement or social media presence, the more effective they are in endorsing a certain political candidate. He added that politicians can make use of celebrities to appeal to a certain demographic.

"Halimbawa mahina ka sa youth, pipili ka ng bata. Mahina ka sa LGBTQ, pipili ka ng endorser na ganon who is popular in their community," German said.

Even celebrities who are considered to be past their prime could be useful to a political candidate, as they still draw people to campaign sorties, especially in the provinces.

"They have a great value outside of NCR and especially in sorties," German said. "While they may not be popular in the mainstream, they are what we call 'draw multipliers'. They're still draw multipliers when they attend an event, pinupuntahan padin sila ng mga tao."

When asked how much a celebrity could make in endorsing a candidate, German said top stars could be paid up to P40 million. Though he added that this entails a lot of work and locked a celebrity in the deal for at least a year.

"You're not just posing for photos or appearing in meet and greets or in their posters or merch mats," German said. "You know, a political campaign, really, would entail a lot of blood, sweat, and tears for a celebrity."

Political candidates, especially those in the 2022 presidential race, have enlisted the help of celebrities to endorse them such as Toni Gonzaga's hosting of the Bongbong Marcos-Sara Duterte UniTeam tandem's Grand Proclamation Rally in Bulacan last month.

• READ: Bongbong expresses gratitude to Toni Gonzaga
• READ: Andrew E performs at UniTeam's Bulacan rally

Meanwhile, other celebrities like Cherry Pie Picache, Agot Isidro, and Nikki Valdez are among the celebrities that endorsed Vice President Leni Robredo. "Eat Bulaga" star Vic Sotto has also lent a hand to endorse his brother Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and presidential candidate Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson.

• IN PHOTOS: Celebs lend star power to proclamation rallies