Putting a well-known name at the front of a campaign can get attention.
But recognition on its own doesn’t give someone a reason to be talking about the story.
For Uswitch’s Safer Screens campaign, Greg Rutherford wasn’t there simply because people know who he is. He was also a parent dealing with the same questions the research was exploring: when should children get their first phone, how do you keep them safe online and what happens when they start feeling left out because their friends already have one?
That gave the conversation somewhere real to start.
Uswitch had the research and practical guidance for families. Greg had his own experience of facing those decisions as a parent.
That fit mattered far more than simply having a famous person attached to the campaign.
The Spokesperson Has To Make Sense
Broadcasters are used to celebrity-led campaigns.
The important question is whether the person actually belongs in the conversation.
If the connection feels forced, the interview can quickly become about the celebrity rather than the issue the campaign is trying to raise.
With Safer Screens, the connection was already there. Greg could talk about the same pressures other parents were experiencing, while Uswitch could provide the research and practical information behind the story.
The Sky News interview also gave space to discuss the Safer Screens tool itself, so the conversation could move from the problem parents were facing to something useful they could actually turn to.
That is the balance we want from a spokesperson.
They need to help make the story interesting, but they also need to be able to stay in the conversation once the obvious opening question has been asked.
For broadcast, that matters even more. Interviews move quickly, presenters ask follow-up questions and spokespeople have to be comfortable talking beyond a set of prepared lines.
A recognisable face might help get somebody’s attention. It can’t do the interview for them.
Start With The Story, Then Find The Person
There is always a temptation to begin with the name.
Who could we get? Who is famous enough? Who will make journalists open the email?
We think the better question comes first.
Who genuinely fits this story?
Sometimes that will be somebody well known. Sometimes it will be an expert, a customer, a campaigner or someone with direct experience of the issue.
For Safer Screens, Greg happened to bring both recognition and a genuine connection to the subject.
That is why it worked.
The lesson isn’t “get a famous person.”
It’s get the right person for the story.
