How Celebrities Can Shift Demand: Beckham, Ronaldo and Brand Image

Brands use celebrities because they hope famous people will make their products seem more desirable. A celebrity can make a product look stylish, fashionable or aspirational. But celebrity influence can also work the other way. A public figure can damage a brand’s image or make consumers think differently about a product.

Two useful examples are David Beckham and Tudor watches, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Coca-Cola.

Example 1: David Beckham and Tudor watches

David Beckham is a Tudor watch ambassador. Tudor presents him as part of the brand’s image and identity.

This matters because luxury watches are not bought simply to tell the time. Most people already have a phone for that. A luxury watch is partly about style, status and identity.

When Beckham wears a Tudor watch in public, the brand receives attention. On the opening day of Wimbledon 2026, Beckham was photographed wearing a steel Tudor Black Bay 58.

For an economics student, this is a useful example of how celebrity endorsement may shift demand.

The watch itself has not changed because Beckham wore it. However, consumers’ perceptions of it may change. Some may see the watch, or the Tudor brand more generally, as more stylish, desirable or aspirational.

In economic terms, the endorsement may influence consumers’ tastes and preferences. These are non-price determinants of demand. Celebrity endorsement is also a form of non-price competition. Tudor is trying to make its watches more desirable through branding, image and its association with Beckham rather than by reducing prices.

If this makes consumers willing to buy more Tudor watches at any given price, demand will shift to the right. However, seeing Beckham wear the watch does not by itself prove that such a shift occurred. Evidence about enquiries, website visits or sales would be needed to establish the actual effect.

Example 2: Cristiano Ronaldo and Coca-Cola

Celebrity influence can also work against a brand.

In June 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo moved two Coca-Cola bottles away from him at a Euro 2020 press conference. He then held up water and said “Agua”, meaning water.

For Coca-Cola, the problem was not just that the bottles were moved. The problem was the message.

Ronaldo is strongly associated with fitness, discipline and elite sport. So when he appeared to choose water over Coca-Cola, the public message was powerful. His gesture appeared to suggest that water was the healthier choice.

If the incident changed consumers’ tastes or reinforced existing health concerns, some consumers might have become less willing to buy Coca-Cola at any given price. This would cause demand for Coca-Cola to shift left.

Evaluation: be careful about causation

Students need to be careful here.

It would be too simple to say that Ronaldo definitely caused demand for Coca-Cola to fall. Demand depends on many factors, including price, income, advertising, brand loyalty, availability, substitutes and wider health trends.

Reuters later reported that Coca-Cola’s chief financial officer said the company had not seen a direct sales impact from Ronaldo’s action.

That actually makes the example more useful. It gives students an evaluation point.

A strong answer might say:

Ronaldo’s action may have affected Coca-Cola’s brand image, but it is difficult to prove a direct impact on sales because Coca-Cola is a global brand and demand is influenced by many factors at the same time.

That is the key lesson.

Celebrities do not control demand, and publicity does not necessarily translate into measurable sales. However, celebrities can influence tastes, preferences and brand image. In markets where identity, status, health or lifestyle are important, this may make consumers more or less willing to purchase a product at any given price.

For A-Level Economics, the key distinction is between a possible influence on demand and proof that demand actually shifted.

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