Ad Track: Star wranglers are the secret behind hot parties

NEW YORK -- Whether it's a Super Bowl party for thousands or dinner for a few, a dash of star power can help make sure a marketer's event gets noticed.

A celebrity attendee — particularly on their own and not as paid endorsers — can help attract the desired crowd and, even better, result in photos that leverage event spending with free publicity, from blogs and tabloids to magazines, TV and newspapers.

The competition to get celebs to show up is fierce. Last year, marketers spent about $20 billion on nearly 900,000 events and parties, says David Adler, CEO of event marketing publishing company BizBash.

"For big marketing events, celebrities are really important, but the press world is so competitive," he says.

To corral stars, marketers increasingly are hiring specialists in so-called celebrity wrangling, such as Los Angeles companies The A List, headed by Ashlee Margolis; Feinstein/McGuiness public relations; and Flying Television in New York.

New Yorker Lori Levine started wrangling a decade ago and founded Flying Television, which had revenue of about $3 million last year. She saw opportunity when she was able to charge a PR firm a $1,200-a-month retainer for making phone calls as a side gig to her job as a talent booker for Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

"It felt like things were changing very quickly," says thirtysomething Levine as she sits in her office in Manhattan's trendy Flat Iron District. "The press kept asking what celebrities are going to be there. Within a few months the bulb became brighter and brighter, and I could see the revenue streaming in."

Says Levine, "As much money as you spend on these affairs, they only work if the celebrity quotient is there." What Levine offers brands is the access and persuasive skills to wrangle a star for their event.

"There's a lot of challenge and effort in dealing with celebrities," says Jane Mazur, director of media relations for Ogilvy, the PR unit of ad agency Ogilvy & Mather, which has used Levine's services for clients TV Guide and Gap shoe site Piperlime.com. "It's not just about agreeing to have them there. It's about matching the right celebrity to the marketing effort."