Feeling celebrity brand fatigue
After last week’s musings on celebrity brand ambassadors, today we’re going to talk about celebs’ own brands – the kind they casually promote alongside their day jobs. |
Currently, the beauty market is overrun with product lines put out by the famous – and on the press side of the fence, the saturation is triggering fatigue. As the brands keep coming, the criteria for featuring them gets stricter. Accordingly, I imagine PRing such clients might be a little harder than it once was. Naturally, a brand’s newsworthiness depends on the compatibility of the celeb and a publication’s audience. But reviews and recommendations are usually determined by the quality of the products: it doesn’t matter how exciting the name is behind it, if the formulas don’t perform, they won’t receive resounding editorial praise. And, on that note, we do need to try samples should you deem them relevant for our titles. Holding back on a journo show-and-tell to build anticipation or demonstrate exclusivity can give the wrong impression. We just wonder what there is to hide. As I already harped on (see: wanting more from ambassadors), you need to expect us to push for access to a celeb brand founder. They are the story, after all. Having their presence in press outreach is a no brainer, too. For example, video messages are simple but impactful. Whether as a talking press release (I enjoyed one last week from the charismatic Jonathan Van Ness) or a personalised product intro (Trinny Woodall took the time to do this recently), the attention to detail pays off. Of course, the celebs behind both of those examples have genuine expertise in the areas they’re selling – which must make things easier. If only that was always the case. |
What Bridget Thinks… “Traditionally, perfume press releases are indulgently flamboyant. They can look like art and read like poetry but the lack of practicality frustrates – we shouldn’t have to reply asking for a price and launch date. Louboutin Beauty has gone the other way here with a short but sweet e-blast. I’d welcome a happy medium, though – a little more descriptive detail alongside the key specs wouldn’t go amiss.” |
|