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Are the celebrities always effective?

The use of advertising has changed over the past 100 years, from the classic to the modern school.The modern advertising strategies various appeals are included, such as sexual, chock, emotional, fear, and humor. The main purpose of these appeals is to deliver the information that the company seeks to send to gain high brand awareness and brand recognition among a large audience. However, when using any of these appeals there is always a person included, sometimes someone unknown or in most cases a well known person in the public eye. According to McCracken (1989), well-known person tends to have a greater effect on consumer buying behavior.  He also says that when it comes to transferring meanings to brands celebrity endorser are effective. Are they always effective?

Tiger Woods

When a celebrity gets associated with negative information (e.g Kate Moss, Tiger Woods) seems to have the tendency to damage the company's image. This is mainly due to the fact that high credibility as well as negativity effect has a tendency to be more reflected upon positive information in the consumer's evaluation.Till and Shimp (1998) explain that companies have to be aware of the possibility of attaining negative publicity when using celebrities as endorsers, since this may affect the consumers' perception of the brand. Negative information about a celebrity can harm how consumers perceive the product/brand through the connected link between the brand and celebrity Till and Shimp (1998).
 Sometimes the selection of a celebrity endorser can be very complex!!!

The Metrosexual Phenomenon!!!

Street Style

A (quite) new name for something quite old. Men with taste & style who know about fashion, art, and culture have always existed. In past centuries, these kinds of men were in the uppercrust of society (more leisure time). Technology  and the increasing income of young men has enabled them with more leisure time and money, so males can now fuss over their looks and aesthetics almost as much as women.

Mark Simpson invented this term in 1994, and it drifted slowly from one media source to another throughout the rest of 1990s and early 2000s. Then Simpson wrote another article about metrosexuals in the online magazine Salon.com on July 22, 2002, and the term took off.

''Chuck Buss''- Gossip Girl

"The typical metrosexual is a young man with money to spend, living in or within easy reach of a metropolis — because that's where all the best shops, clubs, gyms and hairdressers are. He might be officially gay, straight or bisexual, but this is utterly immaterial because he has clearly taken himself as his own love object and pleasure as his sexual preference. Particular professions, such as modeling, waiting tables, media, pop music and, nowadays, sport, seem to attract them but, truth be told, like male vanity products and herpes, they're pretty much everywhere"', ( Mark Simpson, 2002).

David Beckham-GQ

The promotion of metrosexuality was left to the men's style press, magazines such as The Face, GQ, Esquire, Arena and FHM, the new media which took off in the Eighties and is still growing (GQ gains 10,000 new readers every month). They filled their magazines with images of narcissistic young men sporting fashionable clothes and accessories. And they persuaded other young men to study them with a mixture of envy and desire. 

 What women think about metrosexual....??

 

''It was then that I realized why my dating life has been as mysterious as the Bermuda Triangle since I arrived in Washington. This city, unlike any other place I've lived, is a haven for the metrosexual. A metrosexual, in case you didn't catch any of several newspaper articles about this developing phenomenon (or the recent "South Park" episode on Comedy Central), is a straight man who styles his hair using three different products (and actually calls them "products"), loves clothes and the very act of shopping for them, and describes himself as sensitive and romantic. In other words, he is a man who seems stereotypically gay except when it comes to sexual orientation'' (Alexa Hackbarth, "Vanity, Thy Name Is Metrosexual," The Washington Post, November 17, 2003).

CartoonStock

"The perfect feminine beauty"

Angelina Jolie-Vanity Fair

“With the advent of movies and television, the rules of femininity have come to be culturally transmitted more and more through standardized visual images… We are no longer given verbal descriptions or exemplars of what a lady is or of what femininity consists.”(Bordo, 1993).
This feminine ideal which feminist theorists argue is further generated and reinforced by women’s magazines through the use of such ‘models’ seems to imply that the body is never feminine enough: “that they must be deliberately and oftentimes painfully remade to be what ‘nature’ intended” (Urla & Swedlund, 1995: 240).

Gisele Bunchen- Vogue

The ideal of feminine beauty and the perfect body as promoted and reinforced by the cosmetic, weight-loss and fashion industries create in women a “dark vein of self hatred, physical obsessions, terror of aging, and dread of lost control”(Wolf, 1991) while paradoxically offering a sense of female unity through both positive and negative representation: that popularity with men comes from the achievement of the ideal and popularity with women comes from an empathy and sense of unity in achieving the ideal.

Eva Mendes- Marie Claire

Eva Mendes - Endorser for Calvin Klein

Celebrity images and women’s magazines are a key factor influencing the ideal of feminine beauty and the perfect body in relation to the formation of self. There have been several studies into the influences which magazines have upon women and the formation of gendered identity and on the importance of celebrity in modern culture. Wolf references an interview conducted with a women’s magazine reader which summarizes these relationships: the young woman describes buying such magazines “as a form of self-abuse. They give me a weird mixture of anticipation and dread" (Wolf, 1991).

Kate Moss- Elle

Celebrity Gossip Magazines

Hello! (UK),  April 2012

In recent times, celebrity magazines have jumped to the forefront of the reader's circle when it comes to magazines. In fact, celebrity magazines have become more popular than news magazines or public interest magazines.Celebrities have always been popular, and people have always liked to subscribe to them. Celebrity gossip magazines are targeted at a largely young, female audience; catering for those who are interested in celebrity gossip and scandal, often through the use of paparazzi photography (Holmes, 2005). One of the key features of these publications is critiquing celebrities for not looking at their best; whether in terms of dress or physical appearance.

OK! (USA), April 2012

These magazines highlight the significance of such features within their own publications, stating that they are “packed with exclusive interviews, up-to-date gossip and photos of our favorite stars”. The sense of surreal intimacy with celebrities means that “their private lives will attract greater public interest than their professional lives”(Turner, 2004) and with celebrity gossip magazines such as OK! and Closer, and the increasing number of celebrities famous for nothing more than being famous which they endorse, this trend is likely to continue.

Closer, February 2012

Product Placement

Product placement place an increasingly important role in the advertisement of consumers goods, including clothing and accessories. Research suggests that audiences tend to have a positive attitude towards product placement when they believe that the practice increases the realism of media content (Lee et al., 2011). Research also indicates that the naturalistic representation of brands reinforces the integrity of factionalised storylines and reflects the 'real life' experiences of the audience in the entertainment media setting (DeLorme and Reid, 1999).

Sex & the City

 Furthermore film and television product placement have been found to enhance brand awareness, attitudes and purchase intent (Russell, 2002). Product placement acts in a more unobtrusive way be evoking the positive association, aspiration, and symbolic meaning connected with the underlying movie content (Roussell, 1998). Consumers connect the film world to their own, mapping the film (DeLorme and Reid, 1999), which in turn influence attitudes and consumption norms (Pechmann and Shih, 1999).

Gossip girl

 

Vintage Mania!!!

Vintage clothes are growing in desirability, and celebrities who aren’t afraid to show off their unique style are always the first to flaunt their vintage finds. Some celebrities collect vintage items, such as Beyonce, who collects vintage Chanel, while other celebrities love to wear vintage because it makes them stand out from the Hollywood pack, such as Chloe Sevigny.

Choe Sevigny

 Way back in 1997 the New York Times did an article about the increasing popularity of vintage couture. The article referenced the fact that Barbra Streisand was known to purchase and perform in womens vintage clothing. In fact, she is credited as being the first celebrity to bring vintage clothing into the spotlight. In 2001 Julia Roberts, wore a vintage dress to the Oscars. Since then there has been a massive increase in interest for vintage clothes.

Julia Roberts Oscar 2001-Vintage Valentino

Womens vintage clothing is so much more than just used clothes. It’s clothing that had style back in its time and which continues to have style today even though the era when it was originally made is long gone. And don't forget that, there’s no easier way to go green than by buying vintage clothing.

The Little Black Jacket

The famous Little Black Jacket created in  the 1950s by the Gabrielle ''Coco'' Chanel, the iconic style has been reinvented by the creative director Karl Lagerfeld season after season and is the subject of the upcoming book, "The Little Black Jacket: Chanel's Classic Revisited" which has been panned by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld.
 

Sara Jessica Parker

For the project the designer gathered more than a hundred celebrities and all wore the Little Black Jacket their own way.  ''The Chanel jacket has became the symbol of a certain elegance, feminine, with an air of nonchalance, classic and timeless, that is of all times'' said Karl Lagerfeld in Paris after the photo shoot of the book The Little Black Dress. The book will accompany the opening of an exhibition dedicated to it in Tokio.

"Chanel et Japon," a sketch by designer Karl Lagerfeld

Chanel for one more time uses its heritage and history in order to maintain brand equity and thus mean brand awareness and positive brand image. Chanel consider as a heritage brand because it has chosen to emphasize its history as a key component of its brand identity and positioning. The reason companies with heritage should use it is to take advantage of differentiation that is valuable for customer/consumer and other stakeholders, distinctive the brand, and difficult to imitate for the competitors (Urde, et al., 2007). Hence the brand association with the Coco Chanel and its heritage is an important point of difference from its competitor and a strong, favorable and unique association in the mind of consumers (Keller, et al., 2012).

Source: Chanel News

A royal ambassador for Gucci

Charlotte Casiraghi is the new face of Gucci for the ''Forever Now'' advertising campaign. The iconic brand selects one more time a celebrity in order to promote its new campaign. In addition to this celebrity endorsement has became a popular approach in the branding process both in terms of gaining and keeping attention and in creative favorable associations leading to positive brand knowledge and distinct brand image (Carroll, 2008). But why Gucci chose Charlotte as the new ambassador?

 She is a renowned fashionista, she is fourth in line the throne of Monaco. And what more can epitomize a designer household name to royalty than royalty herself. Furthermore Gucci's creative director, Frida Giannini has been exclusively designing Charlotte's riding gear for the past couple of years, as Charlotte races horses at the competition level. Moreover Charlotte will take part in the Olympic games this summer in London. Do you think that is a coincidence that the campaign started the same year with the Olympics?

And don't forget that the 25 years old royal is the granddaughter to Hollywood  icon actress Grace Kelly (Princess Grace of Monaco) and daughter to Princess Carolina of Monaco. According to Ohanian (1991) stresses that be truly effective, celebrities chosen as endorsers should be knowledgeable, experienced and qualified in order to perceived as an expert in the category.
So is Charlotte the right ambassador for the Italian house?

Celebrities on street style

It would seem sometimes that z-list celebrities are virtually there to be mannequins for the fashion industry. When you see them in magazines and fashion blogs, and all you're told about is what they're wearing and not what they're doing, you do begin to wonder, don't you? Are we really meant to be in awe of such people, or they are reported about for other reasons? Why are we always told about what they are wearing? When you stop to think about it, more questions are raised.

Alexa Chung-Claudia Schiffer-Gwyneth Paltrow

 But does Celebrity fashion really influence what people wear in the high street? To a certain extent I think it does. Not only celebrity endorsers which defined from McCraken (1989) as '' any individual who enjoys public recognition and uses this recognition on behalf of a consumer good by appearing with it an advertisement'' (p.310)  have great influence on consumers buying behavior, but also implicit endorsement (I use this brand) and co-present endorsement (I merely appear with the brand)  (Miller and Allen, 2011) have a certain amount of influence on fashion.

Sarah Jessica Parket-Jessica Alba-Ashley Simpson

 
More and more examples of implicit and co-present endorsements can be seen in today's media...don't you think that a lot of consumers try to imitate them?

Sustainable style in Oscar 2012

The red carpet has opened for the 84th Annual Academy Awards, the biggest night in Hollywood and in fashion. This year a lot of  Hollywood  stars vote Eco-friendly fashion. Let's take a look in the Green Carpet Challenge.

Meryl Streep

Maryl Streep the big winner of the night chose to wear an amazing gold eco gown made from Lavnin for the Green Carpet Challenge. Livia Firth were a Valentino Haute Couture which was custom made from recycling polyester from plastic bottle and Colin Firth selects for one more time the sustainable style by wearing Tom Ford wool tuxedo and he join the GCC.

Colin Firth and Livia Firth

Kenneth Branagh and his wife Lindsay

 Supporting Actor nominee Kenneth Branagh and Damian Bichir both were Ermenegildo Zegna for Green Carpet Challenge.

Damian Bichir and Stefanie Sherk

Hollywood and designers are Eco-friendly sensitive or that sustainably style helps them to increase their image?


A large number of customers show increased environmental awareness and a preference for green firms and their product, revealing their willingness to purchase and pay more for environmentally friendly product/service( Manaktola and Jauhari, 2007 ). A recent research done by the Athens Laboratory of Research in Marketing in collaboration with the Center of Sustainability about green marketing found more than 92% of consumers has a positive attitude towards the companies that are sensitive on environmental matters (Papadopoulos et al., 2009). In addition to this the luxury brands knows very well how to promote the Eco-friendly strategy through the celebrity endorsers as according to Byrne et al. (2003, p.283) ''celebrity can built, refresh and add new dimensions. What celebrities stand for enhances brands and they save valuable time in terms of creating the credibility a company has to create in order to built its brands by transferring their values to the brand. When consumers see a  credibly celebrity endorsing a product they think the company must be OK''. 

I think that it is hard to answer........!!!

London Fshion Week - Mary Katrantzou

Mary Katratzou Fall 2012-London Fashion Week

As a relatively new designer (only 28 years old), Mary Katrantzou has once proven that she belongs amongst the unique designers this London Fashion Week. She continued her use of colorful and architectural inspired shapes for her Fall 2012 collection and as a queen of print, her prints of this season remained incredibly and unique.

Mary Katratzou Fall 2012-London Fashion Week

Enjoy this video from Katrantzou's collection Fall 2012, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do

 

Swinging Sixties

In  the 60s simple to be young was to be fashionable.Teenagers no longer wanted to dress like their parents.The fashion revolution was youth oriented and youth driven and began in the streets rather than in the old line couture houses, street style had taken over to such an extent that Balenciaga retired in 1968 announcing that couture was dead. The Baby Boomers were coming of age.
 In Britain, musical taste and style of dress were closely linked and it was the mod look which first popularized the simple geometric shapes typical of the 1960s. Slim fitting, brightly colored garments were sold cheaply in boutiques all over ''Swinging London'' and had tremendous influence trough Europe and the U.S. In 1965, Dianna Vreeland, editor of Vogue magazine said ''London is the most swinging city in the world at the moment''.

Street Fashion, 1960s

                                                                  
The miniskirt was the mast eye-cathing garment of the decade, designed for an ideally skinny female form. Woman's Mirror magazine had been searching for models who were young and exceptionally thin, and found their ideal match in Lesley Harnby.Twiggy was the decades leading model, her gawky, knock kneed androgynous look became a significant style element of the 60s, and she was on the cover of every major fashion and teen magazine.

                                          

Twiggy-Vogue, July 1967

                                                         
The sixties saw major changes in the newspapers and magazines industry, with advert of color supplements for papers and the first 'tabloids' appearing, while many of the older papers were either taken over or creased publication. One of the best-known and longer-lasting regular addition was by the Daily Mail in 1968. Called Femail, examining, discussing and enlarging on aspect of what they perceived to be the interests of their female readership. Magazines, too, took on whole new look to match the changing culture, as the sixties marked a time when a women were starting to became more independent . Women's magazines like Nova, were very much more visually inventive, as were Vogue and Queen, using photo-lithography to adapt type to fit around picture.

Veruschka-Vogue, Febrouary 1969

                                                    

Queen carried articles about the latest jet-set upper class ''fashion icons'' using famous photographers such as Cacin Beaton,Cartier Bresson and Norman Parkison but also importantly, dealt with social issue. It was the first magazine to do an in-depth feature on ''social'' drug usage and was at the forefront with feminist issues. Furthermore, Mass Media not only contained more references to sex in 1950, but the media had also shifted from a ''conservative, restrictive, or rejecting'' attitude concerning sex to a more ''liberal, permissive, or accepting'' one (Scott and Franklin, 1972, p.80).

Magazines in 19th century

Fashion magazines are an essential component of the fashion industry. They are the medium that conveys and promotes the design's vision to the eventual purchaser. Fashion magazines arose mainly in nineteenth century as La Belle Assemblee (1806), The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine(1852) and Vogue (1892). The changing role of nineteenth century women from a worker to the form to a woman of the society, was reflected in fashion transformations, with fashion magazines that spoke directly to women. Meanwhile, during the Victorian Era the rise of the economy allowed the common man to afford more clothing. Cloth making was easier and cheaper during the industrial boom of this time: Sewing machines and factories were used for the first time in history to provide mass qualities of clothing. Hence, magazines stressed the novelty and desirability of clothing picture.

                                             Victorian wedding dress from Harper Bazaar
                                                                   June 13, 1868

                                                    La Belle Assemblee 1826
                                                    

In addition the rise of department stores, the advert of mass-product clothing and the explosion of the fashion press had made the latest fashion knowledge more affordable and accessible to stylish women of all classes. The woman as consumer became a recurring feature of fashion plates and illustration after 1875 (Breward,1994) and remains until today the main consumer of fashion magazines.

                                                                 Vogue, June 1913

Hotness in the Onion look

Due to the Siberian climate that Europe has been through the past days here are
some ideas on how to be stylish even in the coolest days..... 

Kate Moss

 tip: The key to layering is keeping under-layers close-fitting. This keeps the look from being bulky and increases the comfort factor.

Gwneth Paltrow

and don't forget ..."fashion can really be magic"!
                           Kat