Tidey (2015) suggests increasing your customer base arguably is the fastest way to grow clothing brand. But make no mistake is it the only way, although when customer retention is proving to be somewhat difficult, why not just acquire some new ones.
When it comes to customer acquisition a little subtle advertising in celebrity endorsed form can help reach out to new customers on various channels whether it be a service of experience. Hard-core clothing advertising can in theory scare new customers whereas the featuring of a current celebrity can do just that without you even noticing Ilicic and Webster, 2015.
Endorsement has been around since advertising began but it has become the norm so the placement of a high-profile figure can make a real difference to a brand’s reputation and sales. Celebrity endorsed clothing lines help brands attain new customers for various reasons. Stringfellow (2017) argued a brand could attain new customers simply because they are a fan of celebrity used.. This enables brands to acquire loyal customers of celebrity X simply because they support all ventures by celebrity X and want to be a part of it in some way.
Byrne, Whitehead and Breen (2003) suggest celebrity endorsements can help with acquiring new customers the brand does not originally market to. In some cases this decision can catch the eyes of example a younger audience. Example of this can be seen with Kendal Jenner for Estee Launder (figure 1).
Figure 1
Estee Lauder is famously known as the cosmetic brand for the mature women in the city. When the brand chose young supermodel Kendal Jenner to be the face of the brand, many were unsure as she was only 19 at the time. Previous faces were the likes of Joan Smalls (28 years old) and Kate Moss (32 years old). Global brand president Jane Hertzmark Hudis explained that Kendal Jenner was the perfect link to help bridge the worlds of high fashion, entertainment and social media, as Kendall is a modern beauty who represents a whole new generation of women who love makeup and fashion (figure2). She went on further to say it “would be nice to share some of products with those who may not have tried us before”. Evans (2015) noted brands love endorsements, and consumers buy into “celebrity.”
figure 2
In 2014 Estee Lauder released its video campaign promoting its Double Wear Foundation. In 2015 Estee Lauder saw a 2.6% increase in subscribers between the ages of 18-24 year olds. Estee Lauder was no more your Mums’ brand of makeup but yours. For the release of their New Pure colour Lipstick collection, Estee Lauder teamed up with Kendal Jenner (considered one of the it girls of fashion) and Ellie King (America’s Got Talent 2016 winner). The video consists of the girls waking up from a crazy house party the night before with Kendal being the only one attempting to clean up. Elle leaves Kendall to clean up as she makes her way to the studio dropping her lipstick. Kendall picks up the Estee Lauder pure colour lipstick and switches voices with Elle as she puts it on. Elle soon realizes her singing is off before she’s without the lipstick and rushes home to find Kendall serenading a fork with her new found voice. Video can be found here (Wild Love: Watch Kendall Jenner & Elle King Mix It Up with New Pure Color Love Lipstick https://youtu.be/hy-nfZ6cLjM )
Ultimately, celebrity endorsements are always worth investing in if you have the right person. Escalas and Bettman (2015) argued cosmetic brands know how to pick the right celebrity for the right purpose. Morgan 2015 argued Estee Lauder wanted to attract a much younger audience and successfully did just that with Kendal Jenner figure 3.
figure 3
References:
Byrne, A, Whitehead, M and Breen, S. (2003) “The naked truth of celebrity endorsement”,
British Food Journal, Vol. 105 Issue: 4/5,pp. 288-296, [Online] Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00070700310477086 [Accessed 29th March 2017]
Crutchfield, D. (2010). Celebrity Endorsements Still Push Product. [online] Adage.com. Available at: http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/marketing-celebrity-endorsements-push-product/146023/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017].
Escalas, J. and Bettman, J. (2015). Managing Brand Meaning through Celebrity Endorsement. Brand Meaning Management, [online] pp.29-52. Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/S1548-643520150000012002 [Accessed 27 Feb. 2017].
Evans, M. (2015). Direct Line marketing director: Successful celebrity brand endorsements have a purpose at their heart – Marketing Week. [online] Marketing Week. Available at: https://www.marketingweek.com/2015/09/09/direct-line-marketing-director-successful-celebrity-brand-endorsements-have-a-purpose-at-their-heart/ [Accessed 16 Feb. 2017].
Ilicic. J and Webster, C.M, (2015) “Consumer values of corporate and celebrity brand associations”, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, Vol. 18 Issue: 2, pp.164-187, [online] available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/QMR-06-2013-0037. [accessed 8th April 2017]
Lewis, C. (2014). Kendall Jenner Is the New Face of Estée Lauder: Here’s Why It’s a Career Game-Changer. [online] TeenVogue.com. Available at: http://www.teenvogue.com/story/kendall-jenner-estee-lauder-campaign [Accessed 14 Apr. 2017].
Morgan, P. (2015). Estée Lauder’s Marketing Strategies to Reach New Consumers – Market Realist. [online] Marketrealist.com. Available at: http://marketrealist.com/2015/08/estee-lauders-marketing-strategies-reach-new-consumers/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2017].
Stringfellow, A. (2017). Customer Acquisition Strategy: Tips from 21 Experts. [online] NGDATA. Available at: https://www.ngdata.com/successful-customer-acquisition-strategy/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017].
Tidey, W. (2015). Acquisition vs Retention: The Importance of Customer Lifetime Value. [online] Huify.com. Available at: https://www.huify.com/blog/acquisition-vs-retention-customer-lifetime-value [Accessed 9 Mar. 2017].