Internship Jitters

Tomorrow I begin my second internship of my college career, which as it ends becomes the beginning to my real career. This spring semester I will be an assistant publicist at an agency here in Chicago. I feel like it could be something great.

Things I want to accomplish as an intern

1.  Be of value

2.  Show reliability

3.  Take notes along the way

One way I want to take note of these things is by blogging, hence this post. Im very conscience of how exactly I choose to write in this blog. More than conscience I think I am frightened. The monster under the bed of this fear is the dreaded diary-esque entry. For this reason I will base this WordPress on landmarks that occur during my search for my post-graduate work/career. This is entirely feasible, yes?

Early to bed, early to rise.

Style Rookie knows her FTC

“Allllsooo, because of that new law, I am supposed to let you know that I receieved compensation and pieces from the Rodarte for Target collection for my collaboration with Target.”- Tavi Gevinson

In case you don’t know about Tavi Gevinson, you will soon enough. She is a 13 year old fashionista chick that is inspiring tons of designers lately. Most recently Kate and Laura of Rodarte. Rodarte used the Chicago Suburbanite as their muse for their latest line. Shortly after linking up with the designers she gave mentioned the compensation she was receiving from Rodarte in a blog entry, thus following the aforementioned changes the FTC made to their guidlines of endorsements which came into effect in early December.

Nice to know that people are taking the new guidelines seriously and bloggers(both big and small) are ready and willing to take endorse responsibly.

The Problem Lies in the Disconnect

Inconsistency between a spokesperson and a brand image can result to an ineffective campaign. When St. John Knights signed bad girl Angelina Jolie on for a three year print-ad contract shoppers were unresponsive. Consumers had trouble making a connection between Jolie’s controversial history and St. Johns conservative image. “The intent was to connect the conservative label with a younger generation,” says Suzanne Hader, principal of luxury consulting company 400twin, “but it created a backlash among die-hard fans due to Jolie’s rebellious public image.”
The profitability of a celebrity is often related to the connection that consumers feel to the character of the celebrity. The ability to feel a close connection with a celebrity greatly influences consumers and leads to profit for brands lucky enough to be tied to these celebrities. L’Oreal understands this concept very well and has called this the “J.Lo concept”.This concept consists of the transformation of an average girl into a superstar, thus making the average consumer feel personally targeted by the advertisement. L’Oreal profited from this concept when they placed Penelope Cruz in advertisements for mascara.
The difference in those two cases lies in the ability that consumers have to relate to a certain celebrity and how that affects their reaction to the celebrity endorsement. Can you think of any current celebrity endorsements that suffer from a disconnect?

Youth is More Likely to Buy Product a Celebrity Endorses

According to PR.com a recent survey conducted by WPP agency Mediaedge:cia (MEC) found that young adults are more likely to have a strong reaction to their favorite celebrity endorsing a product then older generations. In fact, results show that adults don’t care too much about wether their favorite celebrity promotes a brand or not and even have trouble remembering which celebrities have endrosement deals. This is what 14 percent of them responded in the survey.

I think It is fair to make the assumption that PRweek made, consumer appetite for celebrity endorsements is fading. Over 65 percent of respondents actually said that too many products are endorsed by celebrities. Although adults seem disinterested it can still be an effective tool to reach the young adult market.

This still leaves me wondering, are grown-ups less likely to admit to the influence celebrities have on them or do they really feel unaffective? And if they are unaffected should products and services geared toward an older maket save their promotional dollars for a different marketing tool? I find it hard to believe that adults are as unaffected by celebrity endorsements as they claim, especially when knowing consumer influence that Oprah has on the spending of middle aged women.

Updated FTC Guide to Endorsements in Effect Now

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed the first changes to their “Guides” since 1980 concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. These approved changes went into effect on December 1, 2009 and are drastic enough to alter the way companies market their products and services.

Advertising laws will now have to follow these “Guides”, which provide a set of rules that professionals are to adhere in order to avoid deceptive advertising. The Guides also outlines what the FTC considers deceptive and how exactly they have come to this conclusion.

The biggest change featured in the updated guidelines are for celebrity endorsers. Before the changes, celebrities were exempt from disclosing the fact that a brand was paying them money to endorse their product or service. It was just assumed that people knew the celeb was receiving some sort of monetary reward for their endorsement. The rule for the disclosure of this info remains the same for traditional media but now new media is recognized and required to disclose connections as well.

FTC has always required that celebrities disclose their relations with an advertiser. What is new is that this rule is to be applied to the world of social media where it is not as easy to spot a celebrity endorsement. The Guides needed to be updated as it was last updated long before social media blew up and bloggers had the power to influence.

I think these updates were long over due and will have a positive impact on the reputation of public relation professionals by placing a priority on transparency in the business of celebrity endorsements.

Oprah’s Golden Touch

It is no coincidence that every off the radar name that  Oprah touches becomes a highly demanded brand. What is it about her? Does she have a talent for spotting the best new products or are people buying things only because Oprah says so?

A main reason Oprah is able to influence what Americans purchase is because her target demographic is doing so much of it! Women account for 7 trillion dollars of US spending a year. This is a huge amount of money and Oprah has the  power to decide where it is distributed by what she features on her show, in her magazine, on her website, and on her radio segment.

When Oprah Winfrey suggests a product or a new book, women buy it. They help the charities she promotes, discuss the issues she raises and even embrace her “friends,” such as Dr. Phil. Experts provide several reasons for Oprah’s influence- One being that the content of Oprah’s show that focuses on what women truly care about.

Women want to learn about important wellness issues while learning how to look 10 years younger. They want to feel as if they are contributing to society by learning about charities all while being introduced to the Oprah’s favorite brownies.While Oprah may not have much in common with her audience, she has the ability to channel them through the way she acts. She is not afraid to cry on air when her dog dies or discuss the battle she has with her own weight.

Fans were shocked when Oprah recently announced that she would be leaving her talk to show in 2011 after 25 years of programming. She will remove herself from broadcast television and plans to launch her very   OWN network. It is hard to predict what women will do without her time slot in their daily schedules. What will the female consumer of America do without her sage-like advice and “Favorite Things” List ?

There is a chance the Oprah’s presence will decrease with the smaller audience that cable television caters to. I doubt that people will feel the effect of a world without the Oprah Winfrey Show because it will still be possible find her as her magazine, satellite radio channel, and numerous other ventures will continue on.

Julia Roberts Named “Global Ambassadress” for Lancome

Lancome has just announced their latest celebrity spokesperson to be the always pretty Julia Roberts. Breaking the news on December 4, 2009, Lancome president Youcef Nabi said, “By her remarkable personality and career, Julia Roberts is an emblematic woman of her time. Her exceptional talent, her radiance and her strong commitments, perfectly echo Lancome’s values”.

Lancome has given Roberts the title of “global ambassadress”.  This is the first time the company has had a single celebrity front the entire brand.

Lancome has a history of selecting timeless celebrities to involve with their campaigns. They truly have a thoughtful process that takes place before choosing a celebrity to associate with the reputation they have established. Some of their endorsements include deals with Kate Winslet, Clive Owens, Juliette Binoche, Anne Hathaway, Uma Thurman, and Mathieu Kassovitz.

Lancome’s recent decision to go with a single “global ambassadress” could be an attempt to create a new and distinguishable look for the brand.

The Beauty industry has been sweeping up the big names and it seems as if lately actors are more than  willing to sign their image to a brand. Lancome’s handful of celebrity endorsements has helped them regain some power. The relationship between top-tier stars and beauty products became big with Jennifer Lopez when she made quite a profit off of her perfume “Glow” in 2001.

Tiger on the prowl

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger…things aren’t looking so good for ya pal. Seems like lately Woods’ good boy image has taken a hit from his recent front yard car crash and alleged relationship with a Los Angeles cocktail waitress.

Woods released a statement on his website regarding the recent press attention his family has received. His statement came DAYS after much speculation surrounding the crash details and love affair rumors. The time between the news break and his statement only allowed time for suspicion to grow and rumors to spread once given that the tabloids had control of the story.

The news surrounding this story is very contradictory as his alleged lovers have both confirmed and denied having an affair with the once golden child of golf. He might be the only one who can set the record straight.

Public relations experts are saying that Woods has broken a major rule concerning damage control by not coming clean from the start. Woods not only took his time but he did not clearly address the accusations against him. It seems as if he is truly doing things his way.

What is in store for Woods in the future? One of his many sponsors, Nike,  has released a statement that their relationship with Woods will “remain unaffected” by the current negative attention their boy has received. As for the public, only time will tell what they choose to do with the provided information. After all I can’t be the only one who is intrigued by the numerous reports surfacing of the shady details of Woods’ supposed adulterous behavior.

Kate Moss and her skinny mistake

Kate Moss is a reknowned supermodel, bad girl, trend setter, and now  pro-anorexia enthusiasts? In a recent interview with the fashion website WWD Moss was asked to supply one of her favorite mottos. “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”  was her response.

Did she not realize that this just so happened to be the motto of several pro-anorexic groups? Interestingly enough she seems to share this motto with several pro-anorexic sites and groups.

Moss who is famous for her waif like figure began a super skin craze in the 1990s. As one of the thinnest stars in the celebrity spectrum she has undoubtedly served as an icon for weight conscious young woman.

Moss’s modeling agency has defended their client’s qoute as an unfortunate case of misinterpretation.You would think Moss’s “people” would have warned Moss to stay clear from placing her weight even further into the spotlight especially since the target market of celebrity gossip happens to be the same demographic at the highest risk of anorexia.

Business for Moss has not slowed down any since the 90′s. She has recently launched campaigns with such fashion corporations such as Topshop, David Yurman, and Coty.

There are already been signs of the effects of her qoute have ghad on social networking and blogging. Tweeters saying such things as “Well she’s right anyways”.

What should Moss do next? Could this be hurtful to her career or is it not surprising enough that people will let her slip up slid?

BRAND TYLER

In an interview with Classic Rock magazine Steven tyler addressed the rumor that he quit Aerosmith.  ”I don’t know what I’m doing yet,” Tyler said in the magazine, “but it’s definitly going to be something Steven Tyler, working on the brand of myself. Brand Tyler.”

Celebrity branding- the idea of making a brand out of your image. I don’t know what is funnier. But people buy it. So many celebrities are more like a brand than anything else. Mary Kate and Ashley, Oprah and David Beckham are all examples of strong celebrity brands.

An easy way to test the brand of a celebrity is to google them. The top results will present  a report of the most current image of the celebrity brand.

A brand is an image defined by what people think about them, they have a competitive positioning relative to the other celebrities.  Along with their brand they exist in the minds of their audience in the same way corporate brands do. The public also responds the same way they would respond to corporate brands by either buying into it or not.

The mention of a celebrity conjures a a certain image , an opinion or memory.This is unavoidable and difficult to track. Another way to test a celebrity’s brand power is to check out the sales of their latest product or service. This may include their latest perfume, clothing line, or grill. Many singers, actors and models have at least one product or service licensed to them. Celebrity branding is like a global phenomenon.  People buy the products and in a sense  they buy an extension of their favorite star.

If a celebrity is not aware or not careful then they can easily damage their brand. In the news recently for hurting their brand image are celebrities such as Kanye West for his VMA outbreak and Lindsay Lohan for her personal outbursts on her  Twitter account.

I think it might be too late for Steven Tyler to bust out with this Brand Tyler business. Hats off to the guy for trying!