RAPAPORT... Developing a celebrity connection to promote diamond jewelry seems like a match made in Hollywood heaven. Red-carpet events with their inherent glitz and glamour can provide the ultimate in sophisticated backdrops to set off the sparkle and beauty of diamonds.
“Celebrities do get an enormous amount of attention and news and magazine coverage,” states Laura Ries, president, Ries & Ries, a marketing strategy firm in Atlanta, Georgia, and co-author of The Fall of Advertising & The Rise of PR. “We are a celebrity-obsessed society. People are very interested in what they’re wearing and what they like and which brands they choose.”
Greg Kwiat, chief financial officer (CFO) of Kwiat and chief executive officer (CEO) of Fred Leighton, agrees that “celebrity has tremendous power in the U.S. and around the world. Certainly, it can be very beneficial for a brand to have a celebrity wear its jewelry to the right event.”
Larry Platt, co-owner with his sister Natasha Tsimmerman of Platt Boutique Jewelry in Los Angeles, has benefited in “a variety of ways,” he says, “from celebrities wearing our jewelry on the red carpet and in magazines over the past four years. I feel one of the most positive results a brand or store can achieve from celebrities adorning its jewelry is being recognized as ‘legitimate.’ It helps you stand apart from other brands and companies, because not everyone can get celebrity backing.”
Red-Carpet Reflections“Hollywood has always and forever been about aspirational fantasy,” says Kwiat. “Even in challenging economic times, we turn to the glamour of the red carpet for escapism.” Fashion coverage for high-profile red carpets, such as the Oscars, the Golden Globes and the Emmy Awards, he points out, “rivals the coverage of the awards ceremony itself. If done properly, TV and movie appearances can be meaningful as well.”
For Hollywood jeweler Neil Lane, adding his jewelry to celebrities’ red-carpet looks is “part and parcel of my career in Hollywood. I didn’t plan on getting celebrities to endorse me or wear my jewelry or get credit on the red carpet. It just grew organically. I’ve been here for over 20 years and when the red carpet started getting popular, eight or nine years ago, I was the guy to go to.” And what the red carpet provides, he says, are “iconic moments” that are captured “forever.”
According to Platt, most consumers understand that “celebrity” is a different world that often revolves around glamour and being over the top. “I think when consumers are watching the red carpet, they’re hoping and expecting to see celebs all glammed up in elaborate gowns and over-the-top jewels. That’s the beauty of the red carpet. You get to see things that are not typical of day-to-day life.”
Choosing WiselyThe celebrity that you choose, however, has to be credible, warns Ries. “If a celebrity does indeed have a pre-existing credible connection and love of diamonds, using them in terms of PR, having them wear diamonds, can be incredibly effective. But you can’t pick just any celebrity. The one everyone has known about for years is Elizabeth Taylor. She had that connection to diamonds — you need an Elizabeth Taylor of today.”
“We loan Kwiat jewels to those celebrities with whom we have a long-standing relationship,” Kwiat says. “We are very selective and ensure that the ladies who wear our diamonds complement the timeless elegance of the Kwiat brand image. It’s important that a brand ensure that the celebrities who wear its jewels match the company’s aesthetic and image. As with any celebrity relationship, you need to be careful that you are associating with the right people.”
The spotlight on celebrities can also be glaring, which can reflect badly on your product. “Jewelry for me is a fantasy, it’s a luxury,” says Lane. “It’s the sense of a heightened experience of a moment, of beauty, of attainment; it’s very ethereal. When someone is wearing your jewels as part of a brand and they do something scandalous, it diminishes the whole effect.”
Selling the Image“When a celebrity is willing to wear your product or represent your brand, they are standing behind it, believing in it,” says Platt. “For many consumers, when a celebrity represents a particular product, it is the ultimate sign of quality — if they are wearing it, it must be the best design, it must be unique.’”
Does this translate into sales? Absolutely, says Lane. “Any exposure that a jewelry company gets through celebrities definitely helps. Especially today, when these glamour shots, these red-carpet photos, are put all over the world in a moment. The speed of it is instantaneous. I’ll do an interview for Australia while the red carpet is happening.”
The most direct route from “the celebrity to the sale,” Kwiat points out, is with an aspirational shopper. “Celebrity-branded lines are often sold in more mass retail environments. Wealthier shoppers are less susceptible to the direct celebrity effect, but they still watch for cues on style and trends. The effect might be less obvious, but it’s still there.” Another positive about having your product on celebrities is that other celebrities are often drawn to that, Platt points out. “We have had other celebrities come to us because their celebrity friends have worn and even bought pieces from us. Celebrities trust one another when it comes to referrals on high-end purchases. We’ve built wonderful relationships with celebrities and their stylists by loaning out our pieces to them.”
“I definitely think what I do in Hollywood helps my sales,” says Lane. “But again, the thing has to be pretty, it has to have charm, be attractive, to have longevity value. And I think the public is very smart and likes seeing what they feel is organic. Sometimes well-known brands don’t translate as well on the red carpet. It looks more contrived. I think the public is aware of things like that and it can have a backfiring effect.” He cites a customer from Indiana who has bought several pieces over the years. “I get a call every once in a while, ‘Oh, I saw Kate Hudson or I know that Hilary Duff is wearing your bracelet, I recognize your style.’ And, in fact, I did just sell her a bracelet that Hilary Duff was wearing — but not just because Hilary Duff wore it, but because she liked it.”
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - December 2009. To subscribe click here.