Using stars to sell products has always been seductive, because they’re not just selling the product, they’re selling identity. Advertisers try to convince us we can be like the stars by buying the products they tell us they believe in.
Plus, our instant recognition of the celebrity makes the ad a glamorous event rather than just a sales pitch. Call it conspicuous consumption with added value.
Now, it’s no great revelation that the fashion industry, in particular, has both worshiped women and employed them to sell its wares. Female sexuality, in particular, has long been refracted through the lens of the male-dominated fashion advertising industry.
But while Hollywood’s leading ladies have long lent, er, sold their famous faces for various fashion campaigns, lately Hollywood’s leading men have just joined the bandwagon. A new wave of fashion marketers is trying to make their brands say Hollywood glamour–specifically male Hollywood glamour.
Take Calvin Klein, for example. The designer went beyond renting just one famous face, teaming up with MTV for an Internet campaign promoting Calvin Klein duds by using well-known actors and musicians. The ad blitz featured up-and-coming actors and musicians including Chris Klein, Ja Rule and Moby.
The never stodgy Klein clearly wanted to reach the MTV-generation on a personal level, no doubt thinking well-known faces would gain a more immediate acceptance with the hip crowd than would traditional high-fashion models.
Designer Donna Karan also bypassed typical male models for her advertising campaign. Karan used Gary Oldman to show off her spring/summer 2000 line, then passed the rag torch to Jeremy Irons this year. A spokeswoman for the designer said she chose Irons for his elegance and sophistication.
Footwear company Skechers, whose gear typically appeals to the younger set and whose ads usually show teens dressed down in jeans and sneakers, lately seems to be trying to attract older yet still cool consumers. Matt Dillon, 37, became the first celebrity to sign a worldwide endorsement contract with Skechers in January. More recently, Rob Lowe, also 37, came on board as the brand’s endorser.
Dillon and Lowe offer Skechers access to a vast audience, their boyish good looks having grown even sexier as they’ve aged. Their ads will not only still attract teens, but also lure the older crowd who grew up with the actors. Skechers claims to have chosen Lowe for his ability to evolve (no doubt, considering his less-than-pristine past). The campaigns will run until spring 2002.
Plus-sized fashion industry leader Lane Bryant has undoubtedly been helped by past celebrity endorsements from Anna Nicole Smith, Camryn Manheim and Mia Tyler. But in an even wilier marketing ploy, Lane Bryant chose Sex and the City star Chris Noth as a celebrity spokesperson for its larger-ladies line.
There’s no question that Lane Bryant is cashing in on Noth‘s Mr. Big persona to bring a cool and sexy quotient to their clothing line that an anonymous model couldn’t. Noth‘s appearance with anonymous female models in the ads makes the clothing line that much sexier.
Of course, all of this is what makes celebrity fashion endorsements so appealing. Being able to be a part of the magic that surrounds the star–perhaps a little of that stardust will rub off if you’re wearing the same jacket or walking in the same shoes.
This new wave of advertising seems to be an inversion of the norm, a fresh element in marketing and a reflection of the cultural psyche in general; suddenly, finally, the fashion police are sexualizing the male actor.
(Hollywood.com editor Noah Davis contributed to this story.)
