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The love affair between brands and celebrities – the honeymoon might be over but perhaps we are looking towards a more rewarding relationship?
It’s nothing new to see a celebrity fronting a product launch or appearing in an advertising campaign, but the unfolding ‘Be Cointreauoversial’ campaign that unites the drinks brand with the unquestionably alluring Dita von Teese is something more than titillation and the usual endorsement. Dita takes on her natural role as muse to lead Cointreau boldly from its regular setting as a slightly dull after-dinner liqueur into a world of glamour. ‘Inspired’ by Cointreau, she’s created an exotic lavender-coloured cocktail, The Cointreau Teese, choreographed a sexy new burlesque performance piece (presumably to enhance consumption), and given us exclusive access to her backstage boudoir via a special online tour. All provide excellent content for fashionable on-the-pulse press such as the JC Report, allowing Cointreau to talk credibly to new audiences. As an icon of old-school decadence, scintillation and beauty, Dita brings to the party everything she stands for, gracefully bestowing her artistic and seductive powers onto her older, not so hip friend ‘Cointreau’ and gaining them access beyond the velvet rope.
By contrast, Campari’s ongoing attempts to bring themselves out of the back of mum’s drinks cabinet and into the martini glasses of the young and beautiful look contrived and superficial. The star of over-dramatised online Campari Tales, Eva Mendes, while undeniably attractive, lacks the depth of character to lead the brand anywhere new and unexpected and hence does not demand us to re-appraise and re-consider it. We’re left with a disappointing and oh-so-familiar bitter taste in our mouths.
What does this tell us? Certainly the trend for celebrity-brand partnerships is not over, but perhaps there are some useful rules of engagement to be learnt. If you choose to leverage the fame of a celebrity to enhance your brand’s image, choose someone who embodies and complements your brand’s values. When their talent goes beyond the aesthetic you can work with them to evolve not only the brand’s positioning, but its audience and how it reaches and connects with them. There are other examples beyond Dita and Eva – think more Jamie Oliver for Sainsbury’s (pre-‘Chickengate’) than Girls Aloud for KitKat.
Of course, the test for Cointreau will all be in the tasting and hopefully the new consumers attracted by the ‘Be Cointreauversial’ campaign will relish the drink as much as the dance. There’s nothing worse than a tease that doesn’t deliver and if the Cointreau Teese fails to live up to its luscious expectations the seduction will have all been for nothing.
If you would like to contact us for further information on any of the topics raised in this article please call the office on 020 7497 3424 or email info@brandsmiths.co.uk.
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