Research project 1

Assignment 1 (celebrities in advertising)

Instructor: Dr.Mohammed Mohammedali
By: Dania Iskander - TB5019
Lara Ammari -
 Diamonds of their era

Like the shine of a diamond differentiates it from other stones, celebrity endorsements
distinguish a brand between the various others. Charles Lewis Tiffany’s passion for acquiring
rare and unusual gemstones paved the way for Tiffany & Co.’s longstanding legacy of discovery
and exploration, establishing the company’s reputation as a world-renowned jeweler (Tiffany &
Co., 2021). The aim of this study is linking tiffany and cos new “vintage collection” to the charm
of celebrities in a particular period of time. To strengthen this campaign idea, we need to
thoroughly comprehend what it used to be like to first see such charming celebrities
recommend a product or have any relation to it. In order to reach our aim our research has to
answer a few questions precisely:
- How big of an impact celebrities have on a brands image?
- How does celebrities influence customer behavior?
- When did the idea of introducing celebrities in advertisements first take place and where?
- Why were celebrities approached in the first place?
- How did that change the advertising industry?
Therefore, the objectives set for this research consist of, understanding how celebrities
influence customer behavior, understanding the effect of celebrities on high-end brands,
analyzing how celebrities influence Tiffany & Co customer behavior and lastly proposing the
idea of creating nostalgic campaign as a tribute to those celebrities related to the “vintage
collection”. The benefits we perceive this research to convey:
- Bring back the celebrities charm in advertisements as it was before.
- Differentiate between celebrities and nowadays influencers.
- Shed some light on the beauty of that era.
- Create a nostalgic experience around this campaign.
Through this study we plan on opening a new window to look through at the golden age of
celebrity endorsements, from the beginning of this factor to it types, phases, revolution and
major advantages. We are set to cover it all and relate it to the campaign we are creating for
tiffany and co. the campaign will be called “the diamonds of their era”. It is going to be a
promotional campaign for the new (vintage collection by Tiffany and Co).

Literature Review
Tiffany & Co. business and market
Tiffany & Co. was founded by Charles L. Tiffany in 1837 with its headquarters in New York, USA.
It is a holding organization that engages in design, manufacturing, and sale of high-end jewelry.
The company is also known for its luxurious product range including timepieces, leather goods,
silver goods, unique china, crystals, fragrances, and a wide range of accessories. The business of
Tiffany & Co. expands into various geographical segments including USA, Asia-Pacific, East Asian
countries, Middle Eastern countries etc. Over the years, Tiffany & Co. became a brand symbolic
of demonstrating lavish lifestyles of gilded age. The brand eventually became an integral part of
pop culture in the western countries. The exquisite items offered by Tiffany & Co. also made
appearances on some of the most prestigious red carpets in Hollywood. In current age, the
brand has more than 200 stores across the globe and a voracious fan base extending across
countries (Brion, 2019). According to the findings of Global Diamond Report, it was noted that
the global diamond market in which Tiffany & Co. operates was valued at $87.31 billion in the
year 2018. The predicted growth rate for the market is at a CAGR of 3.0% from 2019 to 2030.
This is mainly due to the rise in demand for jewelry from emerging economies in Asia-Pacific
(Stockton, 2020).

Origin of celebrity advertising

Celebrities can be considered as individuals who are recognized by a large number of people
belonging to certain groups, particularly due to the publicity associated with their lifestyles
(Yannopoulos, 2012). The rise of celebrity advertising dates back to as early as 1760s with
Wedgewood in UK, a company that specialized in high-quality pottery and china. The company
used royal endorsement techniques as a promotional tool to demonstrate value of the
company in the market. In early 1950s advertisements of every type of product was associated
with famous celebrities of the era. The earliest known celebrity advertising initiative was with
Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, and John Wayne who featured in advertisements for
Whitman’s Chocolate Company. However, the evolution of celebrity advertisements was
limited to print ads till 1960s despite the massive increase in TV advertising. Integrated
advertisements were the next step of celebrity advertisements where brand sponsors of TV
shows features celebrities in their famous characters. A well-known example of this approach
was with Pepsi Challenge launched in 1975 which features top celebrities during that era. By
1980s, big sponsorship deals became the fore-front of celebrity advertisement. Brands such as
Pepsi and Nike were seen to have famous celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Michael
Jordan features in their campaigns (Cavill, 2018). With rise of technology in 1990s, niche
marketing through symbiotic relationship between celebrities, brands, and marketing
campaigns became a power coalition. This era mainly featured the top hip hop celebrities in
campaigns such as Jay-Z for Reebok, Justin Timberlake for McDonalds, etc. The emergence of
internet and influencers became dominant in 2000s and celebrities were seen as brand
ambassadors. Moreover, this approach to celebrity advertising linked the products offered by
companies to the lifestyle of celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston in Smartwater campaigns.
After the explosion of social media, the advertising approach involving celebrities has become a
complex mix involving social media celebrities as well as traditionally defined celebrities (Yoon
& Powell, 2011).

Impact of celebrity advertising on brand image

Celebrities are known to naturally command and influence the attention of the general
population and this feature is incorporated into celebrity advertising as well. The featuring of
celebrities for promotions acts as a magnet to enhance the brand (Sliburyte, 2009). Thus,
celebrity advertising is considered to be a high-impacting marketing tool. Celebrity branding can
be generally defined as the use of popular people to generate buzz in the customers around a
product or service (Hashaw, 2019). Brand image is one of the most essential pillars of a business
and is considered a valuable asset in the modern day business environment. A strong brand
image is associated with effective ways which enable the brand to be noticed by the diverse
range of consumers. It also makes the brand to be noted by customers amidst the rush and
clutter in daily media. Brand image can also be considered as the perception which exists in the
memory of a customer in relation to a brand. It is the quality of a brand to be recognized easily
by the customers, which is related to the symbolic value the brand holds for the customers
(Keller, 2003). Pursuing celebrity advertisement strategies enables the marketers to project a
credible brand image in terms of expertise, persuasion, establishment of trust, and showcasing
objectiveness of a brand’s product. Celebrity advertisements mainly feature attractive,
humorous, expressive, and famous faces. The popularity, good image, and congruence between
the image of a celebrity and that of a brand also serve as contributing factors impacting the
brand image (Saeed & Bhatia, 2014). Since celebrity advertisements are mainly focused on the
strengths of a celebrity, customers relate the celebrity to the brand. This is commonly noted in
fans and loyalists of celebrities. Furthermore, celebrity advertisements are also known to
effectively make the brand stand out from various competitors and enhances brand awareness
as well. It facilitates in brand distinction and gives personality to the brand and its products.
Therefore, celebrity advertisements adds prestige to brands. The overall positive effect
delivered by using celebrity advertisements is eventually generalized to the brand, thereby
promoting its brand image (Ateke, et al. 2015).

Impact of celebrity advertising on customer behavior

There is a general belief that messages delivered by celebrities provide a higher degree of
appeal to the customers. They attract customer’s attention and enhance the brand recall
capacity as compared to messages delivered by non-celebrities. Additionally, celebrity
advertisements have the ability to break through the advertising clutter and enhance the
believability of the message conveyed to the customers. This in turn ignites purchase intentions
and impacts customer buying behavior (Rahman, 2018). Celebrity advertisements are known to
influence the trustworthiness and credibility of a brand perceived by the customers. They also
impact the overall brand awareness and familiarity among customers which serve as important
variables in the buying decision of a customer (Hani, et al. 2018). Customers are known to feel
more attached to products or brand promoted by a celebrity that is admired by them.
Subconsciously, consumers believe that purchasing products from brands that are promoted by
celebrities they admire, will allow them to emulate the desired traits of a celebrity or attract
similar people in their lives. The various traits such as success, beauty, athletic skill etc. are
commonly associated with celebrity advertisement campaigns. These impact the consumer
buying behavior to a large extent (Rai, 2013). Furthermore, the ability of celebrity
advertisements is known to generate buying behavior among customers and in turn impact the
overall economic returns of a brand. The recall value of a brand also significantly impacts the
customer buying behavior. Through celebrity advertisements marketers excite customer by
showcasing admirable and popular individuals. This creates a demand for the product and
customers place a higher value on products advertised by their favorite celebrity (Han &
Yazdanifard, 2015).
References
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celebrity endorsement and brand image in the fastfood industry in Port Harcourt,
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