Diamonds of their era

(A study of great celebrities contribution to the advertising

industry)

Research project 1
Assignment 1 (celebrities in advertising)
Instructor: Dr.Mohammed Mohammedali
By: Dania Iskander - TB5019
Lara Ammari – SA5001
 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).
Conclusion
Tiffany and Co. has established their brand image in accordance to the products and services that
are offered to them. One is aware that diamonds are considered as woman’s best friends. If
Tiffany and Co. is advertised by the celebrities, it can be seen that the value of the brand will
change instantly and people will be more into the brand that is being endorsed by the celebrity as
they believe that credibility and trust will be added too. Moreover, it can be seen that the
customers will be able to represent brand in terms of word – of - mouth (WOM) by advertising it
themselves by taking name of the celebrity who has endorsed it. Hence, brands tend to invest a
lot in celebrity advertising as it is a technique that will develop a huge demand for the products
and services as per the behavior showed by the customers while purchasing especially if it is
their favorite celebrity who is endorsing them. Brand recall capacity increases and due to this,
many brands prefer choosing humorous content or placing celebrities in their advertisement to
accelerate the purchase of products. Since, Tiffany and Co. is a brand of jewelry that represents
class, it needs actresses and models that suit the brand image respectively. Tiffany and Co. can
choose any celebrity like Gigi Hadid, Priyanka Chopra, Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stones to
represent their jewelry. People will recollect brand as being classy and elegant due to the link
between these celebrities and their persona matching to the requirements of the brand. In
conclusion, it is important to say that brands require technical aspects to be focused on to
increase the sales and generate revenue on a huge basis. The nostalgic appearance will be
brought in by these celebrities provided that the brand can add respective charm to the collection
presented and benefit the sales on a whole.
References
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