Gift Suites – A brief history and Current State of the Celebrity Product Placement Industry
Saturday, November 26th, 2011In the following paragraphs we’ll discuss the history of celebrity product placement, need for celebrity association in marketing, the goals from the properly managed gifting suite and also the decline of effectiveness in the present gifting suite industry.
Celebrities and product marketing have been linked since the dawn of Hollywood films. Celebrities influence fashion and lifestyle more effectively than any other kind of promotion. Surges in sales of a certain type of car, clothing, jewelry, sunglasses, furniture, even drinks and food have been directly linked to celebrity association. Even just in the first times of film companies were looking to get their products to be presented around the big screen. It’s the most powerful and effective type of marketing on the planet. It has worked for more than a century and is working stronger than ever within the technology age with media on streaming to electronic billboards, computers as well as mobile phones to vast amounts of people every single day.
The idea is incredibly powerful because it is incredibly simple. Consumers naturally accept products and services used by people they admire or accept in popular culture. If you can associate your brand with someone who is often accepted your products is going to be commonly accepted. It’s the most tested and most proved online marketing strategy on earth since it works.
Companies in the early 1900′s tried to get their products into the little bit of films produced each year. It was a difficult Today you will find hundreds of films produced annually, over 200 television stations, countless magazines, and a large number of web sites. The celebrity gifting suite has become the easiest way for companies to have their products and services to celebrities.
The absolute best method to build the association between a product and a celebrity is through a red carpet photo. This photo will show a high profile waiting in front of a wall engrossed in a company’s logo. The logic behind the photo is straightforward “Celebrity + Logo = celebrity brand association”. A gifting suite must have each celebrity going for a picture with a company’s logo and in exchange the celebrity is gifted quality services and products.
Gifting suites started as a private room where celebrities received products from companies in hopes they would be photographed or filmed at a later date. This strategy was full of hope but rarely proved successful. Some gifting suites started producing large media walls with dozens of logos. The celebrities would come and stand in front from the press walls and take pictures. This strategy did wonders, but was just helpful to the main one or two company logos captured within the photo. The a large number of other logos on the press wall would not be seen and for that reason would not have any benefit.
Gift suites once to possess dozens of celebrities. The present average at the Oscars, Emmy’s along with other award shows was two celebrities. Many reasons exist for this decline. Gifting suite organizers happen to be allowing access to hundreds of non-celebrities. The gifting suites have become more like gifting parties and companies are realizing little or no marketing value for giving away hundreds of products to people who cannot help build celebrity brand association. Because companies do not like to waste product they tend to give away less valuable merchandise. With less valuable merchandise and a party-like atmosphere the real celebrities have less incentive to attend. This cycle has led the downward.
Currently there are approximately twelve companies in Hollywood that produce major gifting suites. The aim of using a celebrity come and take a picture next to a company logo in exchange for an item is non-existent. The power of celebrity product placement and celebrity product association is really as strong as always, but the gifting industry is lost in a sea of parties and non-business activities.