Download - A Place for Anti-heroes
8/3/2019 A Place for Anti-heroes
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-place-for-anti-heroes 1/2
cover story celebrity ambassador
Husak. He says marketers need more
ent. "Brands are investing a lot of money
marketing, " says Husak. "It is
"
The pilot results of Cebra, which is based on aUK consumers, suggest which
suitable partnerships for brands. It also
celebrities that complement each otherfor
Choosing a celebrity depends on what messaged is looking to commun icate, or on wh at
a place for'anti-heroes'
Amy Winehouse might be more famous for
her love of a party and disregard of authority
than her creative talents but that hasn't putfashion brand Fred Perry off from signing her
up as a celebrity brand ambassador.
An anti-hero can be just as profitable as a
squeaky clean role model. Bad reputationscould help a brand reach a new audience,
according to the Cebra study. The top ten list
of negative role models include Winehouseand Russell Brand, along with the Geldof
sisters Peaches and Pixie, Jonathan Ross and,unsurprisingly, disgraced sports stars John
Terry and Tiger Woods. The lists are an
aggregate of results spanning the entireconsumer panel's 18 to 64 age groups, but can
also be broken down into lists specific to age
and gend er group s to further inform brands.Just because a celebrity is seen as a
negative role model doesn't mean they can'tbe used to a brand's advantage to market a
particular product. "In some cases a brand
isn't looking for a role model. Some of thethings these people are about can be very
attractive to a brand that wants to be seen acertain way," say s Millward Brown's Husak.
He gives the exam ple of Kate Moss, number
ten on the negative role model list, whosealleged cocaine use was splashed all over the
papers in 2005. Ch anel, Burberry an d H&M all
cancelled their deals with the model butcosm etics firm R immel kept her on. It wa s "a
statement of what they wanted to be about,"says H usak. Today, her clothing line w ithTopshop remains lucrative and she has
recently released her own brand of perfume,demonstrating her long-lasting selling power.
The Cebra study personality match has
suggested brand partnerships for somenames on the negative role model list based
on similar character traits as rated by the
consumer panel. These are mostly based onboth the celebrity and brand being seen by
the public as outgoing, spontaneous andplayful. Jonathan R oss, number nine on the
list, is well matched wit h Twitter. The talk
show host is already a prolific Tweeter andhis cheeky side could help the social network
reach out to more people, the study suggests.The number t wo naugh ty star, Katie Price,otherwise known as Jordan, is seen as a
potential am bassador for brands such as PotNoodle, C oca-Cola, Facebook and Red Bull.
Her ability to talk about any thing and
everything is apparently a good thing forthes e brands. Paris Hilton, close behind at
number three, has been judged by the studyas a good match for La Senza. Hilton's sex
tapes won't get in the way of this potential
partnership, the study suggests.Husak warns, however, that brands
considering using a negative role model
should take into account what risks that
poses. Contracts should be drawn up withspecific behaviour-related clauses so thebrand can withdraw from the deal if
Out of the wood s: When sponsors werebreakmg their ties with Tiger Woods, PaddyPower saw it as an opportunity
Fred Perry marketing director RichardMartin has been reported in the press as
saying Winehouse was a logical brand
ambassador as she had "been wearing FredPerry for years". Evidently Fred Perry has
bough t into her party girl, rebel ima ge, andthis partnership could in fact resonate with
young, social target audience bringing innew fans of the brand. Winehouse's
dishevelled image hasn't put off the fashion
label from recruiting her to co-design aclothing range for its next four seaso ns.
Cheeky Irish betting firm Paddy Power ha
also jumped at the opportunity to recruit ananti-hero. When sponsors abandoned Tiger
Woods after reports of his indiscretions, thecompany grabbed the chance to offer the
golfer a £50m sponsorship deal. Woods
promptly refused but Paddy Power has
confirmed it is to make a second, m oreattractive offer in the hope of snaring
someone the brand thinks has star quality.Paddy Power, known for its tongue-in-cheek
image and advertising campaigns, isn't fazby the sports star's negative press coverage
"In terms of a brand name. Tiger is still uthere with the Cokes and Pepsis of this
world. We knew he'd return to golf soonerrather than later. He is still one of the best
sportsmen in the world and his track record
speaks for itself," argues Paddy Powercommunications manager Ken Robertson,
adding, "I'd love to see a Paddy Power logo
on his shirt".
While some brands will choose to distancthemselves from the likes of Woods, brandslike Paddy Power see the benefit of choosin
8/3/2019 A Place for Anti-heroes
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-place-for-anti-heroes 2/2
Copyright of Marketing Week (01419285) is the property of Centaur Communications and its content may not
be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written
permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.