If you enjoy shopping and own a smartphone – you’ll regularly see brands partnering with celebrities. The partnerships done right always have a certain magic and legacy to them, whether they’re long-term collaborations or one-off campaigns.
As with all good marketing, target audience alignment is paramount and my appreciation is naturally skewed to my Gen Z perspective: Kendall Jenner’s partnership with activewear brand Adanola, Rhode’s link-up with Justin Bieber during his Coachella headline set, and Bad Bunny’s campaign with Calvin Klein immediately come to mind as stand-out successes.
The reason? They just make sense for the brand – seeming almost as though the celebrities are among the founders. Kendall Jenner was a perfect fit for Adanola’s minimalist luxury activewear as the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic’s it-girl. Meanwhile, Rhode’s clever partnership with founder Hailey Bieber’s husband, Justin Bieber, during his Coachella performance highlighted the power of timing when launching a campaign – something I’m sure all PRs worth their salt would acknowledge. This collaboration, paired with ‘Bieberchella’ hype, personal connection and overlapping fan bases was incredibly powerful.
And who hasn’t seen Bad Bunny on their screens? Even if you aren’t a fan, one of the world’s most popular current artists is hard to miss. Calvin Klein was the lucky (or cynically perhaps highest bidding) brand chosen to tap into his appeal, pairing its unmistakable visual language with an artist whose cultural pull is at its peak.
Why should retail industry care?
Why should we care as we try to encourage people to look up from their phones and back to their high streets and shopping centres? It all comes back to the perhaps overused but absolutely essential term: omnichannel retail strategy – a key component of is which is, naturally, PR.
A celebrity doesn’t just boost a brand’s profile, they sell a lifestyle that, when translated into the physical world, can get people off their phones, or can at least encourage them to take those phones with them to stores and back out of them again, with bags in hand.
This is where bricks-and-mortar retail can shine. A customer might first encounter a campaign on Instagram, but the shop floor is where they can engage and interact with that brand, touch the product, try it on and take it home. Put that campaign across shop windows, centre screens and in-centre displays. Ensure the layout fits the aesthetic and the fantasy discovered in pixels suddenly feels within reach.
Add a limited drop, a launch event, a pop-up or an appearance, and there’s urgency too. Good PR gives people a reason to stop scrolling and show up.
Shopping centres are uniquely placed to make that moment bigger. Visitors linger, meet friends, grab lunch and browse neighbouring brands. A clever destination-wide activation – perhaps an installation, a creator event, a competition or an exclusive in-store experience – can turn a single endorsement into an afternoon out. It creates the sort of content that keeps travelling long after the first purchase has been made.
Don’t underestimate the micro-influencer
Of course, celebrity doesn’t have to mean a follower count in the millions. For a regional shopping centre, a local creator with a smaller but fiercely engaged audience can be similarly persuasive, and often more believable. They know the area, understand its rhythms and can show exactly how a new store or product fits into everyday life.
A global campaign may provide the glamour; a trusted local voice can be the nudge that turns interest into a visit, and a visit into loyalty.
This is particularly good news for retail destinations that don’t have a Bad Bunny-sized budget. While some tenants might secure global names that deliver awareness and instant recognition, local creators bring relevance and loyalty to drive in-person visits.
Bodycare’s influencer studio at Derbion shopping centre, a Redwood client, is a smart example of content creation moving directly into the retail environment. It gives established influencers and everyday shoppers a reason to film, post and talk, turning the store itself into part of the media plan.
Getting the endorsement right
Of course, there are risks with celebrity endorsement, and it’s certainly not a one-size-fits-all approach. While George Clooney is an excellent ambassador for Nespresso, he might not be the right fit for a Korean skincare brand targeting Gen Z and Millennial consumers. The wrong choice alienates consumers, making the partnership feel like pay-to-play rather than a genuine connection between a brand and an icon.
We don’t need to mention the endless celebrity scandals that hit the news each week. Brands must carefully consider how closely they tie themselves to public figures and the potential fallout if that figure steps out of line.
In our digital world, a simple post from a celebrity can turn a lesser-known brand into a household name overnight, while a clever partnership with a local influencer can dramatically drive footfall and build loyalty. Marketing and communications has never been more layered – those that don’t dedicate time, effort and resource to true omnichannel marketing that harnesses the power of third-party influence will suffer at the tills.
Blog by Poppy Eccles
Image credits
Noel Gallagher look-alike @LDO
