Brand communications in fashion categories using celebrity endorsement

Brands have evolved to represent much more than the traditional markers of quality, trust and reliability to consumers. Brands have become embedded in the consumer psyche and offer consumers the opportunity for self-expression, self-realisation and self-identity. This effect is particularly strong in fashion categories. Barriers including cynicism and increasing advertising literacy threaten traditional approaches to brand communications, which have traditionally relied on verbal communications and storytelling. Celebrity endorsement is recognised as a potentially potent tool in communications, with celebrities viewed as more powerful than anonymous models and campaigns tending to verbalise the meaning of the celebrity in relation to the brand. This paper examines the use of celebrity endorsement in communications for fashion brands against the backdrop of a turbulent branding environment. The paper is conceptual in approach, drawing upon a range of literature in the area of branding, celebrity endorsement and fashion marketing. A shot from the 2004 Mui Mui print campaign featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal and the 2005 print Versace campaign featuring Madonna are used as illustrations. The analysis concludes that a new approach to celebrity campaigns has been adopted in fashion branding, reflecting the need to move away from traditional campaigns and to focus more on visual signals rather than written cues. The need for an alternative approach to brand communications using celebrity endorsement is highlighted. This also reflects limitations of traditional theoretical models used to explain the endorsement process. The paper offers an original and contemporary insight into celebrity endorsement and fashion marketing. © 2009 Palgrave Macmillan.