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The effect of celebrities in fashion firms has given way to all kinds of phenomena, from sales to the construction of “reference brands”.
There is a consumer profile that has been formed since the advent of the internet and its use to search for fashion brands: the one who comes to them because he saw them on celebrities.
The case of Angelina Jolie – Zara joins that of Kate Middleton – Issa, demonstrating the effect of celebrities on apparel.
Angelina Jolie bought in Zara and came out wearing a garment from the store, which is a powerful PR activation for the brand, due to the number of mentions that the fact has caused. In Google alone, the search term “Angelina Jolie Zara” adds up to more than 10 million results.
There are important arguments supported by research that prove the effectiveness of a celebrity for the popularity of a fashion brand, where “word of mouth” pays for it. Zara is a benchmark brand and as such has managed to just a visit from Angelina Jolie turns into public relations campaigngenerating a million-dollar list of results related to her name as a brand and to the actress.
As a reference brand, Zara has maintained mentions on the internet of all kinds for years, from being seen with a dress in Kate Middleton, to appearing at the wedding of Britney Spearsbecause Selena Gómez wore a garment from the brand to the event.
Other apparel brands have also seen the effect of a celebrity wearing their clothes, only with dire consequences, as happened with the brand Issa, a British clothing brand that saw the effects on sales when Kate Middleton wore one of its garments. The demand was such that it exceeded its operation, forcing the brand to close.
A GlobalWebIndex study found that this case is part of a research phenomenon in which consumers come to brands because they saw them on celebrities.
I ❤️ a classic #wrapdress! This one is old, but reminds me of Kate Middleton’s Issa engagement dress. #classicstyle #outfitideas #fashion pic.twitter.com/69wp5Gf4dR
— Amber Rathvon (@AvecAmber) January 25, 2017
The Angelina Jolie Effect
Brands get PR boosts when celebrities make use of their selling points, products or services, triggering their online presence, SEO search witnesses and possibly sales.
The appearance of Angelina Jolie in a Zara store and even showing the garment you bought in the store is proof that brands benefit at least in public relations because the coverage of this simple fact already yields more than 10 million results in SEO alone when searching for the terms “Angelina Jolie Zarah”.
My point was that Zara, when I entered in conditions also disastrous, I could find Angelina Jolie, okay, all normal https://t.co/4M1KZedWZG
— Giulia🦎|| + Gianni Morandi pls (@ailuuiiig) June 27, 2022
And I have a shoe similar to that one #Angelina Jolie E sim e da Zara tb kkk a minha calça pic.twitter.com/rFsU9hN8o1
– Brubis ❤️❤️❤️ (@madchiven) June 27, 2022
happy today to see Angelina jolie with Zahara from Zara Rome. and still use white. 😂 pic.twitter.com/q4ubH5julL
— 4AJ✨ (@4youAJ_) June 26, 2022
the same GlobalWebIndex study reveals that in the world there are three important groups of internet users who came to brands motivated by a celebrity using it. Those between 16 and 24 years old, 16 percent; 25 to 34 years old, 16 percent; 35 to 44 years, 12 percent.
Also, there is an interesting study conducted by the University of South Carolina entitled “Celebrity Impact on Fashion Brand Choice Using Social Media” and an important conclusion he reaches is that there is more influence in the purchase of clothes by a celebrity than by an influencer:
Celebrity: 26 percent
public figures: 21 percent
blogging: 17 percent
Within this study, a public figure has the same influence on the purchase of clothing as a family member or friend who recommends the purchase of clothing, footwear or accessories, which is why Zara’s word-of-mouth strategy is so relevant, which consolidated it by many years as one of the most valuable brands in the apparel industry. Also the study demonstrates why it is more effective for Zara’s communication to be seen in Angelina Jolie than advertising a campaign with influencers.
Angelina Jolie leaving a Zara store in Italy, Selena Gómez wearing a dress from the Spanish brand to Britney Spears’ wedding, or Barack Obama’s daughters shopping at Zara when they visited Spain. All these cases of celebrities and public figures have contributed to the communication of Inditex’s most famous brand, which together with “word of mouth” has helped to consolidate it, since it has based its popularity in the world on these two principles and has served so that the signature becomes the subject of any social media statements or Google search termsbecause it is a “reference” and a “reference brand” may be depreciated in the ranking of the most valuable apparel firms, but it will never stop living in the mind of the consumer.