Historical endorsers

Think Different, Think Dead

Nostalgia sells. And from using living icons as brand ambassadors, Marketers are now stretching back to dip into history. Result: some iconic men & women are being brought back to life!

Can you spot the similarity between Hamburg-based penmaker Mont Blanc and Bollywood flick Lage Raho Munnabhai? Nah... no product placements by the former in the latter; instead, the fact, that both have used Mahatma Gandhi’s imagary – albeit in different ways – to attract eyeballs. Not only did Lage Raho Munnabhai’s promos actively prop up Gandhi’s images in the backdrop, even the storyline incorporated Gandhi and his non-violence credo to successfully ring in the moolah at the box office. This Munnabhai sequel was an instant hit. Similarly, to cosy up with the Indian audience, German pen maker Mont Blanc launched a gold nib plated pen costing a mind-boggling Rs.1.4 million on bapu’s 140th birth anniversary in 2009. The ostentatious effort was to commemorate Gandhi’s historic salt march, but market watchers claim that since Mahatma Gandhi has been also associated with literary achievements, the freedom fighter’s sheen will rub off on Mont Blanc and improve the luxury writing instrument’s standing among India’s discerning target segment. Reportedly, Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi has even endorsed the idea. As a thank you, Tushar’s charitable foundation has already received a donation of $145,000 from Mont Blanc and will receive between $200 and $1,000 for each pen sold. Aditi Agarwal of Ghalla Bhansali Stock Brokers (they’ve recently released a report titled ‘Marketing the Mahatma’), however, takes exception to such marketing moves. “It’s indeed ironical, that Mahatma Gandhi who was considered as an epitome of austerity is being misused by business barons to make money. Marketing and publicity is vital in today’s tough competition, but to what extent? All efforts need to be taken to protect the legacy that Gandhi has left behind,” she argues vehemently.

But, Mont Blanc and Munnabhai are not alone in having made use of Mahatma Gandhi’s name to sell their wares. The list is long. Be it Apple, Telecom Italia, Martin Luther King Jr., Raj Kumar Hirani, or even the American President Barack Obama, all have used Brand Gandhi to break the clutter and reach out to their respective target segments. Leaving aside the hullabaloo of shocked critics and their lengthy petitions to correct the trend, here’s the moot question. What sense does it make to bring back a popular icon from history? Does using the Mahatma as your brand endorsers work better or should marketers settle for current mass icons like Big B, Tendulkar or even couples like Pataudi & Sharmila Tagore?

Some marketers refer to using historical icons as a goodwill gesture (‘paying a tribute’) and if it serves the added purpose of raking in moolah and raising the brand stature, so be it. But the answer to that question could well range from being financially viable (in some cases) to harnessing the product values with the long lasting untarnished image of the endorser. On one thing though, marketers are unanimous viz. the immortal image of these historical ambassadors provides the requisite ‘X factor’ for their brands.

So it’s not only Brand Gandhi who has been used as a brand ambassador by marketers. Che Guevara, Charlie Chaplin or for that matter even Adolf Hitler, Stalin and Saddam Hussain (recently used in a German AIDS awareness campaign) are also right up there. But, Gandhi has by far been the clear favourite, when it comes to reaching the Indian masses. Remember the ‘Think Different’ campaign launched by Apple in 1997 – with Gandhi in his simple white loincloth and shawl? The image linked an ambassador of immense physical and mental strength to the brand – and helped them break the clutter. Even Italy’s largest telecom company, Telecom Italia used Gandhi in its 2005 campaign and went on to grab the ‘Mezzo Minuto D’oro’ (considered equivalent to the Oscars in the Italian ad-industry) award. Take the case of Luxor, which has consistently used historical figures to illustrate the usage of its highlighters. Their ads showcase usages of Luxor Highlighter by sketching images of Che Guevara, Adolf Hitler and Charlie Chaplin on their ads. Not only have the ads highlighted the historical heros but also the brand, transferring their heroic qualities to the brand. In the process, Luxor also managed to break and rise above the clutter in their segment. Similarly, Rasayana (the anti-stress tea) showed Adolf Hitler smelling a rose with a caption saying, ‘Make peace with the world. Anti-stress tea from Rasayana.’ The slogan simply made the world identify better with the nascent brand. Hitler’s face on the campaign made way for instant recognition among the target audience and made a simple product look smart and maybe, the brand promise even fuelled initial trial purchase.

Thanks to Cherry Shoe Polish, the image of Charlie Chaplin is still afresh in people’s mind. As a matter of fact, the two have become inseparable from each other. It goes without any saying that Charlie Chaplin is loved by everyone alike. His black-and-white persona and humor are evergreen and what better way to describe a black and white shoe polish than an iconic comedian from the black and white era? Charlie rightfully portrayed the idea of ‘enjoy polishing’. Says Alyque Padamsee (who helped create the first series of Cheery ads), “The focus then was on the “perfect gentleman” and the ‘perfect shine’ on his shoes.” The idea of using a black-and-white background has not occurred to Cherry Blossom alone. Apple came out with an ad featuring black and white video footage and print ads featuring legends like Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso. The ad ended with the image of a young girl opening her eyes (as if)to see the possibilities before her. Everyday, the ad featured a different historic figure, with a small Apple logo and the ‘Think Different’ slogan. The idea was to convey that although the world may perceive these (historical icons) as rebels, troublemakers or crazy – Apple sees them as geniuses, because people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do – just what Apple does in its labs. The campaign, completely in line with Apple’s brand positioning, was a hit. The idea of using historical icons as ambassadors is catching on fast in India. State Bank of India, the nation’s largest public sector bank, recently launched a print campaign with pictures of its celebrated account holders in the distant past viz. Dadabhai Naoroji, J.R.D. Tata, J.C. Bose, among others. As per the agency, the idea is to establish SBI’s ‘legacy and reputation’ in the mind of modern consumers. For many, using historical icons as brand ambassadors is the safest bet (besides being economically cheaper), as there are little possibilities of controversies and criticism due to their present deeds. Remember, the quagmire that marketers found themselves in when Salman Khan drove his Land Cruiser over sleeping pavement dwellers in Mumbai or when Sanju Baba landed in jail. Millions of endorsement dollars riding on their backs gave sleepless nights to many. Guess it does pay sometimes to really go ahead and take Apple’s advice: ‘Think Different’!

 
 

Of deaths & clebs

Death-on-sale!?

Branding dead celebrities is a multi-billion dollar business and a slew of smart entrepreneurs are cashing in on the positive feelings associated with the celebrity’s image.

No matter how morbid it sounds, Michael Jackson’s death has given a new lease of life to Hollywood’s ailing economy. As in life, even in death, everyone and anyone remotely associated with Michael Jackson (including his dear dad) is busy using his name to build up their respective bank balance.

Just a couple of hours after Jackson’s death, the music industry relaunched many albums of Jackson and overnight a few of his songs booked top slots of charts. So much so that even eBay, iTunes and Amazon saw a new surge in demand related to Jackson products and merchandise. His father also joined the frenzy. Just three days after his son’s death, Joe Jackson was spotted on CNN’s Red Carpet casually plugging his new record label, Ranch Records. Buzz is that Joe is even lining up Michael’s children for a world tour as The Jackson Three next year. Even rapper Akon is suddenly touting a song with Jackson in his new record;and earlier this month Madonna too paid tribute to the singing sensation at London’s O2 Arena – where Jackson was supposed to perform – of course, to packed audience!

Gloomy as it may seem, marketing the dead is actually a billion dollar industry. A dead product (read: a dead celebrity!) has all the attributes that are required to make a brand. They have a fan following, they are idols, they are memorable, they are likeable, they are valuable and above all, as they are no more present to pamper their fans with their performance, their very names are cash cows for smart entrepreneurs.

Barry Silverstein, a marketing consultant and co-author of the McGraw-Hill book, The BreakawayBrand spoke to 4Ps B&M and gave his take on the trend. “I believe using dead celebrities as part of a marketing program is both a short and long-term strategy. It’s short-term because marketers can capitalise immediately on a dead celebrity who dies, but it’s longterm because, as has been proven with Elvis Presley, a dead celebrity’s aura can live ten, twenty, or fifty years, thus providing a smart marketer with an ongoing path to potential sales and profits,” he says. As per the Forbes’ list, the top 13 dead celebrities generated $242 million in 2007. Firms like CMG Worldwide and the Richman Agency (now a part of Corbis) buy the licence and intellectual property rights of dead celebrities. CMG boasts (even today!) clients like Rosa Parks, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Jesse Owens and Babe Ruth among its clientele. While the Richman Agency has few from nonglam world, CMG and Corbis receive 20% of the profits from any endorsement. Adds Barry, “Once a celebrity is gone, they will never act, sing, dance, speak, or perform again and that makes every collectible and every image associated with that person truly valuable.”

Take Elvis Presley. He has still not lost his essence and stands firm in this highly competitive world...uh, the world of dead celebrities. According to Forbes Magazine, around 600,000 people visit Presley’s home every year. Elvis has already sold 118 million record albums and around 500 million commemorative Elvis US postage stamps were sold after 16 years of his death. But with Michael Jackson’s sad and untimely death, Presley’s top slot seems to have found a close competitor. Marketers are even planning to commercialise Michael Jackson’s estate in the lines of Elvis’ estate. The media also crashes in on the party. You simply have to look around at all the ratings-boosting coverage of MJ’s death for current evidence. TIME magazine has been particularly quick on the uptake. While the figures for their recent special commemorative issue on Jackson are still not available, a similar special issue on Princess Diana’s death by TIME sold more than 1.1 million copies. Natmags is releasing a commemorative 132-page Michael Jackson tribute magazine and a total of 200,000 copies of the glossy A4 title will be on sale for a month, priced at £2.99 per copy. Memorial events too are going strong, where fans are ready to pay $50 to vendors for a picture next to a cut out of the King of Pop. Jackson’s funeral, in fact, has been the biggest in entertainment history, even bigger than Diana’s death and at par with the event of Obama’s presidential speech. Jackson’s cremation event was viewed by more than 750 million people. Going by Nielsen data, Princess Diana’s funeral saw 33.25 million viewers, while former President Ronald Reagan’s mid-day funeral drew 0.8 million people only. Not to be outdone, even merchandise licensees from around the world have successfully tuned into manufacturing and distributing products using celebs who have passed away. In 2008, Elvis Presley Enterprises was sold by Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie, for $100 million. It should not come as a surprise therefore if tomorrow it is Michaels’ images and stamps. In the past, Diana dolls had become icons of the Princess after her death. They can still be bought for $188.95 from the Society for the Preservation of History. Franklin Mint’s porcelain portrait plate sells for $29.95 and Solid Silver Memorial Coin for $55.

If we are talking of legendary celebs, we can’t miss out on Marilyn Monroe. More than 40 years after her death, licensing her famous poses and pout have made more than $30 million in fees for Anna Strasberg, the wife of Ms. Monroe’s former acting coach, and her business partner, a professional peddler of dead peoples’ images. Marilyn Monroe’s images alone have pulled in more than $30 million since her death and $8 million in 2007 alone. In 2004, Robert Sillerman (a wealthy American businessman who deals in building and selling media companies) paid Lisa Marie Presley $100 million for an 85% stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc.

And not to miss out on the Monroe frenzy to entice potential consumers, Mercedes-Benz still features Monroe (along with James Dean) in some of their ad campaigns. An auction event organised by Julien’s auctions (of Darren Julien), sold a Jackson album ‘Goin’ Back to Indiana’ for $33,750. The auction also featured other collections of Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. Social networking sites have also not let-go this opportunity and have done everything possible to give their users real-time updates. Twitter and Facebook are alleged to be the first ones to break the news of Jackson’s death. Twitter saw up to 5,000 Jackson-related messages being posted per minute and eventually his death emerged as the most discussed subject on the portal. Facebook saw a similar response; with the number of postings tripling during the hour after the news of Jackson’s death broke. Talking on these marketing techniques, Barry states, “Some companies license rights to use a dead celebrity’s image, movie clips, or music and incorporate those things into TV ads or promotional materials. Others just pay homage to the dead celebrity to gain a marketing association with the individual.”

Even IT giants are getting enamoured by the potential of this mammoth business. Corbis, the digital image company set up by Bill Gates, has bought a Beverly Hills company, which owns the image rights to more than 50 deceased celebrities. Corbis takes a 20% cut of the profits from any endorsement, double the usual rate for a living celebrity endorsement. Even celebrity Promotion Companies like CKX rely heavily on dead celebs for their bottom-line. They purchase the intellectual property rights and thus churn out huge money. And if you thought that only the big brands and consultants can take advantage of legends that have passed away, you could not be more wrong. Just walk the streets of New York, London or Rio De Janeiro and you’ll see markets flooded with Che Guevara, Marilyn Monroe and now even Jackson merchandise, ranging from T-shirts, handkerchiefs and coffee mugs to sundry decorative brick bracks. True, dead celebs make for hot brands, hotter than even the living ones! May their souls Rest In Peace!