As humans, what endears us to brands isn’t the artistic logos and catchy slogans. While these are crucial elements that help drive conversations and brand narratives, people identify with brands because of the emotional connection they have with the message the brand promotes. So each customer wants to see the human touch in the products and services they patronize.
Celebrities, on the other hand, already have the element of emotional connection handed to them by their fans by the virtue of their abilities. When you consider these unique individuals are called idols because others literally worship them, the reality of their influence becomes more glaring. The influence celebrities have and the desire of brands to inject emotional connection into their company is why the relationship between the two appears to be a match made from heaven. In recent times, this has led to partnerships that weren’t just successful, but also made an iconic statement. In this article, we explore three such partnerships.
1. A$AP Rocky and Guess
To the American rapper A$AP Rocky, music and fashion are like two sides of a coin. This has made him develop into one of the artists that has been at the forefront of the fashion industry. With this comes a great deal of clout due to the fashion expression that has been embedded into his personal brand. This makes it a no-brainer to sellout the collections he released in collaboration with Guess.
To further highlight how much the clothing brand was willing to incorporate the A$AP Rocky personality into their brand, they reworded the inscription on these wears into Gue$$. In addition to the creative freedom the brand gave A$AP Rocky and the way he infused his ideals of nostalgia and childhood, it all makes sense that people will line up for hours to snap up these wearables.
2. The North Face “More Than a Jacket” Campaign
The North Face “More Than a Jacket” campaign started from the social media platform that is a hub for fashion — Instagram. It saw the digitization of wearables in The North Face archive and this further spread to other social media. Celebrities that were involved in the promotion of this campaign include Conrad Anker, who is famously known for his mountaineering accolades. He has also collaborated with the brand to promote several releases including the climber/hiker shoes. Other celebrities that also contributed to the campaign include the multi-talented RZA and the girl band HAIM. The campaign saw them draw awareness to the timelessness of The North Face jackets, evoking emotions that the audience can relate such as struggles, victory and outdoor cultures.
3. Yara Shahidi and Adidas
The beauty in the Yara Shahidi and Adidas collaboration is the way it was able to transcend the usual narrative on many fronts. While Adidas is largely known for sports wears, the brand was able to venture into the fashion space with this partnership. For Yara on the other hand, it provided an opportunity for her to explore her diverse cultural background as an Iranian-African American. She infused Farsi texts and patterns, which have a deep root her in Iranian identity. When all these are put together, they make for a powerful story that a lot can connect to from different parts across the globe.
In contemporary times, brand collaboration has gone to include TikTok celebrities in the mix, and substantial success has been recorded from such collaborations. The golden recipe has always been a celebrity with a large following and a product that members of the fanbase can relate to. Such a combo hardly goes wrong.
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