February 20, 2006
Pampered Pooches
"Based in Hollywood, [Rockin' Rodeo] caters to celebrity clients - Parker Posey has stopped by with her pooch, Drew Barrymore has browsed, Sharon Stone is a fan, etc. - along with oodles of poodles and pugs and pomeranians and their people, stylish persons who'll probably never bump into some secret Bloomingdales twin.
" 'We find or create truly unique pieces. So whether it's a concert T-shirt, cowboy boots, or a dog collar, each item is really a reflection of that individual or pet wearing that treasure," says Fauser. 'Our clients are people who want the exclusive, one-of-a-kind items that we find in vintage wear. And they certainly don't want anything less for their pet.'
"Fauser and Rockin' Rodeo co-owner Mary Ossanna would know: they've puppy loves of their own-Coco, Lucy, and Prada-who keep casually outfitted in custom collars made of antique leather. Like the finely aged leather belts, boots, and bags offered to Rockin' Rodeo's two-legged customers, the dog collars and leashes (priced between $80-450) can be further personalized with antique studding."
You can read more but doesn't the idea of personalized vintage collars with antique studding pretty much tell you everything you need to know about Los Angeles, pet owners, the innate lust for stuff humans are cursed with, plus late-stage capitalism in the United States?
Posted by Deborah Branscum at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
March 04, 2005
Product Placement, Celeb Edition
"Psychologists and economists are using sophisticated brain scanners to tease apart the automatic judgments that dart below the surface of awareness," notes the LA Times. "The why of buy is a trillion-dollar question. By one estimate, 700 new products are introduced every day. Last year, 26,893 new food and household products materialized on store shelves around the world, including 115 deodorants, 187 breakfast cereals and 303 women's fragrances. In all, 2 million brands vie for attention."
And it seems like half of them were handed out in celebrity goodie bags at the end of the month. I mean, just read the fabulous press release below. And while you do, ponder this question: If the celebs went for the instant appetite suppressant and ignored the macaroons, does the product-placement firm owe the cookie company a refund?
"Stars Receive Goodie Bags Valued in Excess of $17,000 at Ebony's 60th Birthday Bash
"( EMAILWIRE.COM, February 26, 2005 ) Beverly Hills, CA -- The stars came out last night to Crustacean to commemorate Ebony's 60th birthday at "Hollywood in Harlem." Oscar nominees, honorees and special guests including Oprah, Samuel L. Jackson, and Wyclef Jean received gift bags produced by Luxe Bags (formerly Buzz Bags). The goodies were contained in beach totes from Hadley Pollet and deluxe duffel bags from FedEx.
"Contents included a gift certificate from Arizona resort/spa Sanctuary on Camelback ($7000), Platinum Jet Gift Card from Executive Charter Services ($2500), pair of ballet flats from London Sole ($155), Fashion Fair Cosmetics by EBONY, handbag designed from vintage LP covers (Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, etc.) by Carry a Tune ($165), Altoids Smalls, biotin nail strengthener Appearex, instant appetite suppressant Slimmints, Body Mint all-body deodorant tablets, hand-made chocolate macaroons by Melfer's Macaroons, Silhouette Titan Minimal Art sunglasses ($300), Adidas Adrenaline Man and Adidas Adrenaline Woman fragrances, Pro-V Relaxed & Natural collection by Pantene (www.pantene.com), Ray: A Tribute To The Movie, The Music, and The Man" etc. etc.
Product placement is big business. (I wrote a bit about it in a feature called "Under the Radar" for CMO magazine recently; gotta register to read it in the December issue.) How else to explain the Fab Four's foodie, Ted, dragging some poor guy to Costco for buffet supplies? Do not try to tell me that Ted goes to Costco when he's off duty. Which points to an important point about successful product placement: it has to be believable. That the gourmet member of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy would recommend Costco pushes belief; so does the frequent appearance of those tooth-brightening strips in practically every episode. No wonder viewership declined by last fall. It was fun to follow the Cinderella makeovers of these slobs, including the magical visits to luxe shops. There's nothing magical about Costco.
Marketing Profs has a primer on the fine art of showering celebs with freebies and describes three techniques, along with a little history: "Centuries before Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped into his first Hummer, an 18th century potter named Josiah Wedgwood began supplying his wares to England's Queen Charlotte. Receiving the title 'Potter to Her Majesty' led to a huge amount of publicity for Wedgwood, which he took advantage of by using the term 'Queen's Ware' to describe his product."
Because it's all about the product. Alas, I don't get Turner Classic Movies but others can enjoy this month's film festival on Friday nights that's a salute to product placement in Hollywood, a very old if not always very honorable activity. (I'm thinking about the blatent product placement in The Muppet Movie, among other films, that got Big Tobacco in trouble some years back.)
If computers should ever turn out to be carcinogentic then Apple will be in big trouble as one of the champion product-placement practioners of all time. Brandchannel gave Apple its "Lifetime Achievement Award for Product Placement" (that and four bucks will get you a latte in Cupertino) and in the process, raises this inescapable issue:
"...Apple's global market share for computers dropped to less than two percent in 2004. ... While its iPod is certainly gobbling up market share, it is Apple's computers that have been onscreen for the last 20 years. In terms of product placement's effectiveness this raises some huge questions, one of which seems to imply that, at best, the effectiveness of product placement is completely unpredictable or, at worst, product placement doesn't really work at all."
Hmm, a marketing technique that that produces unpredictable sales or none at all? Staggering news. Up next: dog bites man. Still, gotta admire Brandchannel for refusing to gloss over this point.
Posted by Deborah Branscum at 12:14 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack