Celebrity endorsement can be seen on a multitude of adverts, as it is an effective way of selling an item. Approximately 1/4 advertisements feature celebrities. 'Celebrity endorsers are movie and television stars, and people from the worlds of sport, politics, business, art, music, and the military' (McCracken, cited in Um and Jang, 2020).

 

In 2018, Gucci chose Harry Styles to be the face of their men's tailoring campaign. They call the campaign 'Gucci Tailoring at the Chippy', describing it as 'On a set at a fish and chip shop in northern London, Harry Styles appears in the new men's tailoring campaign.' (Gucci.com, 2018)

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Firstly we should look at how 'brand' is defined. Blythe (2009) describes brand as 'the process of developing a specific set of identifying marks, symbols  and perceptions to distinguish one product from competing products in the same market'. Using such a current, young and popular celebrity to endorse this brand is a huge boost for making Gucci stand out among the crowd. If fans of Styles associate him with Gucci, it will make them more eager to purchase from the brand. He makes Gucci more desirable to a brand new demographic, opening up the sales to a wider audience. 

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It is interesting to look at why they used this particular celebrity and set it in a fish and chip shop. It is clear to notice the phrase 'chippy' being used, making it feel much more informal, creating a more approachable feel for the usually very high end brand. Furthermore, the location being a London chip shop reinforces this idea. These aspects of the campaign open the brand up to a wider audience as it makes them seem more available to a middle brow demographic. Harry Styles and this particular advert have been glocalised, as Gucci are using a global celebrity to attract a local audience by placing him in a typically British location

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Before the X- Factor and his huge music career, Harry Styles was a completely 'normal person', wearing high street clothes. Although, now he is incredibly successful and well known, using this celebrity who worked his way up to success is more appealing to an audience than a celebrity who was born into privilege and fame. It provides them with an image they can aspire to be and possibly work towards. This therefore makes Gucci as a brand special, luxury and aspirational. 

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Of course, the audience will recognise the sharp contrast between the chip shop and the Gucci clothes. This comparison shows a mixture of Harry Styles' roots and where he is now, almost showing what he has achieved. However, not only are the clothes high end, Styles is a high end celebrity. Although this sounds to be objectifying the celebrity, it is supported by Turner (2006) who says 'celebrity is a genre of representation; it is a commodity traded by the promotions, publicity and media industries that produce... representations and their effects '. Harry Styles, as a celebrity is purely used as a promotional tool for the brand, assisting them in reaching new and larger audiences.

 

Furthermore, it can be argued that Harry Styles is an active celebrity endorser of Gucci, as he is known to wear Gucci on a daily basis. He usually wears Gucci tailoring in the form of extravagant suits when performing. 'Celebrity endorsement may be divided into two types—active or passive—based on the level of a celebrity’s involvement. Active celebrity endorsement refers to an endorsement in which celebrities explicitly promote a brand and take a leading role in endorsing the brand. Passive celebrity endorsement refers to an endorsement in which celebrities implicitly promote a brand and take an inactive role in endorsing the brand.' (Um and Jang, 2020, 2)

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After Styles' appearance in the campaign in June 2018, 'Kering’s Gucci label continued to outpace competitors in the fourth quarter, giving another signal that Chinese appetite for luxury goods remains healthy. Fourth-quarter sales at Gucci rose 28% on an organic basis to €2.3bil' (thestar.com, 2019). Although there is no proof to show that Styles impacted these sales, there is proof of the constantly rising global success of the company, especially in China.

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It can be concluded that Harry Styles was a very fitting celebrity endorser for Gucci. Although it cannot be proven that he assisted the rise in sales in 2018, it is clear that himself and his journey reflects the brand well, especially in this campaign. He also attracts a very broad audience, increasing the popularity of the brand. 

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Bibliography

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Blythe, Jim (2009) Key Concepts of Marketing, London: Sage

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Conlon, Scarlett (2018) Harry Styles and Gucci statement suits blaze trail to the high street, Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/apr/13/harry-styles-gucci-statement-suits-high-street-topman (Accesed: 03/11/2020) 

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Gucci (2018) Gucci Men's Tailoring campaign: Harry Styles, Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pomoP2SH8Cg, (Accessed: 03/11/2020)

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Gucci (2018) Gucci Tailoring at the Chippy, Available at: https://www.gucci.com/uk/en_gb/st/stories/advertising-campaign/article/pre-fall-2018-harry-styles-tailoring-shoppable (Accessed: 03/11/2020)

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Madden, Amelia (2017) Harry Styles Dressed Kids in Gucci, and Everyone's Freaking Out, Available at https://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/harry-styles-gucci-video (Accessed: 03/11/2020)

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Pike, Naomi and Hayford, Alice- Casely (2018) Harry Styles Is The Face Of Gucci's Tailoring Campaign, Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/harry-styles-gucci-campaign-2018  (Accessed: 03/11/2020)

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Spranklen, Annabelle (2018) Harry Styles knows how to rock a Gucci suit, Available at https://www.tatler.com/gallery/harry-styles-best-gucci-outfits-style (Accessed: 03/11/2020)

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The Star (2019) Gucci sales up 28% in Q4 2018, Available at: https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2019/02/13/gucci-sales-up-28-in-q4-2018 (Accessed: 03/11/2020)

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Turner, G (2006) Understanding Celebrity (second edition) Los Angeles: SAGE

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Um, Nam-Hyun and Jang, Ahnlee (2020) Impact of celebrity endorsement type on consumers' brand and advertisement perception and purchase intention. Social Behavior & Personality: an international journal. 48(4) pp. 1-10 DOI: 10.2224/sbp.8913

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