Oasis singer Liam Gallagher is announced as considered one of the brand new faces of the Stone Island fashion brand. This is an ideal time for the brand after an Oasis reunion tour was announced in August for 2025, which can begin immediately Sold out.
For music fans, wearing band t-shirts and selecting a certain type of clothing has long been a solution to discover as a part of one's group. And the will to point out one's affiliation through selecting a uniform provides a perfect context through which brands can capitalize on the association with a celeb.
The practice of celebrity endorsements has been around for the reason that nineteenth century, when firms recognized the worth of celebrity endorsements in promoting their brands. conveys the meaning related to the celebrity and the brand. This meaning encompasses various identity characteristics reminiscent of social class, gender, personality and lifestyle.
Celebrity endorsements depend on symbolism and other people's desire to see others as role models. When there’s a great fit between celebrity and brand, such co-branding can profit each the brand and the celebrity.
Gallagher's reference to Stone Island appears to be hitting the mark. Authors have noticed the intersection of music, football and textiles and clothing that shaped the 'Madchester' music scene that Oasis dominated within the Nineteen Nineties. This musical subculture had a uniform: baggy trousers, loose-fitting T-shirts, bucket hats and sportswear.
An overlap between the uniforms of music and football fans was observed at Stone Island, considered one of several premium brands that connected with football fansGallagher can be closely connected to Manchester City Football Club as a football fan through his support of the club.
Symbolically, Gallagher represents a nostalgic link to Nineteen Nineties Manchester, when football and music merged to make sure the city was on the map. Stone Island is capitalising on this nostalgia through this brand endorsement deal, showing that the corporate recognises the worth of (the fitting) celebrity brand.
Own the brand
Rapper Jay-Z went a step further after noticing that his fans showed up at his first gigs dressed like him and on the lookout for his favorite brands to point out that they belonged.
In his autobiography Decrypted (2011), Jay-Z talks about how he contacted his favorite brand to propose a collaboration. When it became clear that they didn’t understand how much influence he could have on his fans' clothing decisions, he began his own company – RocawearInstead of lending his celebrity capital to a different company, he has continued to expand his brand beyond music.
One of the explanations celebrity brand endorsements work is because consumers trust their favorite celebrities and discover with relevant brands. This ties into the general role of branding: it serves as a shortcut for people to choose from similar products and matches their needs and desires with probably the most suitable brand.
The desire to view celebrities, reminiscent of musicians, as lifestyle influencers may be seen as a precursor to our modern influencer culture. Influencer marketing, through which non-celebrities promote brands, places and services that they feel align with their personal brand, may be seen as an evolution of celebrity promoting. The success of influencer marketing relies on similar characteristics to the celebrity brand – symbolic alignment and trust.
What sets celebrity promoting other than influencer marketing is the broader symbolism of the celebrity backstory. Fans of Oasis who were around within the Nineteen Nineties will see Gallagher in Stone Island, along with his trademark swagger, and feel catapulted back to their youth. In this manner, memories of nights in town, nights at home and the Oasis soundtrack will enrich the image and brand with an emotional backstory.
image credit : theconversation.com