There’s something about royalty that ignites most people’s
imaginations and aspirations. Royalty plays a large part in every fairy tale
and fantasy most children (and adults) ever read or see in the movies.
What most people don’t know, however, is that this image doesn’t
come easy. Behind the scenes, a royal family is actually a high-end brand.
Among other things, keeping up a royal image involves maintaining the delicate
balance between fantasy and reality, distance and familiarity. It’s important
for the royals to remain relevant, but when they become too real, or overly
familiar, they lose their magic.
This is called the “pixie-dust phenomenon”, and it springs
from the idea that every time celebrities interact with the public, they either
gain or lose some of their magic. When they become too familiar or reachable,
the pixie dust dissipates. Maintaining just the right amount of pixie dust is a
fine balance that celebrity “brands” have to juggle every day – the reason many
royals wear those long gloves isn’t just for elegance; it’s to create an
intentional psychological distance from members of the public.
Matt Lindstrom’s research over the years has shown that
consumers forge greater emotional attachments (and are hence more loyal to)
brands that have rituals surrounding them – and that creating a sense of
mystery around a brand or product is another highly effective branding
strategy.
The best and quickest way to boost the popularity of a royal
family is to host a royal wedding. A close second is the arrival of a royal
baby (the more the merrier) and to hit a home run, have twins. The more the
princes and princesses that pop forth, the greater likelihood of future
weddings and future births and thus continued popularity.
But can a famous face have that much of an impact on how we
spend our money? Well yes. By the time most young boys reach the ripe old age
of 3 or 4, they’ve already started worshiping super heroes. By the time they’re
7 or 8, many have transferred their giddy adoration onto flesh-and-blood heroes
– usually athletes. This is why there are so many celebrity spokespersons for
products marketing to young boys.
Marketing strategies centered on celebrity appeal to
fantasies about our idealized future selves. Most marketers know that a vast
majority of boys dream of growing up to become strong and powerful. And, in turn,
they will be drawn to heroes with special powers – supernatural, athletic or
otherwise.
For young girls, their ideal future selves are graceful,
feminine and stunningly beautiful – hence the princess fantasy that is so
pervasive in our cultures. As girls age and move from princesses to the likes
of Hannah Montana their biggest role model tends to be Barbie. Barbie was
designed and marketed to represent exactly what every girl, no matter what
decade she’s been born in wants to be: beautiful, glamorous, popular and
adored.
But the obsession with fame and celebrity doesn’t end in
childhood. The ideal “future self” for most adults, male or female, is more or
less universal: rich, attentive, and famous.
Branding and celebrity borrows a lot from the royalty
playbook. But unlike royal families, celebrities lack bloodlines, history,
timeworn rituals, or pageantry.
Creating a celebrity is less about who they actually are and
more about the brand we project to those around us.
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