Like Sex, Celebrities Sell

In this final chapter in the Musings of a Cosmetic Copywriter series, Scatter Brain brings the discussion full circle by talking about how the powerful and wealthy influence our notions of beauty and therefore our purchasing habits.

Most of us want to feel special and pampered the same way celebrities are. This knowledge makes for some excellent marketing and advertising strategies. Companies have realized this so by positioning a cosmetic product at a higher price point in a more exclusive retail environment and packaging it in a high quality fashion, they can convince us that the product is better because “hey if it’s this expensive and it comes in a double box with gold lettering, then it must really be good!”

Another excellent strategy is the celebrity spokesperson. Seriously, look at how much Oprah alone has influenced our buying and spending habits and as far as I know, she’s not anyone’s official spokesperson. She just has enough clout that if she mentions something on her show, people run out in droves to buy it. Anyway, back to strategy. Advertisers have what they call Q scores to determine the popularity and believability within the pantheon of celebrities and stars. A celebrity with a high Q score is much more likely to convince you that you need to purchase Product Z. Seriously, if Sarah Jessica Parker, who’s Q score is 90 percent familiarity among women between the ages of 18 to 34 regardless of income level, uses Garnier Fructis, then it is most definitely good enough for me. Just don’t forget that Sarah Jessica Parker was generously compensated to extol the virtues of these hair and skin care products.

I could go on and on about all the little tricks of the trade, but you’d be bored and I really need to go weed my flower garden. So, to boil it all down – approach advertising claims with trepidation. Most likely, nothing said is false, but think to yourself…what is this ad really saying? Is there definitive verbiage and quantifiable claims that can be supported or are there just a lot of fancy words that sound good but in the end don’t say much at all.

Scatter Brain is a real-life copywriter for hire. If you’re interested in contacting her with business opportunities, please write to “Scatter Brain” care of thebeautybrains@gmail.com.