Electric Shock

Shock the people and they will listen. Isn’t that how it is in every situation? I believe it is. The moment people are shocked, the moment people turn their attention to the situation. This is true for the latest Vanity Fair scandal and Kate Moss’ new lingerie advertisements. 

Pictures of Miley Cyrus, taken by the famed Annie Liebovitz, raised so many moral questions and sparked so much interest. All of the energy has brought the attention to Vanity Fair magazine. It’s true, bad press really is good press.

The Cut, New York Magazine’s fashion blog, interviewed former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown. She comments,  “I just thought, ‘There Annie [Liebovitz] goes again! Driving up sales!'” she said. “I saw her here tonight and I congratulated her. I said, ‘Great job. Now just put one of those out every quarter.’ It’s terrific for newsstand and it gets Si [Newhouse] off your back.”

Another celebrity perfect for the use of shock value is Kate Moss. The model is always all popular in the blogosphere, including PerezHilton.com and The Cut. Her name alone is tied to numerous scandals and now she is in the midst of another “haute” topic. The Cut describes that the new Agent Provocateur bridal ad campaign features Moss in controversial circumstances where she, the bride, is shot in a “red underwear holding slices of wedding cake looking like she’d just trampled a pair of popes.”

Agent Provocateur’s co-founder Joe Corre “wanted to express his views on marriage and the Vatican: ‘For me, the idea of marriage, of two people committing to one another, is incredibly beautiful. But at a certain point you hand over the control of that to a different organisation, to something that is disconnected, whether it’s the Church or, if it’s a civil wedding, the Government. I think perhaps people should question that because what if the authority concerned is corrupt and its intentions are not as pure as the ones you had in the first place?'”

Even though many people disagree with controversial campaigns it sure looks like a good way to go. From a public relations standpoint this does usually does not help to connect with your target audience, however, it creates a strong presence. What do you think about using shock as a strategy?

Cosmetics SpokesSUPERwomen

Edelman went against the norm when they launched their brilliant Dove campaign. Oprah picked up on the campaign and featured the Dove spokeswomen on her show. The strategy had successfully driven the message of real beauty to women over 20 years of age, but after watching television this afternoon I noticed many cosmetic companies have yet to catch on. 

Companies such as Rimmel, Estee Lauder and Maybelline all utilize gorgeous actresses and models as spokeswomen (or as I like to call them, “spokesSUPERwomen”). Many of these successful women take advantage of the latest beauty treatments and innovative plastic surgery techniques as well as employ chefs and personal trainers. The Gaurdian explains, “Gwyneth Paltrow employs two [chefs] – one for sweets, one for savoury – to help with her macrobiotic diet.” 

I don’t know about you but neither do I have a personal chef nor a trainer. Even though Edelman’s campaign had a great deal of coverage, how come other brands have yet to follow this strategy?