Author｜mia
“I really can’t figure out what the words energy and youth have to do with Jay Chou”
“I don’t know what the brand’s market research is doing. Jay Chou’s fans and brand audiences are completely different”
“He has nothing to do with these brands. Does positioning have anything to do with positioning? Brands don’t care about positioning in order to achieve traffic.”
...
Two days ago, La Mer (La Mer), the top luxury skin care brand of the Estee Lauder Group, caused a stir in the selection of spokespersons. Amid the controversy, la mer, which focuses on the keyword "high-end", officially announced Jay Chou as its brand ambassador. The top Chinese brand and a nearly century-old brand are at the forefront of the storm at the same time.
You must know that in the past, Jay Chou liked to endorse "brands that his fans can afford", such as Youlemei, Emma Electric Vehicle, Metersbonwe, China Mobile (M-Zone), and Liangquan Its beautiful hand cakes, "Jay Lun represents the universe" are generally down-to-earth.
Although the number of luxury goods endorsements has increased in the past two years, and La Mer, the world's top skin care brand, has been endorsed by the world's top brands Dior, Rimowa, and Tudor, it seems that the public and the market are not paying for these cooperations.
I want to ask why some people find it "absurd" to have Jay Chou as a spokesperson. The main reason is that the positioning of the brand La Mer is a bit subtle. "This brand still needs a spokesperson." When it comes to La Mer, as the Rolls-Royce of skin care, everyone should be familiar with it. Take the star's best-selling product "Classic Essence Cream" as an example, 100ml Up to 4780 yuan.
and la mer sells products, focusing on the halo of effect, expensive and expensive, and the price is consistent with the popularity. la mer has carried out a spiritual baptism for consumers who adhere to the belief that "you get what you pay for". The combination of high positioning and high price strategy has attracted many people to this old brand. The more expensive it is, the better it sells. , especially popular among high-end consumer groups.
On the one hand, fans are generating electricity and shouting for love, on the other hand, netizens regard this as a ridiculous move by the brand to stab consumers in the back. The main point of controversy that has aroused doubts this time is that there seems to be a sense of separation between the choice of spokesperson and brand positioning. The comments from netizens are mainly that "the brand image is completely inconsistent."
To be honest, the controversy caused by this choice is hard not to remind people of the discussion when Jay Chou endorsed Dior - "I don't know whether I should congratulate Dior or Jay Chou." Today, the same problem is also plaguing la mer. There is a lot of controversy over whether the choice of spokesperson matches the brand positioning.
It is obvious to all that the luxury goods market has become conservative and has begun to favor influential figures who have withstood the test of time. However, the key is how the brand accurately selects spokespersons who are highly consistent with its brand image and values. This matching requires not only topicality but In line with the influence, it should also show obvious blessing in terms of sales promotion.
As soon as this action came out, the public focused on whether La Mer, who is famous for its luxury skin care products, is lowering his worth? Could it be that in order to open up the Chinese market, Estee Lauder really sought medical treatment in a hurry?
Every move of the high-end luxury brand is eye-catching. La Mer signed Korean actor Jun Ji-hyun as the brand spokesperson last year, not to mention Jay Chou became the global brand ambassador and the first male global brand ambassador in the history of the luxury skin care brand.
For a time, #Jay Chou endorses La Mer# became the freshest topic, and what’s new is that this two-way rush went beyond everyone’s expectations.
Having said that, there are so many brands that are looking for Jay Chou to endorse, so why do you think la mer didn’t choose the right one? This also needs to start with the consideration of the brand's choice of spokesperson. Generally speaking, there are nothing more than the following three purposes. One of the most common appeals for
brands when choosing spokespersons is to break through sales bottlenecks and achieve breakout of target users. The main focus is the ability to carry goods, traffic and purchasing power.
It is difficult to find new products in each track, so we have to rely on existing products, which forces brands to adjust their marketing strategies. Judging from the actual results, holding hands with popular celebrities is still one of the most direct and effective marketing methods at present, and has become the norm for major beauty brands.
Judging from the current market feedback, the ability to carry goods is generally closely related to male traffic stars. Most brands prefer the current explosive traffic. In order to start the "traffic battle", major brands have begun to intensively announce stars for each product line. Spokesperson. But having said that, high-end beauty products have always been cautious in the selection of spokespersons. In the overall industry trend, most cooperation between male stars and beauty products still lingers on mid- to low-end brands.
Embracing traffic stars in large numbers has been proven to be an effective strategy before. Don’t ask, just ask, you can really make money. The most intuitive example is Xiao Zhan’s endorsement of ysl. Within two hours of the official announcement, half a million yuan was sold. The brand’s marketing data skyrocketed that day, rewriting the marketing landscape of skin care brands.
It is not difficult to see that behind this is actually the underlying logic of brands trying to harvest through celebrity marketing. This is a win-win "true fragrance" victory for the brand, celebrities and fans. Endorsement has long become a large-scale real-life online game between brands and fans.
In comparison, compared with current traffic stars, national singers like Jay Chou are not known for their ability to sell goods. Although Jay Chou has a huge fan base, his effect in driving goods has not been verified, and the spending power of fans is not necessarily comparable to that of young fans of popular celebrities, and they do not often show crazy buying behavior. For example, in 2016, although Luzhijie Automobile, endorsed by Jay Chou, hoped to attract more young consumers, this strategy failed to change the outcome of its bankruptcy and reorganization.
It is not difficult to understand that "Jay Lun Endorses the Universe" prefers more popular and down-to-earth brands and products. Compared with the effect of bringing goods, his influence is more used to build brand awareness and gain More market attention.
Secondly, it is very important that the spokesperson image is highly consistent with the product functions. Only by choosing spokespersons that are consistent with the product functions can the brand's functions and concepts be effectively conveyed in marketing and strengthen brand trust.
In the business world, reliability is the most important thing. For female consumers, spokespersons often bear the expectation of showing the immediate effects of skin care products, while the single products that male celebrities can best drive sales are often commonly used daily chemicals such as lipstick, sunscreen, and facial masks. Products, in comparison, the types of products that female celebrities can carry are more extensive and sophisticated.
Take the equally high-profile high-end skin care brand Helena (Helena Rubinstein) as an example. Helena's choice of Faye Wong as the spokesperson has always been regarded as a positive marketing case. In the promotional video, Faye Wong's skin is as smooth and tight as ever, instantly making the price of black and white bandages Full of persuasion.
Practitioners of a medical beauty platform also told Chojiao that Helena is very popular among a large number of female celebrities and ladies, which is largely due to Faye Wong's endorsement. Faye Wong is not only regarded as the most ideal spokesperson, but her personal image is highly consistent with the high-end positioning of Helena products. Her endorsement effect is so powerful that consumers believe that using these products may give them similar effects and charm to Faye Wong.
The first advertising campaign between Jay Chou and La Mer features La Mer's therapeutic lotion, a functional skin care product, as its theme. However, in the official promotional pictures, Jay Chou's swollen face does not seem to be firm or youthful. The overall image does not match the anti-aging and firming effects of the product at all. His public image is not fully in line with high-end skin care or technology. It is difficult to arouse consumers' desire to buy.
Pushing forward, as early as in the previous variety show, Shen Teng, a rough comedian who seemed to have nothing to do with beauty, was ridiculed as a la mer who wiped his face seriously with bottles and cans. A clearly ineffective or even reverse delivery behavior has dissuaded a wave of consumers.
Shiseido’s high-end line product “Ye Liuli” facial cream endorsed by Huang Bo is also one of the examples. Although it focuses on plumping, firming and youthful contours, Huang Bo received sharp criticism from netizens because of the mismatch between his image and product functions: "How did the brand department choose the ambassador? The spokesperson's facial condition does not match the product.""
Nowadays, young consumers are not easy to fool. From questioning the spokesperson to questioning the brand, consumers are also awakening in the process of expecting the efficacy of the product, and sneer at the brand's plan to "cut leeks." It can be seen that celebrities choose The brand endorsed needs to be consistent with its own image, and the personality of the celebrity chosen by the brand must be consistent with the brand's tone, so that the star can be the core of the communication and attract consumers.
In addition, spokespersons. Marketing must become a brand asset. The degree of compatibility between the spokesperson and the brand itself, and shaping and interpreting the brand value have become the aspects that the brand cares about more.
In today's market environment, the mutual benefit and win-win situation between the brand and the spokesperson is no longer the same. It only relies on unilateral traffic support, but pays more attention to how to interpret and deepen brand value through the image and influence of spokespersons.
Last year, Prada’s cooperation with the Chinese women’s football team perfectly reflected its “continuous pursuit of innovation and insistence on quality.” "brand concept. The official release recorded the sincere smile of every women's football girl and applauded the ever-improving sportsmanship. It is not only an improvement of the brand image, but also a celebration of female power and sportsmanship.
Compared with the past, brands have cooperated more with traffic stars. This time, Prada cooperated with the Chinese women's football team, which has a positive image, to finally "come back". This popularity has also been fed back to the stock price. After the official announcement of the cooperation, Prada stock once rose 4.52% in the Hong Kong stock market.
For high-end luxury brands, in addition to brand functions and traffic, story-based content and high-quality brand expression can tell good brand stories, create high-quality content, and use endorsement power. Blessing the brand power.
Looking back, la mer’s brand concept of “eternal youth” not only emphasizes youthfulness on the surface, but also pursues a continuous state of youth from the inside out. This concept represents a deep-seated , long-term beauty philosophy. However, although Jay Chou has a wide range of influence, his image and personal style may not be fully consistent with the brand value of deep female power and comprehensive beauty advocated by la mer, whether in terms of public influence. There are certain differences in the brand concepts of Jay Chou and La Mer in terms of the "weight" or the "depth" of the image.
Endorsement marketing should focus on long-term content narrative. Spokespersons are also brand assets, and choosing the right spokesperson is undoubtedly more capable of conveying brand connotation. , brand value-oriented ability.
Estee Lauder's choice of Jay Chou as the spokesperson of La Mer is obviously an urgent move to break the situation in the Chinese market, aiming to restore and improve performance. In the past two years, Estee Lauder has had a difficult time. In the latest financial report for the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 from September 30, 2023 to December 31, 2023, the group's revenue was US$4.279 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 7.38%. Net profit was US$324 million, a year-on-year decrease of 18.39%. In particular, sales of the skin care category dropped by 10% from US$2.427 billion in 2022 to US$2.173 billion in 2023, and sales of cosmetics also fell by 8%.
Chopped Pepper research found that The problems faced by Estee Lauder include but are not limited to slow product updates and insufficient innovation. Especially in the past two years, the cosmetics market has undergone dramatic changes. The rise of niche and emerging brands has directly impacted the living space of traditional brands.
At the same time, success is high and failure is high. The Estee Lauder Group's core brand strategy still focuses solely on consumers in the high-end and luxury markets. However, in the context of economic downturn and consumption downgrade, this strategy is obviously unsustainable. This makes the group significantly disadvantaged in the competition with its old rival L'Oreal. At a disadvantage.
Estee Lauder Brand Matrix
Overall, after seven consecutive quarters of revenue and profit decline, Estee Lauder couldn't hold it any longer.
On the one hand, the group has carried out a round of price increases on about 1,500 of its products, involving Estee Lauder, La Mer, Mac, Tom Ford and other brands. The prices of some products have increased by as much as 44%. Lamer Classic Essence Cream 100ml The price increased from 4655 yuan to 4780 yuan.
On the other hand, the Estee Lauder Group announced in its financial report that it will further expand its profit recovery plan (profit recovery plan) in the second half of fiscal year 2024. It is expected to lay off 3%-5% of its employees, and the net reduction in global positions is estimated to be about 1,800-3,000. .
However, it is worth mentioning that the growth momentum of its subsidiary La Mer (La Mer) is still strong, especially in the Chinese market. Fabrizio Freda, CEO of
Group, said in the financial report, "La Mer achieved double-digit growth last year and doubled growth in key markets such as China. This is also part of the parent company's growth plan. In addition, the The brand has achieved growth in all regions. "
, especially the results of the increase in the Douyin platform have begun to show. During the Double 11 period in 2023, benefiting from the sales performance of Estee Lauder and La Mer, the group's net sales on Douyin Sales have more than doubled, with Estee Lauder and La Mer both ranking among the top 10 sales lists.
While this appears to be significant growth within the group, the substance and sustainability of this growth in the competitive context of the industry as a whole requires further assessment. Specifically, in the Douyin beauty top 20 list in the first quarter of this year, the rankings of Estee Lauder and La Mer have declined to varying degrees, with La Mer falling 7 places.
It can be clearly seen that the group is working hard to enter a broader sinking market through the platform of Douyin, expand the target group and enhance brand awareness. However, the new channels can reach the target users' minds and enhance the depth of users. Results in terms of brand recognition and loyalty may be less than satisfactory. In addition, La Mer's general price increase strategy in the first half of this year also affected the consumption of customers in lower-tier markets.
In this case, the choice of spokesperson is particularly critical. More attention should be paid to its long-term positive impact on brand recognition and the lasting construction of the brand image. However, Jay Chou's effect as a spokesperson is not ideal in this regard. , even among users in sinking markets, it is not the first choice for market expansion.
Next, Estee Lauder seems to be targeting the increasingly competitive Chinese market, hoping that la mer can push hard from behind to regain Chinese consumers and fight a beautiful turnaround.
But what faces the top brand la mer is not only a battle to optimize channel strategies, but also a battle to innovate marketing concepts. From this point of view, choosing Jay Chou as the spokesperson of La Mer may not be the right choice. .
