Authenticity in Advertising Luxury Goods

Christian Schimmelpfennig
1. Dez. 2016
5 Min. Lesezeit

Aktualisiert: 22. Juni 2022

project partner: Maurice Lacroix.

Overview:

For many consumers authenticity in advertising seems to gain importance. This development has an effect on advertising luxury goods, as this sector has traditionally relied heavily on aspirational branding. In this applied research project we investigated the target group's perception of campaigns featuring endorsers that are more authentic vs. those that are more famous.

Aspirational vs. Authentic Advertising

Amir Kassaei, chief creative officer of DDB Communications, asserts that even if “an authentic ad might be less likely to win a Cannes Lion, it is very likely to win consumers’ hearts.” For decades the luxury goods industry has primarily relied on advertising strategy that was coined as 'aspirational'. Dimofte et. al (2014) have investigated aspirational campaigns from a social identity perspective and discribe the concept as a "marketing communications strategy that features products associated with social out-groups that the consumer seeks membership into". They further conclude that such campaigns entail two conditions: (1) the prior association of the promoted product with a favorably perceived social group; and (2) the consumer’s non-member status in that group.

In many cases the social group that brands and products associate with through compelling advertising is celebrities: movie stars, musicians, models, etc.

However, it is observed that consumers are increasingly attracted to brands that are perceived as more authentic. Essential work on the concept of 'authentic advertising' has been carried out at the Marketing department of University of Berne and The Swiss Center for Luxury Research at HEC Lausanne. For example, Malär and colleagues (2011) at the University of Berne found that many consumers are attracted to brands that are more congruent with their 'actual-self concept' rather than their 'ideal-self concept'. And Morhart et. al (2015) at HEC Lausanne have investigated how consumers actually form authenticity judgements and what dimensions they base them on.

"Consumers look for brands that are relevant, original, and genuine: they increasingly search for authenticity in brands"

Prof. Felicitas Morhart, Founder at the Swiss Center for Luxury Research

The Study

In this applied research project that was conducted with and funded by Swiss luxury watch brand Maurice Lacroix, we investigated if the brand's target group would be more attracted to advertising that addresses the actual self concept vs. aspirational advertising that attempts to make ad viewers believe they gain membership to an attractive social group through brand consumption.

For this study we had several advertisements designed by a creative agency tht feature different endorsers and advertise the brand of Maurice Lacroix, as well as other luxury watch brands for verification such as Omega. Please see examples below.

Panel and Method

The panel (n=70) comprised of a 'high quality' sample that represents the brand's target group well. The majority of the respondents are between 25 and 45 years old (>60%), gain an income in the range of 50'000 to 100'000 USD annually, and have diverse cultural backgrounds (we focused on Maurice Lacroix' important home market Switzerland/Germany/Austria, and contrasted with the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian culture clusters). The study was conducted through an online questionnaire, and prefrences indicated on a 7-point Likert scale.

Questionnaire

In the initial part of the study repondents were presented and asked their liking of three advertisements that feature different endorsers: 1) an anonymous model on a motorbike halting at a view point overlooking a large city, 2) Youri Zoon, a kitesurf champion, and 3) Justin Timberlake, an internationally well reconized musician.

In the second part of the questionnaire the panel were presented hints on a watchmaker's brand promise and the make of its potential customers, which is in great congruence with the intentions of Maurice Lacroix:

"A watch manufacturer in the middle price segment (USD 1'000 - 3'000) wants its products to be perceived as items of self-reward, recognition of success and pride. Its advertisements are meant to be a refreshing invitation to spoil yourself, go new places and enjoy your highlife. With its collection of stylish, high-quality timepieces the manufacturer wants to provide you a means to reward yourself upon the achievement of something that is of great importance to you. This may be a bonus or a job promotion in recognition of your talent, an athletic triumph, the completion of an MBA, or whatever goal you have set out to accomplish. Finally, after all the hard work, all the effort it took, you've made it: Your Time Is Now!"

Following this brand introduction, respondents were asked how the above presented advertisements are perceived and fit with the intented brand image.

In the third part of the questionnaire respondents were shown all three advertisements one by one, and asked their opinion regarding authenticity, credibility, novelty and fit with the portrayed brand image.

Results

overall

Most liked - on a general level - of all three advertisements is the subject with the fringe sport athlete Youri Zoon (arithmetic mean 46.09), followed close by the anonymous motorbiker (45.48), while the ad featuring the celebrity musician came last (arithmetic mean 38.37). The analysis with inference statistic means shows that the ad with the kitesurfer is overproportionally liked by younger respondents, and that it is similarly liked by all culture groups (smallest spread: 43-55). The spread of liking vs. disliking is largest for the motorbiker ad, and hence most polarizing. And while the celebrity ad with Justin Timberlake is moderately popular among Scandinavian respondents (mean 46) it is rather disliked by Anglo-Saxons (mean 28). Hence, the advertisement with the fringe sport athlete is not only best liked by the panel, it is also similarly liked within all culture groups and much less polarizing than certain celebrities - in this case Justin Timberlake.

in relation to brand image

Given the brand promise presented, 43% of the respondents find the fringe sport athlete advertisement most convincing (motorbiker: 30%, celebrity musician: 25%), and that both the fringe sport athlete (40%) and the motorbiker (41.4%) represent the brand's intent well.

Furthermore data show that 31.4% of the respondents believe that the athlete best "portrays a character that they look up to and might aspire to emulate" and 45.7% believe that he "portrays a character that might have worked just as hard as me to accomplish his aim", while 27.1%/18.6% say that about the celebrity musician and 20%/18.6% about the anonymous motorbiker, respectively; the remaining part of the panel relates to "none".

authenticity

Also, the advertisement with the fringe sport athlete is perceived as most authentic (mean 4.52), followed by the motorbiker advert (mean 4,47). The advert with the celebrity musician is perceived as least authentic (mean 3.93).

uniqueness

A vast majority of 65.7% of the panel asserts that the campaign with the fringe sport athlete would be very different from the advertising of other luxury watch brands, and 31.4% say it would raise their curiosity (anonymous motorbiker: 12.9% and 34.3%, celebrity musician: 7.1% and 20%, "none": 14.3% and 14.3%).

Summary

Overall the data show that the advert that features a little known athlete who however provides a strong "story" is most liked by the panel, across all culture, age, and income groups. Also this type of endorser is perceived as most convincing, given the above brand image, and as most authentic. Celebrities are perceived differently and tend to polarize, moreover they are perceived as little authentic. Hence, results indicate that consumers have a preference for advertisements that they perceive as more authentic, and that using endorsers who are not famous but provide a strong "story" may be an effective advertising strategy.