Last week we were asked to be among the lucky few to participate in an intimate evening with Lainey Gossip. Put on by the folks at Vitamin Water Canada, the Montreal “Faculty of Celebrity Studies” was one of numerous stops across the country.
The evening at the Apollo restaurant featured hors d’oeuvres, glasses of wine and inventive mixed drinks infused with Vitamin Water. Lainey’s neon orange sky-high shoes were almost as bright as the fruity cocktails!
While we weren’t sure what to expect, the class syllabus advised that we would be taking a “cerebral look at the study of celebrity gossip.” But what ended up coming out of the evening, in our opinion, was a lesson in marketing.
Lainey began with the image of Tiger Woods and his new girlfriend/pro-skier Lindsey Vonn. After showing us what she labeled as Sears photos, Lainey posed the question if the audience thought these images were authentic. After much Facebook chat, the conversation turned to make us realize that the photos were being targeted at women, namely women who shop for their man’s golf gear. And hopefully that golf gear will be procured from Nike as Tiger sported a swoosh in all of the shots.
The conversation then turned to the execution of brand presentation. First off, Brad Pitt and Chanel. A high-end celebrity partnering with a high-end brand. The thought of this male actor selling a woman’s perfume seems a bit off. But then again, he wasn’t selling a Chanel bag but rather a fragrance that is more affordable for the masses. Definitely an aspirational association.
Then, the conversation turned to Ben and Jen. Lainey revealed that 85% of paparazzi photos are called in to the tabloids by the celebrities themselves (or rather their agents and publicists.) This all explains why the mom and dad Hollywood duo were seen out on the town everywhere, with their three kids in tow, pre-Oscars. Amazing to think that a visit to a local bake shop was used as a stunt to increase general appeal for an Oscar nod.
And, on the subject of kids, Lainey brought up the recent People cover of Drew Barrymore and new baby Olive. Once a party girl, the new mom is now marketing makeup for Walmart. Her fresh image is now available to moms throughout America looking to get that Drew new-mom glow.
The evening was certainly a lesson in marketing of the celebrity kind. And while we can admit to not visiting Lainey Gossip’s blog as much as the other audience members, we think that might just change after our night out with this tell-all, true-to-herself gossip queen.
