Faith Hill in Crocs. Britney Spears buying Bella Mama belly oil in Arizona. Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt wearing a tiny T-shirt designed by Kingsley Aarons.
Known as “celebrity seeding,” the practice of sending freebies to celebrities can result in countless dead ends. But when it works, the publicity payoff can be huge.
“It’s the cheapest way to build a brand,” said Ronn Torossian, chief executive of 5W Public Relations.
The New York firm said it helped Belly – a Cherry Creek North boutique – deliver a gift package containing a Kingsley-designed T-shirt to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
People magazine published photos of the baby wearing a shirt that says “The Pots & Pans Band.” 5W and Belly say the shirt they sent is the one photographed, generating a wave of media coverage.
Belly owners Katy Close and Janci Frisby said Tuesday that Internet sales have spiked from two to three items per day to nearly 40. Traffic on the store’s website was so heavy that it crashed Monday night and wasn’t restored until Tuesday morning. The shirt sells for $42 at Belly and less at other retailers, where available.
Amy DeCamillis, president of Denver-based maternity skin-care company Bella Essentials, said her business boomed when pregnant starlets including Spears and Jennifer Garner were seen purchasing products from the company.
DeCamillis regularly scans celebrity magazines to find out who is pregnant or has recently given birth. With the help of 5W, she sends gift baskets to the celebrities containing the company’s Bella Mama products.
Niwot-based Crocs Inc. has made similar efforts, although spokeswoman Tia Mattson said many celebrities photographed in the colorful shoes purchased them on their own.
Celebrity associations help boost products by allowing customers to engage with the brands, said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys Inc., a New York brand-research firm.
“The product itself … has been imbued with a higher level of brand equity because a celebrity has shared some of their star power with it,” he said.
But some companies are unsure how much of a lift they get from celebrity sightings.
Chad Murphy, manager at the Kemo Sabe store in Aspen, which sells high-end Western wear such as cowboy hats, said actress Sally Field was shown recently in People wearing a baseball hat with Kemo Sabe’s logo.
“Because we’re in Aspen, a lot of celebrities wear our products,” he said. “It’s hard to track how much it helps, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.”
Other local companies would like to get into the game.
Lark Katchur, spokeswoman for local jeweler John Atencio, said the company tried unsuccessfully to get Oprah Winfrey to wear one of its “O”- shaped pendants when she shot a segment in Denver last spring.
“I’m sure she gets just inundated,” said Katchur. “And we weren’t going to be one of those people who would just mail something to her. You never know if it’s going to get through.”
Staff writer Kristi Arellano can be reached at 303-820-1902 or karellano@denverpost.com.
