Trend of the week: Celebrity Culture

Popular clothing brand Reformation turned heads with their Official Boyfriend campaign featuring comedian Pete Davidson. Davidson is commonly known for his celebrity dating life and comedy career, so while his partnership with a sustainable women’s clothing brand appears random at first glance, it's actually kind of genius. Since Davidson is notorious for being a serial dater in the celebrity world, the Official Boyfriend campaign uses Davidson’s character as the face of the “Boyfriend Material” essentials, a line of clothing that offers basic and comfortable garments that feel like you’ve borrowed them from your boyfriend. Reformation has humanized its brand through this campaign, transforming itself into a living persona whose boyfriend carries a cult following.

Storytelling: 

Celebrity culture provides significant storytelling opportunities and can help a brand construct a narrative surrounding a well-known or viral moment. Since celebrity culture themes and moments already have such a rich impact on the public, brands should use this to their advantage to leverage their own campaigns. By incorporating certain characters, quotes and moments, brands can make their story that much more compelling. In the case of Reformation’s “Boyfriend Material” collection, utilizing this pop culture bachelor as the face of the campaign is clever because it plays up his celebrity persona as a serial dater while simultaneously promoting a line that feels like your boyfriend Pete’s clothing. 

A Pathos Approach: 

Celebrity culture references are often tied to shared experiences and emotions that resonate with people. Whether it's movies, TV shows or music, tapping into these shared cultural moments can be really impactful for a brand. Celebrity fandom is a very powerful cultural phenomenon that continues to thrive, with passionate fans who develop cyber-relations with celebrities through strong emotional connections to their online and offline celebrity presences. Reformation enhances the campaign's cultural relevance by choosing Davidson, who embodies the idea of the "perfect boyfriend," tapping into their audience’s pathos as they see a familiar face epitomize the modern-day definition of a good partner.