By staying out of the media focus and joining the campaign later than her father, Chelsea, has retained her third party credibility. The Element’s of Influence says that a Proxy “conveys a sense of free will and independence” and for this reason I consider Chelsea a Proxy.

In applying the Playmaker’s Process, Clinton assessed the campaign atmosphere and chose to bring Chelsea in as a Fit move. Clinton knew Chelsea would resonate with other young voters, an audience Clinton has trouble attracting. Clinton then brought Chelsea with her on the campaign trail, but Chelsea maintained her distance from the media, making a Pass play when asked pervasive questions or asked for interviews. This strategy has worked for her in garnering her more media attention than she would receive if she granted every publication an interview. The Clinton campaign sees her value and for this reason has probably kept her on the trail for a limited period of time.

In 2005 Kirstie Alley partnered with Jenny Craig as a weight-loss spokesperson for their advertising campaign and company. This relationship can be considered one of a surrogate to Jenny Craig with Alley playing the role of a Partner. Each of the two entities was on equal footing in regard to media attention and level of power in their respective fields. I would not consider one more powerful than the other. Jenny Craig’s sales and brand recognition increased and Alley received more publicity than ever making her a household name.

Alley’s relationship with Jenny Craig was one of Fit, in referencing the Playmaker’s Process. She had previously used Jenny Craig to lose weight and her current weight was the subject of much media speculation and taunting. Alley also relates well to middle-aged women who commonly face weight issues; she fit well with Jenny’s prime audience. In joining Jenny Craig and using the products to demonstrate that they work she helped provide legitimacy to the brand. Alley’s play with Jenny Craig fits into the category of a Label, the slogan “Have you called Jenny yet?” became synonymous with Alley and her involvement. Alley’s influence on the company led them to hire Valerie Bertinelli as another “c” list celebrity struggling with her weight. Bertinelli was also successful on the program and has reached her goal, much like Alley. Queen Latifah is the newest Partner to join Jenny Craig; time will tell if she finds the same success. Alley’s success with Jenny Craig led the company to re-create the play with others and has been a success as a marketing campaign.

A Wall Street Journal article in the February 21 edition discusses a popular marketing strategy in Japan. Tower Records has partnered with Nike shoes to create limited edition cd covers featuring popular artists wearing Nike products. This surrogate relationship is clearly a Partnership between the two powerful brands. Nike is able to promote its products through a non-traditional outlet, cds sold at a music retail outlet. Tower Records is able to sell more cds because of the allure of limited edition products and capitalize on the brand recognition Nike has to sell. As the Elements of Influence states, “partners receive reciprocal levels of support in pursuit of a common agenda or business purpose.”

This would be considered a friction move in the United States as many consumers would not necessarily be lured into purchasing an artists cd simply because it is a limited edition Nike one. However, in Japan this it considered a Fit move because limited edition products are very popular and it is not uncommon to see brands crossing over to create such products. Tower Records'' use of Nike as an advertiser to sell its special editions can be considered a Recast of the brand to improve Tower’s sales. This strategy seems to work because the retailer has seen an increase in sales and customers are purchasing all 6 editions of the special advertisement cds.

References:

Newsweek. 2.18.2008. “Chelsea Come Lately.” http://www.newsweek.com/id/109592

Post by Caroline Grossman, MA candidate