|
Did Paris Hilton hurt the Hilton? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by asap
|
|
Tuesday, 26 June 2007 |
|
|
|
|
The story of the partying socialite-turned-inmate captivated the nation: Will she or won’t she go to jail? And then will she or won’t she go back to jail? What Internet game or late night talk show joke will emerge from her misery?
Well, now she’s out.
And after 23 days of wall-to-wall coverage of Paris Hilton’s incarceration, the jail saga comes to an end. But the real questions some are now asking are what, if any, ramifications will follow for her — and by association the family brand: the Hilton Hotels Corp.
asap asked industry experts if Hilton’s antics, from her sex tape to her jail stint, will, well, hurt the Hilton?
Although she has no involvement in the Hilton Hotels Corp. operations, Hilton is often tied to it with media descriptions of her as an heiress to the hotel fortune.
But the degree to which consumers associate Hilton with the hotel chain, which includes more than 2,800 hotels in more than 80 countries, depends on who you ask.
BACKLASH
“I think it has to do with the extent to which people identify with the celebrity, and the extent to which the celebrity is seen as sympathetic,” said Donna Hoffman, chair of the marketing department at the University of California, Riverside.
Hoffman pointed to the celebrity backlash Pepsi-Cola incurred with public backlash over the antics of celebrity product endorsers Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson and Madonna.
“We know from research done from marketing, if a consumer thinks they identify with the celebrity, if they see themselves in the celebrity, it doesn’t really impact the brand. But when consumers really don’t identify, it can have an impact when celebrities act badly,” said Hoffman, who is also the co-director for the Sloan Center for Internet Retailing.
She said Pepsi suffered an image problem by consumers after the public reacted to the antics by their celebrity endorsers, such as the child molestation allegations against Jackson.
Hoffman said the biggest problem for the Hilton chain may come from the people in 18-to-26 target demographic that it might be trying to reach.
“Those are people who may associate the Hilton name with the bad girl image. The brand image will suffer some consequence by those who don’t like it.”
CELEBRITIES BEHAVING BADLY
Michael Levine, a longtime Hollywood public relations expert and author, has seen a number of celebrity-behaving-badly cases over the years.
He says the hotel chain is well established, and that consumers can differentiate between the Hilton hotel name and Hilton heiress.
“Do I think their beds are going to be lumpy as a result? No,” he said. “The only real backlash may be some snickering at the hotel’s expense.”
Bruce Baltin of PKF Consulting, a hotel industry analyst, said he can’t say whether or not Hilton Hotels has suffered any backlash but believes the company will come through unscathed by the heiress’ actions.
“People can separate the individual and the brand,” he said.
Levine and Hoffman agree, though, that the public eye will be on Hilton and her actions for some time to come.
“I think it’s going to be radioactive red hot for a time,” Levine said.
REHABILITATING IMAGE
“Celebrities respect wisdom but obey pain. Whether they will stay reformed once the pain goes away, that’s another story,” Levine said.
But Hoffman believes not only Hilton will need to rehabilitate her image but so will the hotel.
“They are suffering an onslaught of awful, negative publicity. I think a lot of people are sick and tired of hearing about this, and that’s not good,” she said. “They are going to need to rehabilitate the name — and in order to do that, Paris Hilton needs to rehabilitate.”
———
asap’s Chelsea J. Carter is based in Los Angeles. | Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
