The cheeky R.M. Williams video clip showing actor High Jackman naked except for his boots works on many levels.
Luma Research, which has conducted a lot of studies to understand the role of celebrities in advertising, says Jackman can’t help but get noticed.
“Seeing a naked Hugh Jackman is enough to stop most people in their tracks,” says Georgia Phillips, COO Luma Research.
“Our data shows that it is women we are most impacted by the use of celebrities – men are not as interested.”
Luxury brands were quick to work this out years ago. Using an aspirational celebrity can, by association, help to strengthen feelings about a brand.
Phillips says the celebrity’s qualities and attributes can help to strengthen a brand’s perceptions implicitly. If people admire the celebrity, some of this love will pass to the brand.
The spoof video clip shows Jackman naked, except for his boots, in a meeting with senior executives at R.M.Williams.
A “statement” from R.M. Williams: “To be clear, R.M. Williams encourages all people - including Hugh Jackman - to wear clothes. Clothes have many amazing benefits from making the wearer look stylish to making meetings way less awkward.”
The video was created in concert with Hugh Jackman and the marketeers at Maximum Effort.
R.M.Williams CMO Mat Hayward says: “2020 has been an uncomfortable year and we’re hopeful that in addition to highlighting the comfort and spirit of R.M.Williams boots, our latest brand effort will bring a uniquely Hugh Jackman bit of laughter and joy.”
Phillips at Luma Research says people are really engaged by the creative and they especially love the humour.
“The more Hugh makes us laugh, the more we like him and the R.M. Williams brand,” she says.
A survey by Luma Research found almost half (48%) say they would talk about the Jackman clip with friends and families (compared to 30% norm).
Other findings:
- 78% surveyed recognised Hugh (even without his clothes)
- 88% of people like Hugh
- And 93% feel he is a good fit with R.M. Williams
How much does it cost to have Hugh in an ad?
“After a little digging I found out that Hugh has been the brand ambassador for R.M. Williams since 2019 and he is also a significant private investor in the business (a 5% stake),” says Phillips.
“And, it gets better, R.M. Williams has been up for sale since April 2019 with an asking price of $500 million.
“At that price, sale of the business would deliver Jackman $25 million for his share. So, the ad is a really clever ad, not just to sell shoes, but to sell the entire business. That is quite an investment – but money well spent.”
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