WITH growing consumer fatigue for disingenuous #ad posts, new celebrity marketing platform The VIP Suite (www.thevipsuite.co.uk) launches today, with more than 1,000 celebrities already signed up on the site, to help brands create authentic and long-lasting relationships with talent, identifying true fans and helping shape future influencer marketing strategies.
The platform has been created by the UK’s leading celebrity consultancy RunRagged, which has more than 30 years’ of experience booking talent for adverts, PR campaigns and red carpet events. The agency developed The VIP Suite after realising there was a better way to match brands with talent, taking inspiration from the way dating sites help singles find love to create a mutual connection and differentiate from traditional influencer marketing platforms. Brands start by working with The VIP Suite’s expert concierge team whose unparalleled industry insight helps them create a gift recipient hitlist from over 1,000 celebrities. Once the list has been agreed, brands offer their products or services on the platform, and when celebrities express interest back and place an order, The VIP Suite ships product direct to talent’s homes.
The team behind the platform believe this approach forms the beginning of a powerful authentic relationship, presenting opportunities for organic exposure, as well as insight for future paid-for collaboration with talent. This is because talent only select things that they like, want or need, so brands are only gifting to celebrities that are genuinely interested in their product or service. It is the most cost effective way to access talent as there are no talent fees, no wasted stock sending product to people who don’t like want or need it and it builds relationships that create authentic advocacy and earned influence.
Brands are alerted each time a celebrity makes an order, allowing them to build up a database of VIP fans which they can work with for future PR, ad and marketing campaigns – RunRagged’s core service offering. Once the VIP receives their gift – which can be anything from holidays, hotels and clothing, to laser eye surgery, mattresses or a year’s supply of chocolates – the brand can expect anything from feedback, testimonials, organic social posts, press mentions and the opportunity to call the talent a ‘fan’ of their brand which is great for inclusion on the brand’s website and in press releases.
The VIP Suite has been developed for all brands, from large blue chip companies right through to start-ups. During the platform’s development phase, it helped numerous brands to grow social followings, generate organic PR coverage, get authentic endorsements from celebrities and learn which talent was a fan of their brand. The VIP Suite is also an effective way for international brands to test the market before launching in the UK, building buzz and a demand for a product or service via celebrity endorsements to win over buyers and distributors.
The VIP Suite has been in development over the past year in a testing phase and to date, brands from Champneys Spas, Dr Martens, Focus Clinics, Leesa, BIRD Restaurants, David Lloyd, Oasis and the Israeli Tourist Board have gifted to talent. The platform has already gifted to chart-topping musicians, including Taylor Swift and Rita Ora, world famous models including Jourdan Dunn and Cara Delevingne, social media stars from Zoella to Fleur de Force, much-loved TV personalities and champion sports people with hundreds of transactions happening every month.
Listings on the site start at £1K per month.
Learn more about The VIP Suite at www.thevipsuite.co.uk and www.runragged.net
