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| Waitrose and the economics of Pippa Middleton | Waitrose and the economics of Pippa Middleton |
| (7 months later) | |
| Who can forget where they were at the historic moment Pippa Middleton debutted (I can never remember whether it is one "t" or two) on the nation's small screens, quite literally riding her sister's coat-tails to fame and fortune? I was at the Manchester Royal Exchange's green room, killing time between a matinee and an evening show, shouting: "Pervert cameraman! This is appalling." | Who can forget where they were at the historic moment Pippa Middleton debutted (I can never remember whether it is one "t" or two) on the nation's small screens, quite literally riding her sister's coat-tails to fame and fortune? I was at the Manchester Royal Exchange's green room, killing time between a matinee and an evening show, shouting: "Pervert cameraman! This is appalling." |
| Yesterday, Twitter expressed indignation – as Twitter so predictably does – at the news that Waitrose Kitchen magazine had dumped Delia in favour of Pippa. The general sentiment seemed to be incredulousness that a woman so underqualified could dislodge an older, much more qualified woman, purely because of the former's celebrity status. | Yesterday, Twitter expressed indignation – as Twitter so predictably does – at the news that Waitrose Kitchen magazine had dumped Delia in favour of Pippa. The general sentiment seemed to be incredulousness that a woman so underqualified could dislodge an older, much more qualified woman, purely because of the former's celebrity status. |
| This collective outrage shows signs of memory failure. Delia Smith herself had little professional experience and scant training in cooking when she was handed her first national column by the Daily Mirror, the deputy editor of which she went on to marry two years later. Although not a favourite of mine – I will never forget the betrayal I felt when, after a decade of persuading me to invest hundreds of pounds in my own fresh pasta producing equipment, she suddenly declared "dried pasta holds sauce much better" – few can dispute that she went on to prove her chops, both as a home cook and as a businesswoman. | This collective outrage shows signs of memory failure. Delia Smith herself had little professional experience and scant training in cooking when she was handed her first national column by the Daily Mirror, the deputy editor of which she went on to marry two years later. Although not a favourite of mine – I will never forget the betrayal I felt when, after a decade of persuading me to invest hundreds of pounds in my own fresh pasta producing equipment, she suddenly declared "dried pasta holds sauce much better" – few can dispute that she went on to prove her chops, both as a home cook and as a businesswoman. |
| And so, I suspect, the resentment goes deeper. Maybe the problem is that Middleton's celebrity is seen as both incidental and parasitic. Maybe it is that her book Celebration, for which she was paid an advance of £400k, can be found in every good bargain bin and charity shop – just above the crate of Richard Clayderman vinyl – having done marginally better business than a Danny Dyer film. Maybe there is a subconscious resentment of a predominantly male media chopping up women into body parts and saying "how much is this famous gluteus maximus worth and how can we put it to good use?" | And so, I suspect, the resentment goes deeper. Maybe the problem is that Middleton's celebrity is seen as both incidental and parasitic. Maybe it is that her book Celebration, for which she was paid an advance of £400k, can be found in every good bargain bin and charity shop – just above the crate of Richard Clayderman vinyl – having done marginally better business than a Danny Dyer film. Maybe there is a subconscious resentment of a predominantly male media chopping up women into body parts and saying "how much is this famous gluteus maximus worth and how can we put it to good use?" |
| More likely, it is the fact that nobody can understand the economics of celebrity, precisely. Much work has been done on this by terribly clever people. It reveals value, but also fragility. Tiger Woods is an excellent case study. There is no doubt that his endorsement of a particular manufacturer's golf balls added huge value to the sales balance sheet. His subsequent fall from grace, however, is estimated to have wiped a whopping 2% off the market value of his sponsors in the days after the scandal was revealed. | More likely, it is the fact that nobody can understand the economics of celebrity, precisely. Much work has been done on this by terribly clever people. It reveals value, but also fragility. Tiger Woods is an excellent case study. There is no doubt that his endorsement of a particular manufacturer's golf balls added huge value to the sales balance sheet. His subsequent fall from grace, however, is estimated to have wiped a whopping 2% off the market value of his sponsors in the days after the scandal was revealed. |
| The Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorius cases serve as timely reminders of the ephemeral nature of the value added by celebrity. It is very much of the "now". Camel cigarettes' advertising campaign in the 40s and 50s using Metropolitan Opera stars would seem utterly ludicrous today. And yet, at the time, it was totally natural to base it on the idea that the world's most famous and sensitive throats experienced "not one single case of irritation". | The Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorius cases serve as timely reminders of the ephemeral nature of the value added by celebrity. It is very much of the "now". Camel cigarettes' advertising campaign in the 40s and 50s using Metropolitan Opera stars would seem utterly ludicrous today. And yet, at the time, it was totally natural to base it on the idea that the world's most famous and sensitive throats experienced "not one single case of irritation". |
| Perhaps it is for that reason that the Pippa Middleton phenomenon persists. If celebrity endorsement involves an assessment of the size, but also permanence, of beneficial effects as compared with risk, it would make sense that the oxymoron of a faceless celebrity is the most bankable. The more securely famous a person is for nothing in particular, the less chance there is that they will be discredited in their field. As long as Middleton's royal connection and buttocks are safe and well-defined, her status is secure. And even if either were compromised, she can simply boost her value through a slightly lower tier of stardom, perhaps in a jungle somewhere. | Perhaps it is for that reason that the Pippa Middleton phenomenon persists. If celebrity endorsement involves an assessment of the size, but also permanence, of beneficial effects as compared with risk, it would make sense that the oxymoron of a faceless celebrity is the most bankable. The more securely famous a person is for nothing in particular, the less chance there is that they will be discredited in their field. As long as Middleton's royal connection and buttocks are safe and well-defined, her status is secure. And even if either were compromised, she can simply boost her value through a slightly lower tier of stardom, perhaps in a jungle somewhere. |
| As Sean Redmond and Su Holmes wrote in their book Stardom and Celebrity: "The economic value of celebrities is determined de facto by contracts with media companies, however their non-tangible symbolic value is less easily calculated… [it] is more than the labour of an individual, however talented they might be, but also bound up with the meaning invested in them by audiences." | As Sean Redmond and Su Holmes wrote in their book Stardom and Celebrity: "The economic value of celebrities is determined de facto by contracts with media companies, however their non-tangible symbolic value is less easily calculated… [it] is more than the labour of an individual, however talented they might be, but also bound up with the meaning invested in them by audiences." |
| On this point, all commentators agree. The core of celebrity endorsement is aspirational. We buy the Tiger Woods golf balls because we want to be as good as him at golf; the Cameron Diaz exercise book because we want her body; the Camel cigarette in the hope we will sing like Ezio Pinza. | On this point, all commentators agree. The core of celebrity endorsement is aspirational. We buy the Tiger Woods golf balls because we want to be as good as him at golf; the Cameron Diaz exercise book because we want her body; the Camel cigarette in the hope we will sing like Ezio Pinza. |
| Perhaps my consternation is indicative of my being at the tail-end of a generation that grew up wanting to be the best at something, in the knowledge that this could bring fame and fortune. I struggle to understand a generation growing up just wanting fame and fortune, with none of the inconvenient work ethic attached. Pippa Middleton is the embodiment of the latter. One lucky coincidence of birth, one long wedding dress, one sexually curious cameraman – and she is set for life. | Perhaps my consternation is indicative of my being at the tail-end of a generation that grew up wanting to be the best at something, in the knowledge that this could bring fame and fortune. I struggle to understand a generation growing up just wanting fame and fortune, with none of the inconvenient work ethic attached. Pippa Middleton is the embodiment of the latter. One lucky coincidence of birth, one long wedding dress, one sexually curious cameraman – and she is set for life. |
| I have nothing against Middleton. I imagine that she is a jolly, when-life-hands-you-lemons sort of gal. I do have a problem with the celebrity-obsessed establishment – both media and business – which keeps handing her those lemons. But whatever my reservations, I cannot escape Bette Midler's elegant rebuttal: "Shut your hole, honey. Mine's making money." | I have nothing against Middleton. I imagine that she is a jolly, when-life-hands-you-lemons sort of gal. I do have a problem with the celebrity-obsessed establishment – both media and business – which keeps handing her those lemons. But whatever my reservations, I cannot escape Bette Midler's elegant rebuttal: "Shut your hole, honey. Mine's making money." |
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