Author: Susan J. Ashbrook
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press – 224 pages
Book Review by Ramu Nakliba
How to save millions of dollars in advertising, if not at least, hundreds of thousands of dollars in the risky business of marketing, is a great benefit that business people can derive from reading Susan J. Ashbrook’s highly insightful book Will Work for Shoes.
For this reason alone, the book is worth more than its weight in gold. A savvy entrepreneur in the world of fashion with more than two decades of experience in getting products endorsed by top celebrities, Ms. Ashbrook cites numerous examples of her success with notable stars in the Hollywood firmament.
Ashbrook has used her unusual and rare interpersonal skills in getting famous movie and TV personalities to wear and endorse clothes and accessories and thereby built brands that were virtually unknown before.
In the process, she founded her company Film Fashion, which she describes as “the first product placement company in Los Angeles” and had the famed designer Ralph Lauren as its first client. She sold that firm in 2008 to the well-known public relations agency Rogers and Cowan.
It is not only in the world of fashion that Ashbrook has had success. She has also helped clients such as Hasbro Games, MasterCard and Nikon.
In this extremely useful book, Ashbrook masterfully takes you through the difficult landscape of “red carpet marketing”: getting stars to wear and endorse your products in the various award shows in the world of entertainment.
She shows you how to use power of the mass media – newspapers, magazines, television and the Internet – to promote and popularize your product and even make it into a household name.
Among the most important tasks for a marketer who decides to use ‘star power’ and influence is how to find the most suitable celebrity for your product and how to build and nurture a mutually-beneficial relationship.
Will Work for Shoes is a very revealing book in the field of celebrity marketing by someone who is a real pro.
