Honestly, rejecting “Hilary Buff” may have saved the whole thing. The nostalgia was useful, but making the campaign about who she is now is definitely more real and relatable.
The real lesson isn't the Hilary Duff booking, it's what Ladder refused to do with her. They had the safe, punny campaign teed up and killed it for a position instead of a person. That's the difference between renting a celebrity's fame and building something an audience can argue with, stitch, and make their own. The MSG takeover and the Miami Swim Week activation only worked because the team was small enough to move the second the moment showed up. Big budgets buy reach. Speed and a clear point of view buy culture. Most brands only have one of those, and it's usually the wrong one.
Honestly, rejecting “Hilary Buff” may have saved the whole thing. The nostalgia was useful, but making the campaign about who she is now is definitely more real and relatable.
1000% agree - Ladder’s Head of Brand actually said the same thing (we have an interview with him coming out this week and it’s SO fascinating)
Oooh, I definitely want to read that interview!
The real lesson isn't the Hilary Duff booking, it's what Ladder refused to do with her. They had the safe, punny campaign teed up and killed it for a position instead of a person. That's the difference between renting a celebrity's fame and building something an audience can argue with, stitch, and make their own. The MSG takeover and the Miami Swim Week activation only worked because the team was small enough to move the second the moment showed up. Big budgets buy reach. Speed and a clear point of view buy culture. Most brands only have one of those, and it's usually the wrong one.