MM522:
Marketing Management

Professor:
Dr. James Frazee

Keller Graduate School of Management:
Winter 2008 Session

Effectiveness of a Marketing Ad

Introduction:
There is not doubt that the name Trump calls the public’s attention; hence, I chose the ad for Ivanka Trump’s jewelry collection. Trump is already an established brand name; thus, it is easily marketable. However, Ivanka especially, has had immense achievements. I am greatly impressed to see how ambitious and entrepreneurial this young woman is. Despite having been born into wealth, as the daughter of real estate mogul Donald Trump, she is nothing like other young celebrities, i.e., Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Ritchie and/or Britney Spears. She is the heiress to an empire, composed not only of real estate properties worldwide, but also casinos, television series, and mainly her father’s assets and entire net worth. This young woman clearly does not need to work. Ivanka could very well dedicate her time to create celebrity gossip, be a party girl, and have her picture taken. Indeed, money is certainly not an obstacle for her.

Background:
Although some could argue that Ivanka has had it easy, as her father’s empire was given to her, this is far from the truth. Ivanka Trump graduated from the Wharton School of Finance. As one of most prestigious universities in the nation, at Wharton only outstanding candidates are considered for admission. Furthermore, she graduated with honors, excelling in her class.

Most impressive; however, is that Ivanka, unlike her other siblings is constantly in the spot light; not only as a celebrity, but as a business woman. She is currently the Director of publicly traded company, Trump Entertainment Resorts (NASDAQ Ticker TRMP), and Vice President of Real Estate Development and Acquisitions at the Trump Organization. In contrast, brothers Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have minor roles, and the public seldom hears about them. Evidently, Ivanka actually works. She is heading her father’s company, supervising new developments, negotiating deals and financing projects from day to day. In an interview with Donny Deutsch, anchor of CNBC’s “The Bid Idea”, Ivanka was portrayed as a dynamic workaholic. When asked to relate a typical day in her life, she began by stating that she wakes up at 6 am, in order to be at the office by 7 am. She voiced that she gets a lot of work done, when it is quiet, before everyone gets in. In addition, she revealed how she is constantly multitasking, blackberry on hand, dealing with businesses worldwide. Thus, she sleeps very few hours, as many times, she must be present in conference calls with Dubai, Hong Kong, and other cities with different time zones. Furthermore, she stars on “The Apprentice” as her father’s right hand in assessing and recruiting candidates for the Trump Organization. Despite The Apprentice being a reality show, the contestants become actual employees of the company; hence, choosing the right one and firing the weakest links is imperative for the continuous success of the enterprise.

Additionally, she is one of the most influential social and style icons in New York City. She is a female activist and believes in making a difference in the world by contributing to the community. Thus, she chairs in multiple charities, and hosts events for several organizations, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Many periodicals, including Forbes, The New York Post, and The New York Times, refer to her as one New York’s “Bright Young People.”
Moreover, clearly the sky is the limit for this woman. I had heard rumors that Ivanka was developing a jewelry line of her own, but I did not believe she would actually venture out of her real estate enterprise. Then, in September of 2007, a press release on the Wall Street Journal revealed that Ivanka had launched a jewelry store on Madison Avenue, her first solo project.

Ad’s Features:
When I saw the ad of Ivanka Trump on Vogue’s December 2007’s issue, I was taken aback. Ivanka, a former model, beautiful woman in black and white, wearing nothing but some feathers barely covering her chest, a set of diamond earrings and a matching ring, advertising her jewelry collection was captivating to me. True to the sayings “diamonds are girls’ best friends”, and “diamonds are forever”; despite the ad being in black and white, the shiny pieces and her beauty can call anyone’s attention. Furthermore, “sex sells”. Ivanka’s splendor and almost nude torso can attract audiences from demographics across the board. With regards to this particular ad in Vogue magazine, which appeals mostly to women and people in fashion, Ivanka’s collection is advertised on billboards across Manhattan, and in other periodicals, including The New York Times, Forbes, New York Magazine, and so forth. In addition, as stated before, what most impressed me of the ad, is Ivanka ‘s entrepreneurship. A gorgeous, wealthy young woman, campaigning for her own business demonstrates her true passion for business, which I certainly admire.

The ad’s target audience, as it is from Vogue magazine, is composed of mainly affluent women, ages 20 to 50, and people in the fashion industry. For instance, students from Parsons and The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), fashion designers, and so forth. Furthermore, the “less affluent” readers of Vogue certainly purchase the magazine for fashionable ideas, and perhaps for some society gossip. Moreover, a segment of this target market could very well be people in marketing and advertising who scout for publication ideas.

The reason why I highlight that the target market must be made up of somewhat wealthy women is because Vogue advertises expensive designer clothing and trends, ranging from Fendi bags with a retail price of $2,000 and more, Valentino dresses costing $5,000, Channel bicycles at $13,000, and in Ivanka’s case, Ruth la Ferla (2007), from The New York Times, in her article “Introducing The Ivanka” states, “like her father, she is a hectic multitasker. Last fall, she introduced her collection of diamond hoops, rings and lariat necklaces priced from $750 to $350,000 and up, in partnership with Dynamic Diamonds. The jewelry is showcased in the Palm Beach-playful setting of her new boutique on Madison Avenue. She declined to provide figures but maintained that business ''has been great.” ''We are making sales every day,'' she said. ''It's encouraging.''
Although Vogue’s glossy and shiny covers sell on the stands of most retail stores, delis and news stands; evidently, not all the readers can afford what the magazine advertises. Therefore, even though Vogue is a periodical and its main goals are readership and magazine sales, the target market that can actually afford to buy what Vogue advertises is a population of mostly affluent women, ages 20 to 50 (I believe that after 50, women lose their deep interest in fashion and shift their attention to beauty magazines, advertising plastic surgery). Hence, taking into consideration the 80/20 rule, which states that 80% of revenues come from 20% of the clientele, people who regularly read Vogue, are most likely to purchase the expensive, fashionable items that the magazine displays. Consequently, 80% of Vogue’s revenues surely come from 20% of the readers who after purchasing the magazine at $4 an issue, on a regular basis, then buy the latest fashion trend, for example, a Burberry coat, at $5,000. Nevertheless, Vogue’s audiences who are not in the target group might be part of a segment within the target market. All those readers, like myself, who seldom purchase Vogue, read it because we are part of a massive mobile crowd, i.e., we need entertainment, that is, we need reading material for the subway, the plane, Starbucks, the park, and so forth.

Moreover, the ad for Ivanka Trump’s Collection is mainly directed to a well off group. If the ad is in Vogue, like in this case, then the target will consist of mostly women. However, if the ad is in Forbes, the audience will consist of mostly business men who can afford to buy their wives/girlfriends a nice pair of Trump diamond earrings. Similarly, if the ad is on a billboard on Times Square, the wealthy European tourist can take advantage of the strength of the Euro, and the weak dollar, and venture out to Madison Ave. to purchase Trump’s jewelry.

To illustrate, Donald Capoccia of BFC Partners, a large construction firm in the US, states in la Ferla’s (2007) article, “Today it is all about branding,'' and to quote Ivanka on the same article, “Each cover represents a calculated effort to promote the family name. ''What other developer could generate that sort of publicity for free?'' The Trump brand is one of the strongest ones in the world. Portraying luxury, glamour and grandeur, anything Trump, simply sells. People gravitate to Trump, people want to be Trump, and it is, indeed, an effortlessly marketable brand.

On the other hand, one major flaw in the ad is the insignificant message on Ivanka’s neck line: “Rock Tradition”. These words are almost invisible, in curvy white letters, on a black and white ad. I barely noticed what they said. Only when I began analyzing the ad, for this project, did I realize how much more potential this slogan could have.

I was surprised, because, I am sure that Ivanka hired a first-class marketing and branding firm together with her partner, the company Dynamic Diamonds. However, they are clearly losing opportunities with this barely visible slogan. “A Rock Tradition” could be as powerful as The Apprentice’s catch phrase “you’re fired”, or as Paris Hilton’s “that’s hot; which are certainly patented slogans.

Conversely, if I was managing the marketing efforts for Ivanka Trump’s collection, I would put “A Rock Tradition” in larger, black, bold, curvy letters. Additionally, I would patent the catch phrase, as it goes hand in hand, not only with diamonds and precious stones from the jewelry collection, but also, with the family’s name brand, Trump; which can easily be identified as a rock due to the construction and real estate enterprise. Furthermore, I would make “A Rock Tradition” a slogan for the stores, and even as part of the logo. Moreover, I would publish the ad with many other pictures of Ivanka, displaying different pieces, and I would also use color. In short, I would take this ad to the next level. As I stated before, with a name like Ivanka Trump, the sky is the limit as Trump is most certainly “a rock tradition”.

Conclusion:
The name Trump will now and forever sell. Thus, I chose an ad that sells itself just because it has the Trump name. Donald is an icon, and Ivanka is clearly following his steps. Despite the slogan not being as powerful as it could be, the ad is still vastly effective and I am sure that it attracts massive audiences, who despite of not affording a Trump diamond, or a $4 periodical, will gravitate to the publicity. Moreover, the target market that the ad intends to reach is composed of wealthy adults, depending where the ad is placed. In the case of Vogue, mostly women will see the ad; however, its effectiveness has an incredible wide reach.

References:
"Ivanka Trump” Ivanka Trump’s Jewelry Collection Ad. Vogue. December 2007: 177.

La Ferla, R. (2007, December 27). Introducing the Ivanka. The New York Times, G1. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from ProQuest database.

http://cnbc.com

http://forbes.com

http://hoovers.com

http://www.ivankatrumpcollection.com

http://online.wsj.com/home/us