In addition to being one of the best voices in history and one of the most successful artists of the century, Adele has made her charisma on stage one of the strong points of her artistic profile. Showing off her naturalness and British comic talent, the singer usually interacts with the public that attends her multitudinous concerts like a monologue artist, either by blessing in person the numerous spontaneous marriage proposals that arise during her songs, alluding to the most extroverted spectators or even hiding envelopes with money in some seat of the amphitheater in question. On August 14 in Munich, the interpreter of Rolling in the deep Adele once again had a viral moment: in the face of increasingly heavy rain, she took off her heels in the middle of the stage to put on some trainers. “I know I’m going to look ridiculous wearing New Balance with an Armani ball gown, but my feet are freezing,” the singer joked, saying she felt “invincible” after changing her footwear. The gesture quickly became popular on social media, with videos of fans who decided to imitate their icon proliferating. An act so beneficial to the brand’s publicity that it raises doubts about whether it was all a product of Adele’s good nature or a covert marketing campaign.
“I felt the connection, so I had to get them.” With these words explains A TikTok user shared the impulse that led him to buy Adele’s same sneakers, the New Balance 530, in a video in which he shows them off and which already has 150 thousand views. He is not alone. On the networks there are dozens of videos compiling the moment starring Adele and sharing the acquisition of the same model, a classic from the American sports brand popularized by parents in the 90s and which has now taken on a new life on the feet of models and influencers. “I had to get them”, “I was influenced by Adele”, “Iconic”, “She is the best, an idol wearing New Balance” or “They should sponsor this woman” are some of the statements from fans that accompany the videos of followers who have worn the sneakers for the first time.
The gesture has been so successful that it has raised suspicions among those who think that there is nothing improvised or spontaneous about the change of look. “I imagine that when Adele said she wanted to do other creative things she was referring to collaborating with New Balance,” point out a Twitter user. It was the Londoner herself who paved the way for the conspiracies. Beyond the fact that she opted for trainers instead of rain boots in the middle of the downpour, she made sure that the screens captured the moment despite the fact that she asked them, laughing, “not to focus on her feet”. Then she started to do twerking while tying her laces and even ended up throwing them into the audience as an unforgettable souvenir of the concert. In addition, her fiancé, the powerful sports manager Rich Paul, is a regular collaborator of the brand and even launched a collaboration – the Rich Paul x New Balance 550 – last year that Adele has already worn in different public appearances. She also referred to him during the show: “My man is going to be very happy to see that I am wearing New Balance.”
Luis Díaz, director of the agency specialized in influencer marketing Human 2 Humanconsiders Adele’s act to be a spontaneous event that responds to her characteristic naturalness, but that at the same time has become a great advertising campaign for the brand. “That is why many fashion or beauty firms constantly send their news to celebrity lists and influencerslooking for that effect that they know they can generate if they are seen publicly using said product. Sometimes it happens, although many times it doesn’t. But, when the magic happens, its effect can be even greater than that of a traditional advertising campaign,” he says. The expert recalls other cases of products that went viral by ‘accident’ that saw their demand multiplied, such as the Weleda face cream that Victoria Beckham carried in her bag or the lip combo Nyx’s photo that appeared in a Rosalía video. “The fact that someone we admire spontaneously shares a fashion or beauty product can have a very high impact on the sales of said product. This is because these people are able to generate a desire in followers to look like them or emulate their lifestyle. People who buy it, in a certain way, feel more connected to their idol, and the fact of seeing that person celebrity “By using a product, it serves as social validation: if that person uses it, it must be because it is good. This triggers a viral effect as it generates a sense of ‘urgency’ in acquiring it, as consumers fear running out of it, that it will run out,” he adds.
In the midst of a marketing revolution, where traditional interruption-based advertising is seen as obsolete and organic actions set the tone, the line between personal expression and paid promotion is increasingly blurred. Pedro Mir, marketing professor at ISEM Fashion Business School, believes that the British model’s case is a paradigmatic example of this trend: “Adele’s ‘collaboration’ with New Balance, although possibly not directly remunerated, represents new alliances between brands and celebrities based on natural affinity and authenticity, rather than conventional advertising contracts. The association with an artist of Adele’s stature gives the brand a high cultural status and authenticity that traditional advertising cannot match. For viewers, seeing their favourite artist wearing and sharing a product creates an immediate emotional connection with the brand, leading fans to associate New Balance with the singer’s naturalness and style. This type of collaboration is a sign of the brand’s uniqueness and its ability to create a brand that is both personal and personal.” endorsement Implicit advertising can influence purchasing decisions much more than a traditional advertisement, since it is perceived as a personal recommendation from someone admired, translating into a more than possible increase in sales and an improvement in the brand image among a demographic audience that may not have been its main target.”
Although artists have every right to show their tastes and preferences in a natural way, ethical doubts regarding the many cases of covert advertising, which have become hypertrophied since the appearance of digital content creators, force us to carefully consider cases such as Adele’s. Viral advertising has grown at the same rate as public saturation. For Mir, the challenge for both brands and celebrities will be to navigate this new terrain while trying to maintain the balance between authenticity and transparency. “The future of advertising is not about shouting louder, but about whispering more intelligently. The brands that understand this and manage to become a natural part of our daily conversations and experiences will be the ones that succeed in this new era of silent but omnipresent advertising,” he concludes. Adele’s whisper has already borne fruit.
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