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An Eye for Style: Ashley J. Heather Dresses Up the Web in Celebrity Fashion

Written on
Mar 21, 2006 
Author
Jaime Gottlieb  |
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An Eye for Style: Ashley J. Heather Dresses Up the Web in Celebrity Fashion

But just as he’s been keeping abreast of industry trends for the last 12 years, staying on top of mediums such as mobile and online video, Heather’s also recognized the need for a user-generated content, or blog portion of StarStyle, to keep users interacting. The Salon section of StarStyle allows top stylists like Sex and the City’s Pat Field to “…talk about all the products they selected and why they selected them and what they’re doing.” He adds, “So that allows the consumer much more of a behind-the-scenes editorial feel as opposed to us just listing out and saying these jeans were shown in the show on this character. That’s fine, and obviously they’re excited about that. But in going to the Salon, they get a much richer experience in terms of why was that bought, what was the interest in that, and why is that particularly stylish now, etc.”

However, regardless of how far they are ahead of the game, this site and its current capabilities are just scratching the surface of what’s to come. StarStyle.com has already inked deals with such content partners as Sony, Warner Bros., ABC, Procter & Gamble among many others in addition to the ability to tap into its parent company’s retail affiliate program including the gamut of retail brands including such names as partners include Apple iTunes, Nieman Marcus, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Gap, Bombay Co., Steve Madden, and American Eagle Outfitters. Other features to be rolled out in the near future that will nuance the StarStyle site are videos, “Meet the Designer” podcasts with names like As the World Turns’ costume designer Margarita Delgado, and online auctions where users can bid for items like Paris Hilton’s home furnishings among other goodies.

And while they have other initiatives in the works they can’t reveal just yet, Heather gave us a small heads up, saying, “Where it really gets exciting is when everything gets integrated into television and you can do everything you can on StarStyle on your TV with your own remote control,” he said. “That’s what we’re working towards for the summer.”

Sure, the site also comes equipped your standard ads, but it’s really the branding opportunities which Heather hopes will keep their partners wanting more. As he puts it, “Brands in our brand cart are very excited by this because it allows them to associate their brand with shows, which is very positive thing. If you imagine how the world works today—which is a stylist for a show goes out and buys stuff and spends money, maybe they buy some sneakers because they’re cool, they like some jeans—whatever it is they buy, they put it on their actors, or contestants on American Idol, whatever it happens to be… Those brands have no idea that their products have been used.” He continues, “So the power of our site goes well beyond just telling consumers ‘Hey, you like that t-shirt? Here’s where you can buy it.’ It’s about telling Diesel, ‘Guess what, your products were used on 26 people this week, or your products are getting the most exposure brand-wise than other people’s products.’ You can probably imagine where that whole business line can go to as well.”

But the ultimate question that remains is one the chief exec will gladly answer himself. “What if you could get in to a store where you knew everything was celebrity-endorsed,” Heather asks. “Everything in that store was worn by somebody you liked, and ultimately that’s what StarStyle is destined to become—a celebrity-endorsed portal. That’s what we’re working on,” he concludes. “As well as seeing something, and being stimulated by seeing something because you watched it on TV, you can also just go there as a destination place because you know that everything in it has got that level of endorsement.”





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