Michael Jordan and Nike, George Foreman and the grill; celebrity endorsements can boost sales. But not, it seems, in dance.
We’ve all seen it in our stores. We excitedly tell a customer about this famous dancer’s new collection for a brand, only to be met with blank stares. To make sure this wasn’t just an issue with my customers, I reached out to storeowners across North America. They all reported the same thing. There’s a big disconnect between the world of the studio and the world of professional dancers. Roberta LaSalvia of Demetria’s Dancewear and Costumes asked her staff if anyone recognized the name of a dancer working with a major brand. Only one person in her entire team vaguely recognized the dancer’s name.
Does Star Endorsement Actually Drive Sales?
Research shows that celebrity or star athlete endorsement increases buying intent, and that this influence is strongest among Gen Z. According to this study, 29 percent of this cohort say that a celebrity endorsement may influence their buying decision, compared to 27 percent of millennials and 21 percent of the general population. So, it’s not that celebrity endorsements don’t work; it’s just that most dance students don’t know the stars. Ask any young person to list celebrities in music or sports, and they’ll have no trouble. Ask them to name a professional dancer, and you might get one name—if any.
There are three groups of customers in dance retail: the studio dancers, whose buying decisions are mostly driven by teachers’ recommendations; the competitive dancers, who get excited by products they see at competitions; and the small group of aspiring professional dancers, who may be more familiar with the top professionals—but even their knowledge is limited.
Influencers or Celebrities: Who Actually Sells?
All this is not to say that endorsements can’t sway dancers’ buying decisions. Interestingly, LaSalvia’s aforementioned staff who couldn’t name a professional dancer lost their minds when they learned that the store’s owner had taken a selfie with an online dance influencer. This raises the question: Does an online influencer make a better spokesperson than a star?
A deep dive into the research—including a study by the African Journal of Biological Sciences and another published in the peer-reviewed open-access journal Social Media + Society—shows that both can be equally effective, provided the influencer has a relatable online persona. It’s all about connection.
The latter study states, however, that only macro-influencers (those who have over 100 thousand followers) are significantly more persuasive than celebrity endorsements in driving sales. Influencers need to get big enough to be a brand; otherwise, they lack the trust, credibility, and emotional attachment needed to make their endorsement effective.
How to Build Genuine Connections With Customers
For endorsements and brand collaborations to significantly impact consumer behavior, consumers need to identify with and aspire to be like the endorser. They need to see that they share values and know the endorser as a role model. This study shows that Gen Z girls, in particular, will trust an endorsement if they see a real connection between the brand and the endorser. They’re also looking for an emotional connection with the endorser.
The research on celebrity endorsements points to a solution to the dance world’s dilemma of unknown stars. The key is storytelling. As Della Stewart of Dancin Soul Boutique puts it, “brands can’t assume that their endorsing dancer is known. They have to tell their story.”
The brand needs to tell the dancer’s story in a way that creates a connection. They need to talk about the dancer’s journey. About how nervous they felt at their first dance class. How excited they were when they got their first pointe shoes. Their story needs to be relatable to studio dancers’ experiences. Only then will a collaboration generate interest.
A brilliant example of a brand creating this kind of connection is Gatorade’s “Like a Mother” campaign with Serena Williams. The ad celebrates the sacrifice and effort it took for Williams to return to tennis less than a year after giving birth. Importantly, it connects her experience to the grit and sacrifice of mothers everywhere. It’s powerful stuff that likely sold a lot of Gatorade.
What Does This Mean for Retailers?
Brands should share collaborating dancers’ stories with retailers so they, in turn, can pass them along to their customers—whether through social media or in-store communication.
Storytelling starts with establishing the collaborating dancer’s current status. Yes, it’s helpful to know that they’re a principal dancer at Ballet x, y, or z. But it’s just as important to share what else they’ve achieved. Most likely, they’ve had significant accomplishments on the way to their current position. When brands, and then retailers by extension, share those milestones, it helps to bring their story to life.
And keep sharing. Is the dancer preparing for a major role? Did they recently deliver a triumphant performance on a big stage? By drawing your customers’ attention to the moment, you’ll give them a reason to cheer the collaborating dancer on…and perhaps purchase their endorsed items.
Sharing details about a collaborating dancer’s past is just as valuable as highlighting their present. If they open up about being nervous before a big show on social media, maybe there’s a way you can get in touch via the brand and have them reflect on their very first performance—as, say, a dancing seahorse at age 5. As they break in a new pair of pointe shoes, you could get them to recall the excitement of getting fitted for their very first pair to share in your marketing.
Relating a respected dancer’s journey to your customers will create a powerful emotional connection. Studio dancers will see that the artist on the big stage (and in that brand) has stood where they now stand. They’ll feel seen—and inspired.
The Bottom Line
It’s not enough to slap a star’s name on a brand. If stores and suppliers work together to build a connection to that star, we will all benefit. And get the boost in sales from the celebrity collaboration. Who knows? By telling their stories right, we might just help dance find its own Michael Jordan.
Gilbert Russell is a seasoned dancewear retailer who helps independent stores thrive through his book “Retail AI Unleashed,” coaching programs, speaking engagements, and weekly newsletter.