Burberry’s latest Christmas advertisement is a festive, gift-wrapped video starring David and Victoria Beckham’s 12-year-old son, Romeo, as well as British models and dancers Hannah Dodds and Anders Hayward. The score has been produced by British musician Ed Harcourt and the short film was shot at the iconic Elstree studios in London.
However, voices have been raised among the modeling industry, regarding the fee Beckham reportedly received – a eye-watering £45,000 pounds as quoted by AP. Carol Fairweather, Burberry’s Finance Director, did not respond to questions about how much the company paid the 12-year-old as the company announced an 11% drop in profits to the press. “There are marketing budgets and the people in the marketing department are making those decisions,” she told reporters. The fee, which equates to £94 pounds-a-minute for an eight hour day, was negotiated by former Spice Girl’s manager Simon Fuller.
The video, released on the third of November, features couples dancing on the snowy streets of London, dressed in Burberry’s iconic outerwear and has already received a staggering five million hits on YouTube. It captures the essence of Christmas with gift giving, love and celebration featuring Burberry products; the trench coat, mufflers and umbrellas in the company’s signature plaid design.
Burberry outerwear has become synonymous with British culture, thanks to the efforts of former CEO Angela Ahrendts and former Creative Director Christopher Bailey, transforming the brand from its former ‘Chav-like’ reputation in the 70’s, to a symbol of British casual cult culture.
Through a change in vision, product positioning, advertising and buying out franchises the company successfully transformed into what we know of it today — a brand that embodies the essence of British culture, just as Ralph Lauren does for American culture.
Although the company’s sales have risen over the past six months, fluctuations in foreign currencies have led to a loss in profits with weak spots in Asia and Europe. Let’s hope the amount paid to Junior Beckham justifies the equity the new advertisement campaign hopes to build on.